Falling Petals of a Blue Rose

Chapter 16

   For the next few weeks, Marisa stayed home to recover from her injuries. Seeing as how the school was being rebuilt, Conner stayed home too. He still felt terrible about what had happened to his sister just because she was trying to save him and Kyle. Every now and then, he would get a call from him asking how Marisa was doing. Thankfully, his injuries weren’t nearly as serious as Marisa’s were. She was just happy to know that he would be alright. Maggie came to visit her everyday. She wanted to make sure Marisa wasn’t overexerting herself and letting her wounds take the time to heal properly. Everyday, Marisa would call the hospital to make sure everything was alright. Chelsea would always tell her that she had nothing to worry about and that she could rest as long as she needed to. One day, Chelsea paid Marisa a surprise visit. What was most surprising was what she bought with her. Chelsea had brought with her baskets of cards, flowers, and other little trinkets which were mostly toys. Apparently, a lot of her patients had heard about what had happened and had sent her lots of get well presents. As Marisa went through the cards and pictures the children drew, she couldn’t help but smile. There was even a card from Mrs. Sampson. While she read it, she realized what Mrs. Sampson had told her was true. She really was able to use her skills at medicine in a lot of ways. It really was a special talent. Just then, Maggie came over. While she went through all the stuff, she found a single blue rose in a white vase.                                                                                    

“What’s with this one? It doesn’t have a name on the card.” Marisa recognized that rose. It was just like the one she found on her desk that one day.

“What does the card say?”

“It says ‘The hands of time move as fast as they do slow. I hope your recovery is swift, so that you may once again be as stunning as a rose.’ Wow, whoever sent this sure has a way with words. In a way, it sounds like a poem.”

“This isn’t the first time this has happened.”

“Huh?”

“I found a flower just like that one on my desk a few weeks ago. It didn’t have a name on it either. I still have no idea who it was that sent it to me.” Maggie thought for a minute.

“Well, you know it had to come from someone from the hospital. Maybe it was one of your co-workers.” Marisa thought for a minute.

“I guess that’s possible. It would explain why it’s a blue rose of all things seeing as how they all call me ‘The Blue Rose.’ But I have no idea which one it could be.”

“Speaking of which, you’re planning on going back to work the day after tomorrow right? Are you sure you’re recovered enough?”

“Of course I’m sure. Thanks to this remedy that Yoshi gave me, my cuts and burns have healed twice as fast as I thought they would. Besides, it’s already been a whole month since the incident. I have to go back sometime.”

“I guess that makes sense. Just don’t push yourself too hard alright.” Marisa chuckled.

“I won’t. I promise.”

“I’m a little surprised though. During this whole month, Thomas never came to visit you. Marcus, Yoshi, Miki, and Minnie all came to see you. But he didn’t.” Marisa smiled.

“It’s okay. I’m sure he has his own injuries he’s working on. His arms were practically slashed to pieces. Putting too much stress on them would only make things worse. Besides...” Marisa held up her wrist. She was still wearing the bracelet Thomas gave her.

“Just knowing that he’s thinking about me is more than enough.” Maggie sighed.

“Still, he could have at least called you or something. If you ask me, he’s not earning any bonus points for consideration.” Marisa just rolled her eyes. It’s true she did miss Thomas and hoped that he would come see her. But just knowing that he cared about her was enough to make her happy. Two days later, Marisa went back to work like she planned. When she got there, everyone was there to welcome her back.