"You're okay" I heard Noah say after a few seconds of me purely freaking myself out in my head.
He moved to sit in the bed with me, opening one of the shakes and handing it to me.
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
I leaned against him and zoned into Friends as he put it on, knowing it was my comfort show.
Soon two bodies entered the room, making me notice it was Hemmings and another guy.
"Montana, Noah- this is my on call doctor, Doctor Hood" Hemmings introduces as the guy smiled lightly, extending his hand to Noah, who immediately shook his hand.
"He's one of my very best friends and will be taking great care of you." Hemmings spoke towards me as he lifted the shake he knew I was drinking, giving me a satisfied nod at the weight of it.
I hope he was satisfied because I didn't feel like drinking anymore of it.
"So all is good?" Hemmings then spoke, making Noah and I look to each other.
"All is good" we confirmed.
Noah ended up falling asleep before me, I stayed awake, watching Friends silently.
I yawned just as Doctor Hood entered, his polite smile never dropping.
"Mind if I check your vitals, just temperature and pulse?" He whispered, making me nod.
I paused the movie as he grabbed a few things, stepping closer to me.
He ran the thermometer across my forehead, nodding as he typed it on his iPad.
"Can I grab your wrist?" He asked me slowly, making me lift it to him, feeling his fingers go around it, landing in the familiar spot, us both going silent as he focused.
"Great" he mumbled after a moment, typing that as well.
"Can I get you anything?" He asked me slowly.
"No thank you" I mumbled to him, seeing him smile.
"Okay, I'll check on you again soon."
And then he left.
About thirty minutes later, I felt my stomach growl.
Really? Now I want to have an appetite?
Hood had just came and checked on me maybe five minutes ago and now I decide to want something?
My body makes no sense.
But then I remembered from our tour of the hospital
Our cafeteria was 24 hours.
There was no stopping me once I remembered that.
I stood, surprisingly not feeling as dizzy as I had been previously, just shaky.
I slipped on vans, sending Noah a text about where I was going just in case he would wake up before I was back.
And I just walked.
I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I had an idea.
I found my way into the cafeteria, pausing at the sight of a few workers, not exactly knowing where I should go.
"New here?" An abrupt voice scared the shit out of me, making the guy immediately laugh lightly.
"Sorry, I thought you heard me walk up" he laughed to me.
"I didn't" I mumbled, managing to laugh with him.
"I'm Austin" he spoke, extending his hand.
"Montana" I shook his hand.
"Hungry?" He then asked me, making me nod slowly.
"Come on, I'm a regular here." He smiled.
So I followed.
He knew and addressed every worker by name, introducing me as well as we walked through.
"And here is the goodies!" He bounced, a prominent smile on his lips as he motioned to a wall of food.
"What's your pick?" He asked as I scanned over everything.
"Fruit" I immediately told him, grabbing a mixed variety.
"That's boring" he spoke, grabbing a bag of chips and a random desert.
"You're going to learn that the longer you're here, the better the junk food gets." He winked.
We paid and then he led me to where he claimed was the "best eating spot"
Him and I ended up sitting in a random hallway, looking out of a huge glass wall, barely able to see a distant water fountain at the hospitals entrance.
Him and I chatted as we snacked.
I learned that he was here for lung cancer and had already been here over a year.
He was about to be eighteen.
Here with his single mom, who worked nights.
Seemed to be a regular trouble maker, not following "hospital protocol" according to his doctor.
"So what about you?" He asked me.
I shrugged
"I'm here for ovarian cancer, brand new pretty much" I told him slowly.
"I'm seventeen, turn eighteen next year" I continued.
"And I'm just trying to go back home" I mumbled, seeing him smile lightly.
"Montana" he exhaled, making me focus to him.
"I think you and I are going to be good friends."
Just as I went to respond, we heard an announcement, which wasn't rare.
"Code purple, I repeat, code purple on the oncology floor- all attendings please meet and the nurses desk."
"Shit" Austin laughed out.
"What?" I spoke, seeing him smiling lightly.
"That's definitely about us"
"What?" I felt myself panic.
"Code purple is the hospitals code for missing patients- I get that one called on me quite often."
Therefore him and I made our way back to our rooms, managing to laugh about the situation.
"I mean- they expect it from me, but I'm sure they're purely panicking over you." He laughed out just as we rounded a corner, seeing Hood and about five other males, all of them turning to us in unison.
"I don't know why we didn't expect this." One of the doctors laughed as Austin put his hands up.
"Just helping a friend out." He laughed as Hood and the doctor who spoke walked towards us.
"Call off the code purple." Hood spoke, his light smile making me a bit relieved.
"Late night cafeteria run?" The other doctor asked.
"Of course" Austin spoke for me.
"Fruit?" I offered to Hood, making his smile immediately bigger as I held up the leftover fruit from my tray.
"I'm honestly just relieved to see you eating."
