Dead of the Night

The phone rang.

Felicia rolled over, letting out a tired groan, and saw the call was from her best friend, Lidia. She shrugged it off and rolled back over, getting back into a comfortable position. It went to voicemail and she sighed contentedly.

It rang again. This time, she rolled over quickly and answered it.

"Lid, it's four in the morning! What do you want?"

She heard a shaky breath, then,

"Felicia, this is Lidia's mother. She's in the hospital; you should come down here."

"Oh, God. Is she okay?"

"Just," she drew in another quivery breath, "just make your way to the hospital," and she hung up.

Felicia threw her phone onto the bed and rapidly out on a pair of worn-out jeans, a teeshirt, and some old sneakers. She walked down the hall, tying her hair up and holding a toothbrush in her mouth. Only two minutes after getting off the phone, she was starting up her car and backing out of the driveway.

Her ride to the hospital was anxiety-ridden. When she finally pulled up, she hastily walked to the door to the main lobby. The room was completely empty and void of light except for the lamp on the check-in desk. Felicia rushed up to the desk and said, "Miss?"

The receptionist looked up quickly, her bun bobbling atop her head.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm here to see my friend- her name's Lidia Carson. Can you direct me to her room?"

"Of course," the petite lady said, looking down to her computer. For a moment, you couldn't hear anything but the click clack of the keyboard.

"She's in room 216. If you go to the west wing," she pointed to a large hallway to her left, "and take an elevator to the second floor, it should be on your left."

Felicia nodded and whispered a quick 'thank you' as she paced away. She turned down the dark hallway and looked up for an elevator symbol. Once in the elevator, she pressed the button marked "2" and stepped back. She tapped her foot and pretended to whistle, arms crossed. When she heard the ding indicating she was on the second floor, she stepped forward. But, the door took a second to open. As it slowly slid open, Felicia squeezed herself through the gap and made an immediate left.

"214, 215, ah, 216."

She slowly opened the door and peered in.

"Oh, thank God, you're here!" Ms. Carson gasped. Felicia smiled at her, then looked to the bed. There was a pale, unconscious girl lying there- hardly recognizable as her Lidia. She sunk down beside the bed and gently placed her hand on Lidia's uncovered hand.

"What happened?" Felicia asks, looking up to Ms. Carson. A tear slid down Lidia's mother's face, she drew in a deep breath and said, "I called her, and she didn't answer. She- she always answers. I went to her house. She was lying on the floor, there was blood-" she stops herself and wipes away the tears that were now rapidly streaming down her face, "they said she tried to kill herself." As soon as the horrible words rolled off her tongue, she went off about how it must have been an accident and how it probably happened when she was cutting food. Ms. Carson was obviously in denial.

"..can I see?" Felicia asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Ms. Carson nodded hesitantly, then lifted Lidia's other hand out from underneath the crisp bed sheets. Felicia's jaw dropped and her hands flew to her mouth. Her wrist was wrapped in dark red gauze. The bed and sheet both had been stained, too.

"Oh, my God. Is she gonna be okay?" Felicia asked, panicking.

Ms. Carson's body was wracked with sobs, but she nodded 'no'.

Felicia's voice went from concerned to angry, "Then why isn't anyone in here with her? Shouldn't she be under a careful eye? She needs a doctor!"

Ms. Carson continued nodding.

"We have to do something!" Felicia cried.

Ms. Carson calmed down a little, then cleared her throat. "Felicia, they left me in here to say my goodbyes. She's," Ms. Carson drew in a shaky breath, "lost too much blood. Even if they were to pump some into her and stitch her up, she's lost too much for it to save her in time. Her organs can't function. They said that I've only got a few minutes-" her own sobs cut her off. Felicia was crying, too, on her knees at Lidia's bedside, holding her hand.

"I love you, Lid," she whispered through her rapid breaths. At that moment, the heart monitor went flat, and an ominous beeping filled the room.

It was 4:32 in the morning, and Lidia Carson had successfully taken her own life.