Draft Messages

thirty

MY FRIENDS WOULD OFTEN TELL ME that I was the most optimistic person that they have ever met. They'd say that I always try to find the bright side in every situation - no matter how bad it was.

However, as I found myself standing outside of Mary Midrest Hospital, it was as if all the optimism in me had dissipated. I felt anticipation and dread starting to eat me alive, but I thankfully managed to keep it at bay.

Looking around, I hadn't caught sight of Esther, and so I took out my phone from my pocket.

But just when I was about to call her, the named person had already appeared and attacked me in a hug.

"Oh, Aphrodite," She squeezed me tightly. "Thank you so much for coming."

I wasted no time and wrapped my arms around her, returning the hug. "It's not a problem, Esther."

She didn't say anything else after that, instead she let herself relax in the embrace. And after a moment or two, she pulled away.

She then held me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye - as if she was looking for something and when I suppose she found what she was looking for, she released her grip.

"I could see that you're nervous, but just relax." She told me.

Relax? I thought outrageously, how could I just relax in this-

She sighed, "I know you're thinking why I'm telling you to relax in this kind of situation. But just trust me, okay?"

I said nothing but nodded at her request. She nods back in acknowledgement.

"Alright then, let's go." was all she said before heading inside.

She paid me no heed and took a lot of turns. It took everything in me to keep up with her since her strides were long and quick. I wasn't surprised though, as she was formerly in the track team.

After a few more turns, she stopped in front of the elevator. I couldn't help but sigh with relief. With my zero athletic skills, I was breathless after that simple walk.

"You fine in there?" She inquires as she sees me panting.

"Just peachy." I said weakly

She chuckled lightly before pressing the 'up' button. As we waited, I thankfully regained my breath. No words were exchanged between us even until we entered the elevator.

The silence was bad for me, apparently, as it gave my brain the opportunity to ridicule me with thoughts I tried so hard to suppress.

What if something bad happened to Noah? What if he got into a car accident then entered a coma? Oh no, what if Noah is critical condition? Or worse, what if he's dead? Goodness, what if-

My asinine "what if" thoughts were - thankfully - interrupted by Esther as she tapped me on the shoulder.

I blinked before looking towards her.

"We're here," she says, holding onto the 'keep door open' button. I must've been thinking for too long.

"Sorry," I apologized.

She gave me a small smile, "It's fine, let's go." She says before gesturing me to go out first. I followed her instructions, and she stepped out not long after I did.

We entered another round of silence as she resumed walking towards our destination. This time, there wasn't so much turns, so I didn't get breathless like earlier as Esther stopped in front of room 537.

She held the doorknob before turning to face me. "I need to check on a few things before you can enter. You can wait there," She gestured to the waiting chairs that stood in front of the room. "Or get coffee down the hallway. I'll be quick with what I need to do, don't worry."