The Waiting Game (Lams)

Chapter 15

Last time on "ShylyAngelic Kills All Her Readers" oops, I meant, "The Waiting Game"

I couldn't physically force myself up. Thankfully the person on the other end had a key. It was Vienna, Angie and Eliza. Vienna was a blue haired girl that had turned up at the hospital that Angie decided to take in. Vienna's 15. Eliza took one look at me and knelt down to hug me.

"Alexander." Vienna whispered into my ear. "Alex?"

A smaller hand was at my back.

"Alex?" Eliza whispered.

"What." I said shakily.

"It's John sweetie."

I froze in my seat. John. What was happening to him? What happened? Did Henry pull the plug early after I stood up to him? My side still hurt after what he did. So did my brain after being around such an idiotic, closed minded bigot.

"John?" I whispered, as if saying his name would kill him. Vienna was sitting against the wall, looking at me, blank faced. "What happened?"

"Just get in the car Alexander. It's time to say goodbye." Vienna said as quietly as possible.

"Alex, the doctors are shutting him off early." Lafayette said as he entered the room, Hercules in tow. John was going to die. John was going to die. John was going to die. John was going to die. John was going to die. Why? Why couldn't Henry give me a week more? Why did he have to kill his own son?

"Alex lets go." Eliza said and tugged on my arm. I stood, but my legs refused to work. Hercules caught me and held me up. My brain was too over worked. I didn't cry. I didn't feel. I didn't blink. My eyes just closed and I went on auto pilot. Everything was a blur. Getting into the car. Driving to the hospi- Wait. This isn't the hospital. I was still in the car. I came to just as Hercules swore.

"Damn it to hell!" He roared. Eliza poked him. Stress and despair clouded his voice.

"Don't swear damnit!" She cried in a similar tone. They've all known each other and John for longer than I have, but he made me happy for those few days. I felt like I could tell him anything.

I was all the way in the back, but I could tell that we were stuck in traffic. Vienna sat next to me.

"He was funny." She said.

"Pardon?"

"He was funny. He used to work at this Starbucks near my old house. Every time I went in there he would draw a turtle on my cup with a funny turtle pun, or some times it was a new meme. He was nice." She whispered.

"I met him in a bar, but we wound up in a jail cell together. He was really cool about it.  He introduced me to all of them. Those people up there are my family. Eliza, Peggy, Angelica, Angie, Herc, Laf, You, Maria. All of them." I match her tone. Tears fighting their way to my eyes. Another loved one would be gone. My mother, my cousin, now John. I felt a pen touch my wrist. Vienna was drawing a turtle on my wrist. I let the cool touch of the sharpie soothe me for a moment. Internally tracing each stroke of the pen, burning it into my memory. I looked down at it. It reminded me of John's stuffed turtle Anthony Ramos.  Or was it his other 30 stuffed turtles? "Want me to draw one on you?"

"Yes please." Vienna responded. I obliged.

We finally arrived at the hospital and I jumped out of the car and sprinted towards the elevator. I kept pressing the button until the doors opened and I entered with- Aaron Burr. He looked shaken. Tears had finally started spilling out of my eyes.

"What's wrong with you Burr?" I sputter.

"Theodosia. I just got a call from her doctor. Something's happening to her. I don't know what it is. I don't know if she'll be ok. I don't know... I just don't know what's going on!" He yells as he loses the battle against tears as well. Before I can respond the elevator stops. The lights go out. I scream.

"NO!" I hear someone yell. Oh, it was me. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong with you?"

"John's going to die. He's going to die, and I'm going to miss it!" I scream as I hit the floor with a thud. We sat in silence for awhile. Silently crying over our lovers. It didn't matter that I loved a man, or that he loved a woman. It didn't matter that I was bi and he was straight. It didn't matter that I was an Immigrant and he was an American. In that moment we were just people. Just two sad, terrified, tired young men sitting together and sobbing together in a broken elevator. Life didn't feel the need to be fair. Death doesn't discriminate, neither does love. I could write thousands of letters to whoever was in charge of life and death on how unfair they were to everyone.

"Aaron?" My strained voice broke the silence.

"Yes?" His voice was just as hoarse.

"How did you meet Theo?"

"It was a winter's ball when we were 16. She had black hair that was dyed purple at the tips. She smiled at me and I was helpless. She was already dating someone, someone her parents had arranged for her to marry. Screwy right?" He chuckled a little bit. "But we dated in secret. And finally she broke it off with him when she turned 18 and moved out."

"I met John at a bar. Then I punched someone. And got us arrested." I giggled through my sobs. "He was all dressed up except a small turtle sticker on his wrist. He acted like a toddler."

The lights flickered on and we both stood. "I'll see you on the other side of this Alexander."

"I'll see you on the other side."

I walk down the hall way slowly, the anxiety in my stomach building with each step. There was a crowd of people around John's room. My eyes still had tears in them. I tried to walk further, but my feet felt like they were being dragged down my cement bricks. The crowd started to part as Angie and Angelica started to yell at everyone. Finally I could see...

"John?"