Tent City

Chapter 8 - Kelsie

After Andy and Ben left, I felt as though I'd been hit by a bus and fell asleep. I was woken up about 3 hours later by Nurse Jones. She was checking on my vitals.

As she stuck the thermometer in my ear, she smiled and said,

"You know that Andy has a soft spot for you and Ben. While you were in the coma, She would visit you every night, sit by your bed, hold your hand, and whisper to you. She would've probably stayed by your side into the morning if we didn't kick her out every time."

" Why would she do that? She doesn't know me at all." I answered, shocked by what Nurse Jones had said.

"Well, she cares about you and Ben. She wanted you to live so that Ben wouldn't be left with anyone to look after him. Maybe she thought if she visited you, you'd pull through... which you did, so maybe it worked?" She chuckled to herself as she scribbled some words on my chart.

"Well, my dear, it seems you're getting stronger with every passing day. You might even be out of the sick bay in a couple more days." She said, her voice full of glee.

Not even 10 minutes after Nurse Jones left, I fell asleep again.

I remained in the sick bay for another 5 days under Dr Su's direction. Andy would bring Ben to visit me. Ben would crawl all over the bed, hug me, and talk about every single thing he did that day. While Andy silently took a seat beside my bed, pulled out a book, and read it with her legs crossed. Her military boots creaked and rubbed against each other as she jiggled her foot.

I wanted to ask her why she spent so much of her time with me. She had a whole troop of soldiers to lead, and here she was sitting beside my bed, reading a book. I decided to ask her to come back so we could talk without the interruption by Ben's excited voice. I tried numerous times but couldn't get a word in, as Ben excitedly described the picture of a bird that he drew that day. I tried to listen with interest, but I couldn't stop glancing at Andy. She remained calm, quietly reading, her boots squeaking as she jerked her feet, I was becoming overwhelmed. However, I somehow managed to get a word in.

"Ben, my little man. I'm a bit tired, how about you come back tomorrow, maybe I won't be so tired, and don't forget to bring me the picture you drew to show me. Now, don't forget, I love you." I whispered,

"OK, love you too, big sis." He exclaimed loudly, then threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. Andy stood from her chair and looked at me slightly worried.

"Andy, will you come back once Ben is settled?" I asked

"Are you sure? You said you're tired? I can come back tomorrow if you'd like?" She questioned, a concerned tone in her voice.

"It's OK, will you?"

"Yes, of course. I'll be back in about 30 minutes. " She answered before she ushered Ben out of the room, allowing me to finally de-stress and get my thoughts in order before she returned.

Andy returned 20 minutes later, I shuffled over and invited her to sit on my bed. She awkwardly obliged my invitation. There was a silence between us, as I tried to get the words to come out of my mouth. I couldn't, but it seemed that Andy sensed my struggle and spoke instead.

"Is everything okay, Kelsie?"

"Uhh! I just wanted to thank you for saving our lives. Thank you for staying by my side and looking after Ben when I was in a coma..." I paused and studied Andy's face to gauge her mood and her reaction to my gratitude. Her cheeks went red. I don't think she was used to being praised and receiving thanks.

"So you've been speaking to nurse Jones, I see." She chuckled awkwardly to herself. "You don't need to thank me, It was not a big deal at all." She continued.