if by chance | ✓

16 | don't you work at starbucks?

[ 16 ]

R H Y S

✦

I should have been careful.

And as my eyes observe Eugene Cooper lying senseless on a portable sleeping bag since there's no other way we could make him more comfortable --- I couldn't have felt more guilty. Mrs. Cooper had solely trusted me with taking care of her grandson, and I had failed at that. I was never good at taking care of people.

That was Eugene's job.

"Do you think we need to take him back immediately?" Juniper asks from behind me. She was standing with her arms crossed and even though I knew her insides must be churning, not a single hair on her head was out of place. Neither did she fail to maintain a neutral expression. Sometimes I wished I could have that poise and calm.

"I don't know, June. I don't know how am I going to face Mrs. Cooper. I was the one who convinced her to let him come along in the first place." I sigh.

"It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself!" This comes from Cora, surprisingly enough because I had almost forgotten she was right beside me, holding on to my arm. I knew she was unaware of the erratic heartbeats she was giving me but it would be too selfish of me to stress on that point right now.

We were lucky Mrs. Thurman had insisted on bringing a paramedic along --- just in case.

"Mr. Crawford, I'm afraid we'll have to take him back to the city. Y'all will stay here; Dr. Harvey is in charge, you need not worry." She says the last sentence directed to everyone who had gathered around, much to Dr. Harvey's dismay.

"I'll come along." I say, stepping forward. Mrs. Thurman hesitates, exchanging a nervous glance with Dr. Harvey.

"Let him go, he might be of help." He agrees, furrowing his bushy eyebrows. It was unexpected, given the kind of annoyed he was --- with everyone. But I guess being extra sincere in assignments might have won me a soft corner in his heart.

I flash him a tight lipped smile before making my way towards the tents. I needed to get my stuff.

"Can I join you?" Coraline asks, tagging behind.

"Why you?" I blurt out and immediately realize it had came off rude, "Um, I mean, there's Noah and the others. Why would you out of everyone here accompany Eugene?"

She hesitated, shifting the weight between her legs.

"Eugene is my friend too. And...out of everyone here, I'm the one he chose to share his feelings with." She states, pushing back a loose strand of hair.

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to. Just lemme come along." She says it so bluntly it hurt but nevertheless, I nod --- figuring it wouldn't be the best idea to argue her at this point.

Cora silently picks up her duffle bag, the air between us pretty awkward in context to whatever happened, or was about to happen, thirty minutes ago.

I chose not to think about it.

Mrs. Thurman was seated on the driver's seat of her Range Rover, in which Dr. Harvey and herself had travelled in here on Monday while the students came on the double decker. She was impatiently tapping her rich coffee coloured fingers on the steering wheel.

"Yo kids, hop on fast!" She shouts upon seeing me and Cora walking over.

"Rhys, we'll see you tomorrow." Luna says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Noah waves to his twin and myself before he joins Luna and Riley. Juniper Liu wanted to come along, I didn't know why, she rarely spoke to Eugene, but I could never know. Especially after what Coraline Eastwood said regarding my best friend.

It felt like people knew more about Eugene than me. And I would be lying if I say it didn't make me feel dissapointed.

He had been given some medicine which helped calm his nerves and as Eugene sleeps on my arms, oblivious to the speeding Range Rover bumping on the dirt road every other minute, I couldn't control my emotions.

A single tear threatens to fall from my left eye but I somehow manage to hold it back. Eugene Cooper had been like the brother I never had, and it felt terrible to see him like this.

"You okay?" Coraline asks in a whisper.

"What do you think?"

✦

The blinding lights in the hospital corridors was giving me a headache, a sharp contrast to the natural sunlight I had been enjoying for the past three days. It's been almost an hour now that we have been pacing back an forth --- all too familiar to the night when Eugene blacked out in the library.

"What happened? I mean I was just gone for like half an hour and ---"

"Mr. Crawford, I understand you're tensed. Have some coffee" Mrs. Thurman suggests. She herself was enough worried, that I could tell.

"Riley said he had a mild seizure." Coraline adds, twirling the tiny paper cup she was holding between her hands.

I look down at my own mug filled with the warm brown liquid that is supposed to make me feel better. I had wanted a mug rather than a paper cup for the same reason. But when I take the first long sip of the so-called coffee, I wanted nothing but to puke.

"This doesn't taste like coffee." I exclaim between coughs.

"Probably because yours isn't." Cora snorts.

Mrs. Thurman had moved over to the counter and was speaking to a nurse, so I didn't have to hush my tone to speak.

"Have a taste yourself!" I say, handing her the cobalt blue mug.

She rolls her eyes, taking a small sip.

"Mhmmm, it's pretty good!"

"What? Don't you work at Starbucks?" I mock.

"That I do for a reason, you probably have a low tolerance for egg nog!" She snickers, handing the mug back to me.

"Egg nog?"

"Duh. They have only egg nog in the hospital canteen today." She states.

I mentally make a note never to order a egg nog --- or for that matter, any other coffee at the London General Hospital.

"Hey Rhys?"

"Yeah?"

Cora was scanning the paperwork of Eugene Cooper's medical record and she had her eyebrows knitted in a way that told me she was confused for some reason. Funnily enough, I thought it was adorable.

"Who's this Dr. Davenport? What's his first name?" She asks, lifting up her gaze.

"The neurologist guy --- uh, Connor I guess. Why?"

Her face lights up in an instant, as if a wave of recognition had hit her.

"Dr. Connor Davenport! Why does that name ring a bell?"

✦

a/n : i hadn't initially planned to include connor in a cameo role but i love him, so yeah. :3