The tears begin to roll down my cheek. The hot, wet tears fall into the hospital floor. Curtis wraps an arm around me with a sad smile.
"Hey, don't cry. It was just an accident, Susan," he says.
"Are you ok?" I ask, looking into his eyes. Curtis purses his lips.
"I'm sorry Susan, but..." I wait for the rest of the sentence. I know something happened. I look at the ground and nod.
"Ballet, right?"
"I found out about an hour ago... That I've been... Paralyzed from the waist down. Susan... I have... Internal bleeding..." He holds tears in and looks down. I start crying again quietly. He holds my hand.
"It's... Going to be alright. I'm fine. They're planning on operating on me tomorrow. The doctors are going to try their best," he explains, looking to where he thinks my face is. I nod and sniff, holding back more tears.
"Do your parents know?" I ask.
"Yeah. They found out the same time I did. I don't want you to be sad, Susan. I want you to be happy," he says. Then I remember he doesn't know! I give him a small, sad smile.
"I-I can see color..." I say.
He gasps and smiles brightly. "That's spectacular Susan! I'm guessing you were going to tell me at the beach, right? Sorry I couldn't make it," he says with a chuckle. That's my Curtis. He always makes things happy. I sadly smile at him.
"Don't apologize. Really, I should apologize. If I hadn't said that we should go to the beach, you wouldn't have to go through this. I'm such a fool. I don't know why I scheduled this..." I look to the ground with a frown. Curtis pulls himself up and kisses my forehead. I lean over and kiss him on the lips. He kisses me back. I close my eyes and he pulls me close. I lean away, out of the kiss when the doctor comes in.
"Curtis, we moved the operation to today. We believe waiting could be..." The doctor starts, then looks at my face, red from crying and doesn't continue.
"Yes. Ok. Does she have to leave?" Curtis gestures to me.
"Do know her?" He asks.
Curtis smiles and nods. "She's the love of my life, sir." He leans over and kisses my cheek. I blush, being called the love of his life.
"Ah, yes. Sadly no one can be around for the operation. He'll be just fine. Don't worry. You can wait outside until we're finished, which could be hours, or you can give you phone to the attendant at the front and we can call you when the operation is complete. Although, you may not be able to see him until a day after. These things to drain energy," the doctor says to me. I turn to Curtis.
"Susan. I don't want you to worry. Visit me here tomorrow. Wait for the call. No sooner, ok? I'll be fine," Curtis says, winking to me. I nod, then lean over to give him a kiss. He kisses back and we make out until the doctor clears his throat. Oops, kinda forgot he was there... I pull away and turn red.
"Goodbye, Curtis. I'll see you tomorrow, k?" I ask. He nods. Before I can walk away, Curtis grabs my hand.
"Susan, I love you with all my heart. If something happens, be happy," he says. He lets go and a take another look at him. I must admit, Curtis was cute. More than cute. His wavy, brown hair and freckles made him look hot. Even in a hospital bed.
"I love you too," I reply. The doctor leads me out and I give my number to the attendant up front. Until tomorrow, I'm not going to be happy.
