36 Questions to Fall in Love...in 36 days!

Chapter 71: Hospitals and Enemies

02:44🥀

The white bricks that make up the hospital carry a heaviness, a weight that no other building carries. It's  Dauntingly tall.

There's only a few cars parked in the parking lot. I'm closer to the entrance,  and from here I see nurses pouring in and out of the hospital in their blue scrubs.

I'm paralyzed, my hands on the wheels. The dull pain in my chest remains, hurting in a new way. Then it gets sharper, I think of Alex's call,  all the things he said.

Your grandfather. Coma. Fifteen hour shift. Truck driver—just tired. Critical condition, barely hanging on. Come.

It's sharper than anything I've ever felt in my chest, stealing my breath, leaving it short. It pulls at me, exerting energy. The panic attack waves over me in a crash. For a moment my vision is blinded. I see black then everything, then black again then everything.

“Je-sus” I gasp out his name, my final prayer, my last thread.

The pain intensifies, it goes black longer. I'm dizzy, a dark haze settling over me. I'm trying to breathe while trying to compose myself, as well as  trying not to cry, and remembering  to have faith.

There's a sudden, incessant knocking on my car window. I look up, with red rimmed eyes, tears leaking out.

It's Alex.

The worry is painted on his face, he seems to be having a panic attack of his own. “Open up, Leo. Now.” The urgency in his voice overwhelms  me but it's what I need. With the last bit of  strength, I  unlock the car doors.

Alex pulls the door open, the cold gust of wind pours in. The seatbelt that restrains me and stops me from falling over is suffocating.

Alex fumbles with the seatbelt,  his movements hurried and clumsy. When it finally clicks off, he pulls me out of the car, the cold, lung- filling night air hits me with a wave.

“That's it son, breathe.” Alex soothes, holding me in his arms. He holds me tight but loose, so I don't suffocate even further.

I take in large gulps of air, while he pats my back, the taste of salty tears on my dry lips. “It's all gonna be okay…breathe.” Alex continues.

It goes on like that for a while, until I'm still, my energy exerted, wisped out.

My chest is poured out, hollow, every breath painful to take. Then we're both still and Alex is silent.

“He's in there?” I ask, my eyes focused on the hospital, the lights of the building bringing no hope.

Alex holds me tighter. “He's in there.”

I start crying on his shoulder, hard broken sobs that tear out of my hollow chest. I'm overwhelmed, imagining the worst while praying for a miracle.

“Wha-t happened to my grandfather?”

Alex pulls away, looks me in my eyes. His eyes are red, his salt and pepper beard scruffy. “Come on…let's go inside. You need water. I'll tell you everything.”

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Hospitals.

The scent is distinct. It's stale and medicinal with an airy freshness that feels filtered.

It's a private hospital, but there is no luxury in death.

Doctor and nurses trail all around the place, shouting orders, calling for help, labeling a case. The distant sound of a cough is forever in the background. Alex walks behind me, his hand on my shoulder, firm. We walk through a place that smells of disinfectant and medicine.