Another Reason To Live (Watty Awards 2014)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Standing next to Donna and Mikey, the whole thing didn't seem nerve wracking at all.  Having a motherly and brotherly presence with me in that little room helped comfort me, and as soon as the red second hand passed over the '12' on the bland looking clock on the wall, the surface that Gerard was lying on began to slowly move backward into a hollow tube.

It was easy to spot Gerard amongst all of the white, since his hair was the darkest thing by a long shot.  Why were hospitals so white in the first place?  I mean, I couldn't imagine what revolutionary mind one day said, "Hey!  I know just what sick patients need!  Let's make everything white so not only do they feel horrible, but everything looks horrible!" [insert chorus of agreement].  I would think that interior decorators would want to use soothing colors, like pale green or yellow, but I guess not.

He laid completely still as this hollow tube swallowed him whole, only sparing his knees and feet.  The technician pressed various keys on his intimidating looking computer, signaling the beginning of whatever scan he was conducting.  The three of us watched through the viewing window as the large machine encircling Gerard began to emit a low hum and start to do its thing.

"Now how long will it take for these results to come in?" Donna asked Gerard's doctor, who was supervising the technician.

"Um," he said, staring at the screen as the technician made a few adjustments.  The glow of the screen lit up his facial expression, which was one of extreme concentration.

He stood up straight and looked away from the screen and approached the window.  "It'll take about twenty four hours for the scans to be processes and analyzed.  If things look fine, I can transfer Gerard's case to a physical therapist  and possibly release him by tomorrow afternoon."

It took all of my self-restraint to not jump up and down in happiness, so I simply stared straight forward and smiled as Donna asked some follow up questions.

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I walked down the hospital hallway, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers that were enveloped in silver paper.  I passed by the usual front desk and made my way past the many doors that lined the hallway, before room 616 came into view.  I smiled a little as I anticipated seeing Gerard.

I approached the door, hesitating before knocking.  I noticed that the door was already cracked open, which only usually occurred when a nurse was inside taking Gerard's vitals.  Otherwise, it was always kept closed.  Yet, I heard no speaking on the other side of the door, or even any rustling.

Slowly, I pushed open the door and peered inside, letting the flowers drop by my side.  "Gerard?" I whispered loudly.  The curtain was drawn around the area where Gerard's bed was, so I reached out and pushed the thin fabric to the side, only to reveal an empty bed.

A quick wave of panic washed over me, but before I could consider the possibilities that could explain why Gerard wasn't in his bed, a voice emerged out of the eerie silence.

"Looking for someone?"

Flooded with relief, I whirled around to see him.  He was leaning against the doorway of his hospital room, black sunglasses perched on the top of his head, playing with his car keys in one hand.  He looked exactly the same as he did the day we went to the park, which baffled me.  He looked normal.

"Gerard, are you okay?  What's going on?" I asked, surprised that he didn't need to sit in a wheelchair.  I thought that it would take some more time to strengthen up his leg muscles again.

He smiled and took a step forward, slipping his keys into the pocket of his black jacket.  "I'm doing well, Scar.  No worries."

He eyed the bouquet of flowers in my hand.  With an arched eyebrow and the smile still on his lips, he asked, "Are those flowers for me?"