Tales of the Smarty Pants

Chapter 8: The last 24

Ever get that feeling when something should be wrong, but it isn't. You know that something is off, maybe it is too quiet, or too clean. I feel like something is off. Oh, wait. Al.

The hospital is a place of death, not a place of healing. When you think about it. Just look at all of the dying people in here. Whether they are dying of age, disease or a freak accident that was never meant to happen. I can't bring my self to even look at him. They can wake him from his slumber, but after 24 hours, it is his parents' choice about what to do with Al. They keep referring to him as just a body. These nurses have seen so much death and despair that they have managed to numb themselves from all of the sadness.

"They are going to wake him up in a couple of minutes" Cherry says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

His grandparents from both sides are here now, along with his aunts, uncles, parents, Beedy, Frank, my parents and me. We are all waiting for our last hours with him. If they do decide to keep him alive, there is a small chance he could make a recovery, but it wouldn't be a full recovery. Instead of crowding him, we have decided to take turns, an hour for each of us.

"I don't know why the accident happened, but he didn't deserve this. If anybody knows why this happened, if he was distracted while driving or something else, please come forward," his aunt Amy said.

The shame was almost unbearable. I knew I did it, it was me. I called him, causing him to pick up his phone. He lost concentration from the road, about 40% actually.

"Alright, um, Melissa. You are going to have the last hour. We wanted you to go home and have some rest before you come back and-," she burst into tears. Cherry finally broke down and accepted the situation at hand.

"My son, my only son is dying and I can't do anything about it," she whispered and walked over to her husband.

"Is Al really dying? I just thought that he wasn't doing too well. Melissa, why haven't you told me this yet?" my mother asked in a confusing tone.

"Please mom, not now," I said.

I don't currently want to discuss my dying friend. I want to go home, shower, sleep and eat food that isn't from the hospital. I want to prepare myself for the last hour, my last hour with Al.