Beat Of My Heart

Chapter Eleven: Mentors

Chapter 11

Nate pulled away, his hand resting on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean to..." 

I shook my head, smiling. "No, it's okay." 

He smiled back, "I should probably go check on..." 

I nodded, "Anthony and Lizzie?" I said, completing his sentence.

"Right!" He said, walking backwards towards the door. I laughed as he stumbled on something and almost lost his balance entirely. His face flushed with embarrassment as he quickly added, "See you later, then." 

I had been smiling all day, it seemed like. I went to sleep that night, and woke up the next morning with a smile still plastered on my face. It was beginning to feel like a permanent thing. Even Anthony noticed it when he later joined me back in our room the next day.

He looked skeptically at me when he finally decided to ask, “He kissed you last night didn’t he?”

I tried to hide my blush forming on my cheeks the best I could, but it was useless.

“No,” I lied.

Anthony eyed me up and down for a while, until I cracked under the pressure. I groaned, “Anthony, how did you know?”

He laughed a little before answering, “I know everything.”

Lizzie entered the room right at Anthony’s comment and giggled a little before nudging him on the back of his head. “Or you just looked through the door window when they kissed.”

This time I flushed bright red in embarrassment. They both had seen the whole thing happen. There really was no privacy. “I can’t believe you guys watched,” I spoke as I glared at them both.

Lizzie put her hands up defensively, “Hey, don’t look at me like that! I tried to tell Anthony we should give you guy’s privacy but he insisted.” Today her look consisted of 80’s attire. Her hair was dark brown and teased in to a high side pony-tail. She wore a pink polka dot dress with a black scarf tied around her small neck.

I turned my glare over to Anthony, as he laughed some more. “I knew he was going to kiss you! I had a feeling and I had to prove my theory.”

“Whatever,” I grumbled, not coming up with anything better to say. 

To get away from the conversation, I got out the remote control and clicked the television on. I flipped through each channel, waiting for something that sparked interest in me. I sighed, when nothing good seemed to be currently playing. I settled for the Channel 8 News.

I tuned in and out while listening to the stories that consisted of a robbery of ten thousand dollars at one of the local banks in town, a recent kidnapping of a thirteen year old girl who was riding her bike innocently on Clementine Street, and lastly a natural disaster that struck in Hawaii; a tsunami that took the lives of hundreds, and left several others homeless and in great need.

Apparently this tsunami happened last week. It was crazy how unaware I was of all these current events. I had no idea this tragedy had happened, being confined in this little hospital room and all. I remembered the outing Nate had taken me on. It was fun, and I couldn’t wait to do it again hopefully soon. That was the last time I had even left my room and that was days ago.

My mind was brought back to the television, when some familiar words caught my attention. They were words I heard often while being in a hospital.

The reporter’s voice came clear and deep in to the microphone held in front of him. His dialogue made me shiver, “This just in: Roxanne Remington, a 26 year old, who was currently a student at UCLA, was diagnosed with several brain tumors less than one month ago. While going in for a surgery for removal three days ago, many things had gone tragically wrong. The surgeon had operated on the wrong side of her brain, which brought significant damage to her health. Remington’s passing occurred the following day. Many are grieving over the death of the young, outgoing, girl, while her family is suing the hospital for a supposedly very plentiful amount. We can only hope that next time; doctors pay more attention to the side of the brain that needs the operation, to spare the life of someone in the near future. Thank you for tuning in to Channel 8 News. Have a good night.”