Warped Minds

Chapter 7: Hospital Stay

Chapter Seven: Hospital Stay

Everything is hazy and fogged up when I open my eye. My head and left eye are consumed in some sort of bandage. It takes a few minutes before I realize where I am. The smell of antiseptic cleaner is everywhere, never parting from the area. The wall to the left of me is covered by floor to ceiling windows, letting in a steady stream of light. The door is to the right, a poster of a kitten hanging from a tree branch orders me to 'Hang In There!'. Light blue sheets with small yellow daisies spread over the twin bed. A bedside table that rotates so I don't have to move is piled with food, water and a remote for the blank television hanging on the wall in front of me. The red button strapped to the side of the bedside table is to alert the nurse I am awake, so I press the cool red plastic circle down into its metal nest. A small beep signifies that I have, in fact, pressed the button down enough. After a few minutes wait, small heels click down the hallway, tap tap tapping their way towards my room. The heels stop outside my door no a three softly perfected knocks on the door replace the silence. Without time to respond I hear the locks click and clack into one another and the gentle grind of the metal twisting in its assigned position. Creaakkkk as the door opens and in steps an older woman with her dark brown curls pushed up against her forehead held tight with bobby pins. She wears a purple nurses shirt covered in puppies and kittens and bones and balls of yarn. She smiles at me but I speak first.
"How long...?"
"Let's see here..." She walks to the edge of my bed and picks up my chart, scanning the numbers and words that are meaningless to me but make complete sense to her.
"You have been out for about 13 hours Hun. You have a nasty little cut near your eye so we have to give you some morphine to operate"
"Operate?" She laughs but I don't see why, a bandage is wrapped tightly around my throbbing head and eye socket and I panic momentarily, operation on my eye could doom my chance of being liberated from my parents.
"No, no Hun, not like that. We just had to stitch you up, you'll be discharged as soon as the doctor comes in to look at you and you eat something."
"What about my mother? How is she?"
"Umm Maddy Bachman?"
"Madeline." My mother hates (hated?) her name because she was named after her one and only mother.
"Ah yes sorry, Madeline. She is better and has been discharged from this hospital but..."
"But what?" I don't know whether to be mad, upset, or happy.
"Your mother is on suicide watch at Harcourt House after attempting to overdose on morphine."
"That's why? Seriously? Not the fact that She tried to jump off the roof of our house?"
"We weren't aware that that's what happened. Neighbor witnesses told us she followed you out and slipped. Do you have another eye witness that can backup your observations?"
"Yeah he came here with me, his name is Kellin."
"Tall, black hair?"
"Yeah."
"He's downstairs in the break room getting breakfast. I'll notify him that you're awake"
"That'd be just peachy, thank you" her small heels click clack out of the room and the door slams quite loudly behind her. Since I have some time, I think I'll turn on the Telly. My mother didn't want to pay for cable and she thought television ruined children's brains anyways. I grew up reading books and using my imagination as entertainment. Once and a while when I was at Kellins we would slip in the occasional episode of The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes. He and I would always try and guess who did the crime before Sherlock and Watson did, and we always, always figured it out before them. Two children, not even five yet, pairing up and solving crimes for the greater good. How cheesy. But still, our childish musings made us, built us up. We got to know each other through all of the hard times. Kellin was my best friend, maybe even more than that. I don't know where things are going but I know where I want them to go. Maybe, possibly, slightly, just a teeny-tiny little itty bitty, might like like him. just possibly.
A spark and a click comes from the television, telling me that it's on. There's some day time soap-opera playing on the screen, so I click a few channels until I get to a show that looks semi-good. After watching shots of scenery from around the world with a dull narration explaining the beautiful camera shots for a while I hear shoes walking fast down the hallway towards me. Click and the television is off, the screen slowly returning to its blackened state. The door once again creaks open, revealing a quite relieved Kellin.
"How are you doing?" He says this all in one breath, already knowing the answer.
"My mother just attempted suicide twice, my father is no where to be found and I'm sitting here with 8 stitches in my head. I'm just peachy, how are you?" He smiles and laughs slightly, unsure of what to do.
"Your mum is at the Harcourt House and she probably won't be released for a couple months."
"Yeah that's what I was guessing. Any other news I should know?" I was hoping for a letter from the college, asking me to interview. It was supposed to come two days ago but it hasn't yet and I'm starting to get worried.
"Yes actually. I asked some of the police officers that if when you get out you can stay with me. Since you will be 18 in 25 days and your mother will not be released before then to take care of you, you can stay at my house. Your emancipation has been approved." He and I both let out a relieved sigh. I can live with this. My mother is getting help, I'm getting away, God knows where my father is, and I'm with Kellin.
"One more thing." He stares at me and I begin to get worried.
"You got a letter" he pulls a cream white envelope out of his jacket pocket, never breaking eye contact with me. Slowly walking over, he places the heavy letter in my hands. Placing my future in front of me.
The evolve is held together loosely and I can slip two fingers under the corner, prying the glue away from the other side. A soft ripping sound entails, breaking the stuffy silence in half. The paper inside is cream colored also, soft and smelling of the old times. Vintage but modern. Slip the paper out and open it up as it crinkles, revealing all the black lettering on the inside. It's a few sheets of paper, all covered in Times New Roman font.
"I can't do it Kellin"
"It's ok, do you want me to read it first?"
"Y...yeah" he slowly and carefully picks up the letter as if it's about to explode. Scanning the page, his eyes light up and a smile replaces the serious air in the room.
"Chrissy Evelyn Bachman, we are pleased to announce that you have been chosen to interview with Imperial College London for an education opportunity. Please come to one of our prep courses over the upcoming weeks so we can assist you with your studies as much as possible."
I laugh, then I smile, then I start crying all at the same time. The tears running down my cheeks are a mark of all the pressure that this letter held. I got into college. I can stay here. I'm not leaving. Kellin leans down and I swing my legs from the hospital bed, standing up shakily to hug him. I'm soon encased in his arms, laughing and crying and dancing around. Things are finally coming together. It not going to be easy, in fact it might even be worse, but this time I know that I can do anything.
"You did it Chris"
"No, we did it. I couldn't have gotten in without you"
"Aw shucks, you're going to make me cry" we both laugh and hug again but this time when he pulls away he's serious.
"Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I like you" I giggle, nervously.
"I like you too Kell"
"No, no, that came out wrong. I mean I love you. I've wanted to say that for so long and I was scared but things are different now and I think that we might actually work out."
Just then the door opens and in walks my nurse, her name tag stating her name as Maggie.
"Aw I'm sorry Hun, I didn't mean to interrupt you and your friend, I'll just step out for a min to give you two some privacy" she smirks and closes the door yet again, probably going to go gossip about us to her nurse friends.
"I love you too Kellin" I stand on my tip toes and kiss his rosy blushing cheek. We proudly walk hand in hand out of the room. We walk within our own future with every step we take. Together.

The End.