The corridors of the hospital were usually cold, derelict and depressing. Nobody liked walking down them. To be fair, nobody liked being in the rooms, either. But it was the Twenty-Seventh of November, and the managers of the (cold, derelict and depressing) corridors decided it was the correct time to add some festive decor to the walls. It took a number of hours for numerous staff to run down to the local holidays shop to buy tinsel, glitter, and lights and hang it all up. However, by the end, the cold, derelict, depressing corridors didn't seem as unpleasant as usual.
The large, pale blue clock that hung amongst the coloured tinsel struck seven, and two nurses alternated rooms to check on their patients. One nurse, by the name of Charlotte, entered room number 403 to greet and check the occupant.
"Link Neal," she called.
Link stood holding the rail beside his window. He gazed down on the busy traffic below him, following each car until they disappeared out of sight. The fan in the corner blew his light blue hospital gown to the side, giving Link the sensation of wind against his bare leg. He longed for the sense of weather on his skin, as he hadn't left his room for months.
"Mr Neal, are you alright?" Charlotte asked. She walked across Link's room and stood beside him. She began to reach her arm around Link's back, but he quickly gestured his hand for her to stop, and she retreated.
Link took a large breath and ran his hand through his hair. It had lost its shiny, bouncy life it once had, as Link had stopped taking care of it as well as he used to.
Link let go of the rail and slowly sat on the side of his bed. Charlotte stayed where she was, but just turned around.
"When's he next visiting me?" he said. His voice was croaky and dry, as he only said a few words a day usually.
"Rhett will be visiting you tomorrow Link, at ten o'clock in the morning," she replied. The nurses tended to say Link's name repeatedly, as his memory was declining. He forgot names, faces, facts, and it grew worse every day.
"I think it would be nice for you two to go around the hospital. They recently decorated it, Link, and there is a big Christmas tree in the lobby. Would you like to see it, Link?" Charlotte asked. She was always very patient with Link, which although he didn't always show it, he was thankful for.
Link took a second to answer.
"Yes, I would like that."
Charlotte began writing on Link's clipboard at the end of his bed, and Link adjusted himself under his hospital-blue sheets. She nodded and exited the room, leaving Link to himself. The fan stayed on blowing cool breeze over Link, and he forced his tired eyes to close.
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Thanks for reading the first chapter of my new book :) I'll probably update it once a day and if you have any suggestions you can comment them below. xx
