gina

hospital beds

I woke up.

And it isn't heaven.

And it isn't hell.

And instead it's still Earth, and I feel the white sheets beneath me.

"She's awake!" I heard a guy with brown skin and brown eyes say.

The doctor came in, and I knew I was in a hospital.

"What...?"

"Just relax for me."

They did some stuff, I'm not sure what, thank God I'm not in to medicine.

"It's a miracle you're alive."

"What happened?"

"You swallowed a bunch of pills, I think." Brown skin, brown eyes, black hair said.

"Oh. Afterwards?"

"I don't know. I just came here to check on my mom, then I saw you, and I know you from school. You're Janice, right?"

"No, Gina."

"Ohh, hey I was close!"

I chuckled.

"Have you seen a guy named Sebastian nearby?"

"No, why?"

"Just...asking."

"Why, does he go to our school?"

"Uh, yeah. Sebastian. Sebastian Fillmore."

"Uhh...I don't remember ever hearing about or seeing a Sebastian Fillmore. I'm class president, I have a pretty good outlook on who's who."

"Are you sure? Black hair, blue eyes. We were in 6th period together. He sat next to me."

"Yeah, no. No Sebastian Fillmore in our sixth period. I do attendance daily, I know where you sit. There's no one next to you. Wait, does this Sebastian sit next to you?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Denver, sixth period. Sits next to me."

"Do you frequently talk to him?"

"Yeah, everyday, past two weeks."
He gave me a concerned look.

"Gina, Sebastian isn't real. That's why everyone looked at you weirdly when you murmured to him. He's not living."

My eyes widened. What was he saying?

"What's your name?"

"I'm Rishit."

"Oh."

"Gina, look-"

"Say no more. I understand."

I look over to the doctor.

"Doctor, who brought me to the hospital, who called 911, who got me here and how?"

"Well, the caller was a man named Jay. No last name. Once the ambulance came, we saw you, almost dead, but no trace of this Jay nearby. You should be happy that he saved your life."

Jay. Sebastian. It all made sense now.

I smiled.

I smiled.

And I laughed.

And I smiled.

Jay was with me the whole time. Sure, he was in a different place, but he was with me. He never left me.

He sent Sebastian down, or Sebastian was just a hallucination of mine. Whatever it was, Sebastian and Jay helped me. And I couldn't be more grateful.

The doctor and Rishit gave me weird looks, but I couldn't have been happier.
Nothing in the world or heavens could have made me so happy.