Through the Tunnel

Chapter 13: Room 253

It wasn't until ten o'clock that night that everyone left. My parents went home as well to get some sleep and then be ready to come and collect me in the morning.

Steven said he would stop by my house tomorrow and see me, and Phil and Anne-Marie have been invited round for dinner.

My last night in this place was silent and lonely. The nurse was here overnight and when she came in she kept me company for a while by talking to me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine, honestly, I just can't wait to leave tomorrow" I say, snuggling down into the bed to get some sleep.

"I can understand that" she said "most people feel the same way".

"There's this one patient we have at the moment, he needs a kidney transplant -alcohol abuse- and he says that he can't remember what his bed feels like, he's been here so long. His wife visits a lot and I bet she misses him being at home" she said as she packed away some equipment.

"What was his name?" she asked herself. "I think it was Frank, or something like that" she said.

Frank... It couldn't be... Although he did abuse alcohol for a very long time, most of his life actually.

I needed to know.

"Oh well" she said absentmindedly, not seeing the shocked look on my face.

"What room is he in?" I ask. I know she's not supposed to tell me these things but she's made a habit of giving me information that I'm not supposed to know.

"I think it's 253, but I'm not sure... He's in intensive care" she said.

"Oh" I say, acting as casual as I possibly could.

"Well, goodnight sweet" she said, "You know how to get a hold of me" and then she left, closing the door and turning out the lights, leaving just the lamp on.

If it was him, I should go and see. I need to know. I waiting until I knew the nurse must have made it to a different room by now and then hoped out of the bed. I grabbed the liquid thing I was attached to and rolled it out the room. I really should know what these things are called but I'm not a doctor so...

I kept a look out for people walking down the corridors. I don't think I'm supposed to be out of bed at this hour.

I made my way to the lifts and looked for the room number and which floor that would be on...

'Rooms 250-350 – Level 5'

I pressed the lit up '5' on the wall and hoped that no one would want to get in as I went up 3 floors.

Luckily I emerged onto the firth floor which was almost deserted, apart from the cleaner who luckily was down the corridor marked '300-350' so I made my way down the other corridor, looking at door numbers.

"253... 253... 253..." I repeated. Looking at the order of the doors it was right down the other end. I was still very weak and all this walking was becoming exhausting.

Finally I saw '253' written across one of the wooden doors. I looked through the small window and wasn't surprised when I saw Frank lying asleep on the bed.

I heard a door open from down the hall and had no time to think, I quickly opened Frank's door and pushed myself and the liquid thing into the room, shutting the door as quietly and as quickly as I could.

"Charlie?" he said. I obviously wasn't quiet enough. I turned around and saw the same face I knew for years.

"Frank. What happened?" I ask, approaching the bed.