Guts, Rearranged {INCOMPLETE}

Chapter 2 =Stanley=

          The pristine sliding glass doors release Maggie to the outside world, smokers stand nearby and relieve their operation stress by blowing those sweet, sweet clouds into the air around them. She allows herself to take a deep single inhale of the clouds as she passes, a smile creeps onto her face as she passes. A couple give her a weird look at seeing her smile, yet that wasn't abnormal. As she distances herself from the Hospital entrance, she speeds up and removes her coat, fixing it's inside-out sleeves and sliding back into it.

          "Doc?" A quiet voice whispers at her and she slows slightly. She looks behind her to find the street empty of anyone she recognised, ahead of her she found the same. She continues walking, steadily returning to her original pace when it whispers at her again.

          "Doc?" It whispers, just loud enough for her to hear. She ignores it and continues, brushing it off as her having overheard a conversation somewhere.

          She approaches the side of the hospital building and glances down the alleyway between it and the physiotherapist offices, out of habit.

          "Doc?" The whisper is louder, and she studies the alleyway, finding it empty aside from the occasional food packaging littering the floor. She stops at it's entrance and looks to where she came from, nobody she recognised was there and nobody was looking at her. She turns to the rest of the street ahead, nobody she recognised was there and nobody was looking at her.

          "Doc." The whisper had turned into a blatant statement, and she looks back at the alleyway. At the end, tucked away in a dark corner, she sees a shape rise. She watches as her eyes adjust to specify the shape as a dishevelled man in raggedy clothes.

          When she's able to get a good look at his face, she smiles. His hair is in destressed patches, baldness catching up to him age with the aid of poor health. On his face is a large, deep scar she could recognise anywhere. It starts at the absence of his right nostril and makes a deep crevice down to his top lip, there it looks as if it's pulling the lip up as he's unable to close his lips effectively. She always found his scar interesting in its appearance, calling it a crevice was an understatement as it was like the deep line was pulling the skin on either side together in a blackhole type fashion, it always reminded her of erosion with how water could cut through rocks given enough time. It was the only thing that stayed the same about him, working as a nametag in her eyes. He gives her as big a smile as he can muster, the pulling of his scar, showing a section of his gums.

          "I almost didn't recognise you, Doc, it's been so long!" He gives her a hearty handshake.

          "How've you been Stanley?"

          "Oh I've been just fine, I thought you were dead!" He gives a guttural laugh, her smile grows at hearing it after so long.

          "A few close calls but I'm still kicken'!" She chuckles and he wipes his eye.

          "What're you doing here anyhow, you don't belong around here." He smiles as he gestures to the Hospital wall next to them, they begin walking out of the alleyway. She walks slowly, careful to not go to fast.

          "I've just been visiting people." She shrugs as they sit together at a bench next to the alleyway and in front of the physio offices.

          "Mmh." He grunts, leaning back in the chair and stretching his legs out.

          "People, huh?" He confirms with a sad smile.

          "That's worse than a somebody." He concludes.

          They sit in silence as the people go by, too entwined in their own goings on to notice her. An ambulance comes by, it's sirens and lights off, she watches it intently as it reaches the end of the street and rounds the corner to the Hospital's emergency department.

          "How's cupcake?" She asks, not turning to him. He's quiet for a while and she looks to make sure he was still there.

          "He went missing the day after you left." He sighs, making her heart hurt.

          "How long ago was that? I haven't hung my calendar yet." He says with a smile she doesn't return.

          "I've been missing you Doc,-" He stares at the ground, almost in a trance.

          "- I can't be as reckless as I used to be. Not in a bill-paying state, huh?" He turns to her as he finishes, almost demonstrating his scar to prove it. Maggie swallows hard, trying to keep her eyes on him. He doesn't move as he looks at her, making a pit in her stomach grow.

          "Why are you here, Stanley? Curtley's a 10-hour journey by car." She inquires. He smiles at her.

          "I'm here for you, of course." He states, giving her a friendly poke.

          "Why are you here?" He asks, folding his arms and giving her an amused look.

          "I'm visiting somebody, remember?" She motions towards the hospital with a chuckle. Stanley's face pulls to one of concern and he offers an apologetic smile.

          "Are they getting better?" He asks. "Somebody important showing any improvement?" His questions confuse her and the pit in her stomach grows. Seeing Stanley had been strange, it was normal for him to show up time to time but something was off. He looked accusatory and she found herself having a hard time looking at him for longer than a few seconds. She rises to her feet, his eyes following her. 

          "You there, Doc?" He asks, reaching out and holding her hand supportively. His eyes showed he was hurt, concerned for her sign of leaving him. He looked up to her, almost pleadingly, he knew her well enough to know something was wrong and she was never one to suddenly leave him like that.

          "You look really pale, are you alright?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. Maggie touched her cheek and lips with her free hand, her face was cool.

          "I had an appointment- I'm sorry Stanley but I think I have to go now." She forces a chuckle as she talks and slips her hand from his. As she walks away, Stanley doesn't move, he watches her with his brows knitted together, hand still warm from her touch.