The New Hope Coffee Shop [Slow Updates]

Hospital Visits and Hopelessness

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The heart monitor continued its endless noise.

Ciel lifted his left arm to study the bandages wrapped around the slender limb. A tray of food sat in front of him, but the bluenette couldn't eat.

The nurses would come in and try to convince him to "At least taste the roast beef" or "Try the carrots, they're great!"

How could he eat anything after what had happened?

Ciel pushed the tray away and swung his legs over the side of the bed, padding on socked feet to the bathroom. Closing the door and locking it, the bluenette stepped in front of the bathroom mirror.

The reflection in the mirror was a stranger. Gaunt cheeks, paler skin, hollow eyes-- no, eye. It looked like a nightmare come to life.

Ciel reached a shaking hand up to his bandaged right eye as his reflection did the same. The doctor, Durless, wouldn't say anything aside from the cheesy, it'll be okay, you'll be fine.

Yeah right, like that was true.

Tugging at the strip of tape and bandage, Ciel unwound the covering from his eye. The flesh was raised: puffy and pink. Scabs decorated the top layer of his skin. The eyelid, which was closed, had a partially healed gash across the entire section, still crusted with scabbed areas.

Ciel inhaled quickly, lightly dragging a fingertip over the injury, wincing when he got to his eyelid. He was about to pry the eye open when there was a knock on the door.

Cursing at himself, Ciel rewound the bandage almost perfectly. He then flushed the toilet and ran his hands under the water.

As he unlocked and opened the door, Ciel realized he should have taken some of the food and put it down the toilet.

A nurse stood in the doorway, fidgeting with his glasses. He looked really young, Ciel thought.

When Ciel had stepped through the doorway and sat back down on his bed, the nurse, who's name tag read Alan Humphries, told him he had a couple of visitors.

In walked two blondes that Ciel happened to know well. Elizabeth Midford and Alois Trancy.

"Oh, Ciel! We were so worried about you! When we heard what ha--"

Elizabeth, or Lizzie as she likes to be known as, was pink faced and teary. Her long speech was interrupted by Alois sticking his hand over her mouth to quiet her.

"Are you okay?" The blond inquired. Ciel nodded. Alois was not normally so serious, but when his foster mother and younger brother died in an airplane crash, the same expression was on his face for months.

Lizzie squirmed away from Alois and hugged Ciel as he sat on his bed, knocking into the full tray as her curls flew around.

The blond young man pulled the tray to him.

"Ciel, are you eating?"

"Yeah, I hadn't started on that tray yet."

"Then go ahead and eat it right now."

Ciel shot his friend a withering look, but nudged Elizabeth away and took precisely seven bites of food.

Alois opened his mouth to protest, but Ciel interrupted.

"Aloe," he said, deciding that the nickname would help his case, "I'm not really all that hungry. I'll eat more at dinner. Promise."

Alois looked skeptical, but didn't comment further. Nurse Humphries came back in, rubbing his chest absentmindedly.

"Visitor hours are over. I'm sorry, but unless you filed a paper to stay over night, you will have to leave."

Ah, finally. Maybe Ciel could have some nightmare free sleep along with peace and quiet.

Alois, apparently, had different plans. He pulled a sheaf of papers from Lizzie's purse. The girl didn't know about this, judging by the look on her face.

"I get to stay for as long as Ciel is hospitalized. It's all here."

And thus began a night that would not be forgotten even through the tears shed.