Free

Part 5

EVAN: "Hey." I talked into the phone. I was talking on the phone with Ziska a few weeks after the amusement park. We had seen each other every week, but she seemed...impatient, scared, and a bit...off. She often texted me every night and when i told her i would come over to see her, she would reject it. I sat in my room, tapping the pen on my desk while smiling into the phone. "How are you?"

ZISKA: "I'm good, what about you?" I said from the other side of the line. I felt a smile form on my face as he started to talk. He went on about how his mother won a prize and how annoying she was about it. I giggled at his funny family. "Sounds like you were busy."

EVAN: "Yeah, of course i was." I say into the phone with a chuckle. As there was a silence between us, i heard something strange. Something that sounded like...a heart monitor? I was crazy. I laughed at myself as she asked why i was laughing. "Oh, it's nothing, i just thought i heard a heart monitor."

ZISKA: I froze and glanced at the heart monitor. Was it loud? I  forced a laugh as i glanced at the door. Doctor Han was coming inside and with his nurses....

  "Patient Ziska, time for your sho-" The nurse starts but i throw a pillow at the face. She flushes as Doctor Han glares at me.

 EVAN: "Ziska?" I ask into the phone. Did i hear right? Patient? Was she sick or something? "H-Hey, are you sick? Where are you?"

ZISKA: My heart began to beat faster and faster in fear as the heart monitor began to make noises. I rubbed the phone into the blanket. "Sorry Evan! The signal's n-not good!" I rubbed the phone on the blankets again. "Call you again!"

 EVAN: "WAIT!" But she hangs up. That was definitely a heart monitor sound, and that was definitely a nurse or doctor calling in for a shot. I grabbed my coat, my keys, and stomped out of my room.

  "Sir, where are you going?" The maid asks Evan. Evan doesn't answer, but shakes her off and continues towards the door. The butlers nearby chase after him.

  "Sir, please inform us of where you are going." The butler says. Evan glares at him and then continues. He bursts out the doors and into his car. Evan, without glancing back, drives towards Ziska's house where her mom and Amanda stay alone.

EVAN: Please no. please no. nononono.NOO. I shook my head. She wasn't sick or hurt. She was fine, healthy, going to live a long life, and stay by my side forever. She probably just needed to get a check up and some shots for school....and maybe they needed to use the heart monitor to check her heart rate....Yeah that's probably right. When i arrived at her house, i knocked on the door. "Ziska!"

  "Oh hey." Amanda opened the door and raised her eyebrow. "What're you doing here at this hour?"

 EVAN: "Where's Ziska?" I ask with my breath raspy and hard. 

  Evan's eyes were wide with anticipation. He clenched his fists as Amanda looked at him head to toe. She sighs and tells him to come inside. He sits down at the table where Amanda's mother comes out after talking with Amanda. Amanda's mother had pain in her eyes as she sat down in front of him.

  "Evan, i don't want you to take this too harshly..." She starts as Amanda runs off to her room. "First, know that she really cares for you okay? You're all she talks about when we visit her."

  EVAN: "Visit her? What are you talking about?" I force myself to laugh a little, trying to convince myself out of the dramatic state. "She lives here."

  "Heart disease." She replies with just that. With only that, Evan's face drops and his fists stop clenching. His arms drop off the table as if dead and he stares at her with wide eyes. He then shakes his head and then forces himself to smile but only manages half way.

 EVAN: "Her? Heart disease?" I shake my head and crunch my eyebrows together. "She's clearly healthy. Look at her doing all those reckless things out there, so independent, so free, so strong....and beautiful...."

  "Evan, why do you think she's so reckless?" She replies, trying not to hold back tears at his words. " The doctor says she might not live through next year."

  EVAN: "Please excuse me, i'll take my leave...now." I say as she nods her head. I rush out of the door and fumble with the door to the car as i try to shove the key into the hole clumsily.

  "No." Evan says to himself as he drives off. Jenson hospital.....is that why the nurse at the hospital picked up the phone back at the hotel..I drove to the hospital and parked. I slowly walked into the building as everyone seemed busy. People rushed in with injuries, some happily skipped out, and some walked out alone with dark faces. I walked myself to the counter and looked at the lady. "Can you find what room Ziska is staying at..please?"

  "Please write your information here." She gives Evan a paper for visitors as she looks for her room number. She smiles and nods her head when he fills it out completely. "Room number 205."

  EVAN: So she does have a room here...... I nodded my head as i slowly walked to her room. I walked down several halls and then upstairs. When i arrived at her room, i stopped before entering. I looked through the window as i saw Ziska. My heart dropped as i saw needles in her arms, doctor and nurses around her, and then her eyes staring out the other window. She looked so sad...alone...frail...and weak. I leaned on the wall next to the door and crouched down. Why?......... "W-Why....."

  Evan had tears rolling down his face, he buried his head into his knees and silently cried in the empty cold hallway. His quiet whimpers echoed as his dug his fingernails into his arms. He repeatedly asked himself why, over and over again. When he calmed down, he got up and quietly left without seeing Ziska. At home, he slowly walked up the stairs.

  "Sir, would you like some tea?" 

  "Would you like coffee?"

  "How about some cake? You seem to be in a bad mood sir."

  "No, what about some donuts!"

EVAN: "Go away." I growled at them. The butler touches my arm as i slap his hand away from me. "I SAID GO AWAY!"

  "Y-yes sir." They all say and leave him be. Evan slams his door shut and throws himself at his bed. 

ZISKA: I wonder how he is...I giggled to myself thinking about what he was thinking about the call. I flushed, he must think i'm weird! I should call him. When the doctors left me, i took my phone out and called him. "Hello? Hey Evan."

  EVAN: It was Ziska...it was 'her'. I wanted to see her....touch her... I felt tears form in my eyes again as my heart dropped. "Hey." I don't want to ruin our relationship. I won't let her die lonely. I won't let her. I'll be with her till the end. But for now..........

ZISKA: I smiled when i heard his voice. His voice, ahhhh, that was all i needed to survive. The next four months, would be good or not? Would i die alone if he found out? I'm pretty sure i would. He would feel everything is so pointless. No, i couldn't think like that right now. I had to make him happy no matter what. Even though I'm hurting, making him happy, will make me happy, and it will cover my pain. So for now..........

EVAN AND ZISKA: I'll only make him/her happy. That is all i want. Forever.