We've Still Got Time

Chapter Three: Room 101

Rise from your cold hospital bed
You're not dying
Everyone knows you're going to live
So you might as well start trying 

- Firewood, Regina Spektor

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I really don't know what brought me here.

I don't know if it's Laura, or the assorted cupcakes or the boy at Room 1.

Laura immediately got out of the Nurse's Station when she saw me enter the building. She gave me a tight motherly hug, "It's been a while."

"It is," I said, hugging her back with one arm while I balanced the box of cupcakes with my free hand. "I brought you something," I told her when she let go of her hug. "I was kinda' stressed with school stuff and I ended up watching baking videos in YouTube."

She laughed, getting the box from me, "Thank you sweetie. I didn't know you bake?"

I chuckled, "Me too. I just woke up and just had the urge to bake." WELL. SPEAKING OF WAKING UP. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling shy. Crap. Should I ask for him? What would Laura think? What if—

"He's getting better," Laura cut off my thoughts. "He still hasn't woken up but he's fine."

"Wh—who?" I tried to lie and look like I don't know who she's talking about.

She smiled at me, almost teasingly, "The boy."

I rolled my eyes, giving up on playing innocent.

"You can go see him if you like," she went on.

See him? I just came here to ask how he is. Why would I—"Sure." What? Did I just say that? What is happening to me?

At the back of my mind, I remembered the boy's almost perfect features. Am I starting to have a crush with a sleeping guy? Really, Ella? All your life you never had a crush on someone (except Tom Cruise at Top Gun and Heath Ledger at 10 Things I Hate About You) and now you're starting to fancy this stranger who is in a freakin' coma?

Probably Laura saw the look of regret in my face so she laughed again. But she still started to push me lightly, leading me to the elevator. You can go first, I'll just put these cupcakes in the fridge.

I have no choice but to enter the elevator and go to the boy's room. So does this mean they still haven't found any relative of his? That's why they're allowing me now to visit him or something?

*

I put on the usual hospital gown and mask before entering his room. Of course he hasn't moved an inch. There's almost nothing different with him since the last time I saw him. Well perhaps that stubble that is starting to grow at his chin and a couple of growing beard at his chiseled jaw line. I wonder who shave his face for him, or who cut his hair.

I sat at the chair beside him, not taking my eyes off the boy. Gosh. How I wish I know his name just so I could stop addressing him as the boy.

I cleared my throat and let out a croaked, "Hi." Who cares if my voice is ugly, he probably doesn't even hear me. I'm just assuming that he does and because it would be awkward if I'd just stare at him this whole time. "So you still haven't woken up, eh? I heard that I kind of saved your life the last time," I laughed softly, thinking how silly that sounded. I continued looking at him. The tube connected in his mouth that gives him oxygen is now replaced with small oxygen tubes that wrap around his ears and perched in his nose. "When are you planning to wake up," I went on, not really asking him. It's more of like a silly wishful thinking from a stranger to a stranger.

I leaned back at the chair, crossing my arms on my chest. "I just dropped by to hand Laura her cupcakes and here I am," I shook my head in slight disbelief that I'm actually still talking to him. "What's with you, huh?"

Do I really have a crush on him? Or I just really want him to live because he's just too beautiful to die?

"You know, I'm living with my Mom now," I started, when, of course, he didn't respond. "I've hated her for years but... I just realized that she's all that I have now, and I'm all that she has. And if I continued being angry with her, it would just make me look selfish. I'm still trying to get used to having her around. And I think I'm doing pretty well with it."

Suddenly my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered the call. Before I could open my mouth, Janice is already squealing on the other line.

"Ella Ella Ella Ella Elllllllllllla," she sing-sang.

I laughed at her enthusiasm, "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you high or something? I told you not to eat those brownies those frat men offer you outside the gates."

"I told you those are not drugged okay?" she defended. "Anyway, remember my cousin from Washington whom I've been trying—and failing—to hook up with you for a long time?"

I rolled my eyes. Here she goes again. She's been bringing me different boys almost every week just so I could start a relationship or something. She's been acting Cupid with me right after I turned 20 last year. She still thinks that being NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth) for "TWO FREAKIN' DECADES" is a humongous deal.

When I didn't reply, she went on. "I know you just rolled your eyes and any time now you'll give me the 'what's meant to happen will happen' spiel, but you know what? I don't care, okay?" Janice is known as being That Harsh Friend. But that's what I like about her; she never sugarcoats stuff that comes out of her mouth. It's better than having a friend who acts so perfect but behind your back she does things Regina George and her friends do in Mean Girls. Coincidentally, she has the same name as Lindsay Lohan's best friend in that movie.

"Okay, okay," I laughed again, giving up because I know that she already knows everything about me (well, aside from this guy in front of me). "What about him?"

"Well, he's in the city now for college."

Oh right. That cousin who just graduated high school. "I thought I already told you that I think he's too young for me?"

"You just said that because he just graduated high school, but he's turning nineteen next year so that would make you only a year older than him," she defended.

"I'm still two years older than her Janice," I almost grumbled, burying my face on my hand.

"But he's mature enough for you, I promise," she pushed. "Just... just do this for me, okay? Just this once? Gosh Ella you haven't been on any date all your life—"

"—Hey, uhm, excuse me, I've dated one guy—"

"—yeah, Seth Evans, he's your prom date. I heard you've talked a lot about your life and the future between plastic cups of strawberry punch and an Avril Lavigne song."

This time I cackled, maybe too loud that I thought the boy sleeping in front of me woke up. I covered my mouth, still giggling.

"Anyway," Janice also started laughing on the other line. "He's a great guy. It's not like I want you to be together right away, just... just try for it this once."

I sighed. It's not like I'd lose something if I go out on one date with this cousin of her. After a couple of moments and Janice's 'Please please please please please', I said, "Okay."

"Uh-mazing. I'll send you Tony's number right away."

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[Author's Note: So yeah, if you've read my other story Righting Wrongs, you already probably know Tony. Yeah, that Tony. Haha. I decided to have WSGT and RW be in the same timeline just so I could insert my favorite characters within the whole story. So what do you think? - xx Shan]