Ever since first hearing the mention of her name, John became obsessed with the idea of a girl named Maria. That's all he knew of her. A name, a memory, a nag in the back of his head. He couldn't bear the suspense of someday comprehending her.
He glanced across the hospital room, a distant look on his face. In the growing amount of time he'd spent in the room, it had only been altered a minor bit.
He had a stack of gifts on the chair, all from Alexander's family who had visited the day before. They were all nice tokens, but John's favorite was the one Alex requested was bought for him; art utensils.
Though excited by the gift, he refused to use the paper and notepad until after he had a grasp on who Maria was.
"Knock, knock!" a voice called, as a smiling Eliza entered his room. Her wisp of dark hair was pulled into a tight bun and she wore her usual scrubs.
She placed a tray on his table, stopping to talk after doing so. "How are you today, Mr. Laurens?" she teased, giggling lightly.
"I'm just fine. I do, however, have a question for you Ms. Schuyler," he played along, enjoying the amused look on her face.
She sat herself comfortably on the bed, giving John her full attention. "And what might that be?"
He decided it was best to press his questions to Eliza's knowledge. She knew the hospital gossip, and she knew Alexander's history to some degree.
"Alex mentioned a girl yesterday. Her name's Maria. Do you-"
Eliza cut him off, her whole demeanor changing. "Don't. John, she isn't someone you want to know about."
As she spoke, another girl slipped in the doorway. She was as beautiful as Eliza, if not more so. Her eyes brushed past John, but she quickly diverted the gaze, uninterested.
"Elizabeth, I need you," she spoke, voice sharp and commanding. Eliza jumped out of her seat, diverting her full attention towards her.
"Mom's on her way back," she began once more. "Take the day off. I'm taking you home."
Eliza blushed, apologizing to John for her forced absence. "I have to grab my things, Angie. Meet you in the parking lot."
Although Eliza had left, the one named Angie had stayed. Again, she examined John, acting as though she wished to speak.
The tension was incredible, and John couldn't take it. "You were a bit harsh with her." He sounded aggravated, bothered by the woman's air of superiority.
She scoffed, moving towards John. "You don't know the situation."
"I know you were rude."
"I didn't need another incident." She announced aggressively. "I know her current mental state. I know her prescription doesn't get refilled for two more days. Further more, I know that every time our mother has another heart attack, Elizabeth becomes unstable."
John grew silent, unsure of a counter argument. Alexander would know how to respond. He always did.
What she said next caught John completely off guard. "You want to know about Maria. I heard you mention her to Elizabeth."
Mirroring Eliza's actions, Angie placed herself on the bed, her glare softening to something a bit more tender. The atmosphere changed, everything seeming more quaint and intimate.
Closer up, John could distinguish her features more clearly. She had coffee colored eyes, and the clearest of tanned skin. Her plump lips had curled into a gentle smile.
"Her last name is Reynolds now, but it's formerly Lewis. She was Alexander's lover." The words stung a little, his imagination finally being confirmed. Her hands rubbed against John's gently. "She was astounding, a complete Goddess. She was also a disaster."
"How?" John mumbled, his thoughts an array of questions and assumptions.
Angelica rolled her eyes at the memory. "She was like the eye of a hurricane. The most beautiful thing you'd set your eyes on, just waiting to overwhelm and ravish you."
She rose, recollecting herself. "I really must be going. I do hope I've offered some consolation to you nonetheless."
As soon as Angelica disappeared, John pulled out his phone and fired up some search engines. Maria Reynolds happened to be a fairly popular name on Facebook. He instead narrowed down the search options, typing in her maiden name as well. That lowered the possibilities. After plenty of stalking, he finally settled on a girl. She was friends with one Angelica Schuyler, and she was definitely something to be looked upon.
Her Facebook didn't uncover the riddle much. She was still nothing more than a face. It was confirmed that she was married, was young, was working as a lawyer. Other than that, she remained a mystery.
He contemplated the few new discoveries, soaking up her image. The question still remained. Who was she to Alexander?
A lover, yes. He knew that much. Yet, what was the story? What was it that stood out to him about her? What was the situation which ensued to break the two apart?
He gathered up the little courage he had left and began his walk to Alexander's room. He could tell Alexander that it was really bothering him, that he couldn't handle not knowing the story. It was sort of true. Thinking of the two together made his stomach churn.
There was one question that he couldn't diminish no matter how hard he tried. What did Alexander see in this woman? And what did John have in common with her? What, besides Alexander, linked the two together?
As he approached his destination, he noticed a group of nurses congregating in the doorway. He tried to push through, but they blocked his entrance. They all looked frightened, only clearing the room for more nurses to enter. John noticed they were pushing someone out, a sickly person laying down.
It was Alexander.
His eyes were rolled in the back of his head, his skin clammy and pale. There was blood on the side of his mouth, more next to him. John realized he must have coughed it up.
"Where are you taking him?" he called after the nurses, following them at a brisk pace. "What's wrong with him?" They ignored him, rushing to get Alexander into an operating room. They pushed through the doors, only one nurse looking back at him before disappearing.
"Where are they taking him?" a woman's voice called.
John turned, seeing a frantic woman beside him. "Fuck. They can't just wheel him past us without a word!" she declared. "Someone needs to stop and inform his family what's going on. It's common curtesy!" she yelled at no one in particular.
"And you are?" she asked John, a hint of flirtatiousness in her voice. When he didn't respond, she pursed her red lips and frowned. She flipped her shoulder length silky curls out of her face and regained her composure. She made a tisk noise with her tongue, opening her lips to speak once more. "I would suppose you're John Laurens. Alex speaks of you a lot."
Her long nails reached out, grabbing John's hand to shake it. "Maria Reynolds, pleasure to meet you."
A/N You guys may not be excited about this Maria Reynolds arc, but I've got some shit planned for you. Also, when first planning this story, it was only gonna be ten chapters. Fuck my life. It's obviously not true. Anyway, how are all of you? Anything exciting happening in your life?
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Dead or Destitute (Lams)
Fanfiction(Lams.) This had been the third time. His third time downing pills, his third time trying to meet death. If only he had succeeded. - It had been months since he had last left the hospital. He was bored. He was afraid that he was simply going to die...
