Like The Finest Poetry On Concrete.

With All The Bullshit You Put Us Through.

My eyes open slowly and I stair up at white ceiling and a very annoying florescent light under neither my line of view.

"Oh fuck me, turn off the light!" I said aloud, covering my eyes. My head was pounding and my throat felt dry. I was overly groggy.

"Kari?" Manny's voice was small and panicked.

"No, it's Mother fucking Teresa," I said, earning a laugh. I look around and realize I'm in a small, secluded hospital room. My eyes went wide. "Why am I here?"

"Kari, calm down," my mom said.

"No!" I practically yelled, panicking. I hate hospitals.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me young lady. Do you even have the slightest clue what you've put everyone through the past week and a half?" My mom said, her voice stern. I stared at her. She glared at me.

I looked away from her, feeling uncomfortable under her stare. My eyes found Manny's.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice hoarse from my throat being dry. My mom stood and walked out.

"You were in a car accident Kari. You were in a coma," she said, her hand finding mine and giving it a firm squeeze.

"What? I don't remember any of that," I said honestly. "Last thing I remember is leaving Chris's..."

Manny looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes.

My mom walked in a few moments later with a nurse and a cup in her hand. She moved over and helped me sit up then handing me the cup. It was water. I frowned. I could go for some Naked juice, or a Mocha frappacino from Starbucks.

"How do you feel Kari?" The nurse asked, smiling at me. I remembered her. She was here when I had to get surgery on my ankle.

"I have a headache," I said honestly, frowning. "Is there anything I can have besides water?"

She shook her head, almost apologetically. "We have to make sure you can hold things down. If you're hungry, I can get you some saltine crackers, or some Jell-o." I pulled my nose up and she laughed. "You haven't changed much have you?"

"No, I guess not," I said. After checking my vitals and such, she left. An uncomfortable blanket of silence fell over the room. "Do you know when I can leave?"

"Why do you hate hospitals so much?" Manny asked, curious. I shuddered at the thought.

"When she was younger, she was at my mom's house. My mom is just like us, you know, and they were watching scary movies. Well, they were watching Nightmare on Elm Street, I don't remember which one, but she was in her teens, and it was the one with the little boy in the hospital, with the syringes and he's like possessed. Anyways, right after she saw that movie, we had to go to the hospital 'cause my grandfather was in there, and ever since then, she hated hospitals," my mom said, chuckling.

"Are you afraid of Freddy, Kari?" Manny said teasingly.

New footsteps came into the room. "I'm pretty sure Michael Myers freaks her out."

"Kuza!" My mom cheered and hugged him. He gave her an innocent kiss on the cheek then hugged Manny. He walked over and kissed my cheek, handing me a bouquet of roses.

"Aww Kuza!" I smiled at him. I could tell he couldn't help but grin back.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Pittsburgh?" Manny asked. He shrugged.

"I wanted to see how she was doing."

"You could've called," my mom said. He shrugged again then set his sights on me.

"How do you feel?"

"Like poop," I said, honestly. He laughed. Oh, it was a pleasant sound.

He moved his sunglasses around on his head. "Well, whenever you get out of here, I'll take you to get some coffee, and we can have a talk."

The smile that was on my face disappeared instantly.

"Kuza, last time we talk-" I started. He held his hand up.

"I shouldn't have told you."

"If you didn't, he wouldn't have," I said honestly. "I don't want to have a talk. Nothing good comes from them."

He looked almost hurt. "It's not about anything like that."

I wanted the subject o change, so I looked at his attire. He was wearing a suit.

"Well aren't you all dressed up?" I said. He grinned again.

"Do you like?" He asked, turning slowly so I could see all of it. I nodded.

"What's it for?"

His phone started to ring. "Hold on," he said, and he stepped out into the hallway. I was still frowning. No one spoke out of the three of us, and my brain started to go haywire.

Where was Chris?