Sophie opened the door. Keefe was drawing. She smiled at the sight.
"How have you been?" She asked.
It had been a couple of days since the operation. Keefe had been able to take a short walk across the hall since then.
She was already able to tell that the surgery had helped a lot. He wasn't as pale as when he first woke up from the heart attack, and he had more energy.
The only issue Sophie was still concerned with was that his personality still seemed to be hidden away. He didn't want to talk much. The nurses had to start giving him fluids because he didn't want to eat or drink. So seeing him drawing was a huge improvement!
"Sore," he muttered.
"I'm sorry." She glanced over his shoulder. "Watcha drawing?"
He turned the notebook up to where she could see.
"A room?" She guessed. He nodded.
It took her a moment to take in all the details. The bench by a window. The TV. The monitors. It was the hospital room.
"Would you mind some visitors?" She finally asked. "Everyone's been telling me at lunch they want to see you. They said they could come today if you'd like."
A shrug in response. Sophie sighed.
"Will it be too overwhelming for you with them all here," she prompted. "Do you want to wait longer? They understand if you do."
"They can come," Keefe spoke.
"Ok, I'll tell them."
A while later, a knock on the door. Their friends trailed into the room.
"What's up?" Fitz asked.
"Nothing much," Keefe muttered. "You guys?"
"Well," he chuckled a bit, "We've been getting destroyed in baseball without you."
"Baseball started back, already?" His voice was laced disappointment.
"It did last week. But it's fine. You need to focus on getting better before anything else."
Keefe nodded, but he shuffled further into his pillows. He didn't meet anyone's eyes.
"Ooh!" Linh exclaimed. "I've got dirt on Tam!"
Tam groaned. "We're not doing this."
She waved him away from her. "Oh yes, we are. Him and Marella are together!"
Tam tried to shove his sister. She jumped out of the way.
"That's neat," Keefe muttered.
He wasn't even taking the opportunity to tease Tam? That made Sophie worried. Glancing around the room, she could tell the others were too. Even Tam stood, anticipating a late joke. Nothing.
The grins on their friends' faces slowly went away as they realized how unlike himself Keefe was being. They stayed for a few hours, trying to get him to laugh or joke. It was all in vain.
When they left, Sophie pulled out her book she needed to read for English class. Keefe glanced up at her.
"Can you read out loud?" he asked.
"Out loud?"
He nodded, already making himself comfortable on the bed.
"Yeah, I can."
Sophie flipped to the page where the chapter started. As she read, she reached out and stroked Keefe's face. After a little bit, she heard him snoring.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Heart/Broken Mind
Casuale(Human AU) Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay. As the years pass, they wind up being in the same c...
