Skipper's Heartbeat (PRN)

twenty-one

A heartbeat is probably the most important noise known to me, second only to Prince playing the piano in my opinion. The human heartbeat is so important because it tells you if you're alive, obviously! It does a lot of things. A heartbeat will tell you that you're scared, you're embarrassed, you're in love... It'll assure you that you are alive. The feeling of your heart beating steadily in your chest is the only thing you want to feel when waking up in a hospital. Kind of like me right now. A part of me almost thought I died.

The blurry pixels of life slowly clear up to create a full picture. "She's up." I hear Andre say as he taps Prince. With my eyes slowly opening more, I take a look around the room. He approaches the foot of my bed. "I'm going to get everybody, they're downstairs eating." I nod weakly as Andre walks to the door, leaving me in bed behind him.

"Dre," I call out weakly. He stops and looks back at me. "Bring me some juice?" Andre holds a thumbs up and exits into the halls of the hospital.

Prince slowly and cautiously approaches my bed. His tan skin told he'd been out all summer. I never noticed until now. The peach fuzz on his upper lip gave him the maturity that always over ruled his height. I am noticing a lot of his changes that took place before my own eyes, leaving me too caught up in the moment to see them then. Today, it feels like all of my senses are a lot more poise. I remember very little of anything from last night but the sluggish feeling still lingers inside me.

His hands timidly play with the white hospital blanket covering me. I don't think I've ever been to the hospital before. This was probably my first night here since I was born.

"They said you were this close," Prince holds up a finger demonstration. "This close, to going into a coma." My eyes easily rest on his face. He's a soothing sight for sorr eyes. As fine as Prince is, Lindsey's comment about him only getting finer seems to be coming true. I bet by... Probably twenty-something? He'll be the hottest thing on the block.

I fold my hands across one another, a habit of comfort as my weak body seeks rest. "I'm feeling a lot better..." He knows I still am not quite sure what went down last night. Everything was do foggy and after that, I heard Bucky and the bartender arguing.

"Do I need to tell the story?" He sits down on the bed, carefully, inches away from my knee. "What do you remember?"

Monica, what do you remember?

Squinting while I stare at the peace sign medallion resting on his chest. My focus cooks my brain as I try my best to remember more than I do. "That nasty ass coke and parts of the three hour ride to get here?" My tone is questionable because it all felt like a dream. I don't seen to have much of a grasp on my experience last night.

"Bucky slipped something in your drink, the doctors only told your mom what it was." I shake my head in embarrassment. I should've walked away the moment he sat down. "After a' eight minute ride going, I don't know, maybe 100 mph? We went pretty fast but we got here. They wouldn't see you since you were conscious but seconds later you passed out in Andre's arms." Eight minutes? It felt like seventeen years if you were to ask me and that's only of what I can remember.

"Why not yours?"

He laughs with a slight head shake. "Long story, Mo."

"Don't think I forgot about Sharon." I am still angered by his actions earlier that night. He called me a baby. I didn't forget.

"Mo, you can't expect me to not float around with my friends because you think it's more to it."

"Well did she like you?"

"Yes," he says. My face drops as I huff in frustration. "But..." I refuse to look at him. "I just found out yesterday. That's why I didn't want you to even know more than I told you about Grand Central."