I cut of the engine after parking in the underground parking area of the hospital. Paige had decided to tag along. She had exchanged her overall for a fleece windcheater and her hair was now tucked into her wool peak cap. A scarf was wrapped around her neck.
“May I ask you something?“
“Yeah, sure.” Her voice seemed slightly shaky.
“How come were you here the night of my grandmothers admission? The two of you know each other?”
“I guess.”
“I see.” I said, yet I wasn’t sure if she had been hiding something from me or not, but I decided not to push after I saw her cover her mouth with her scarf. The two of us sat in the car in silence which had never been an issue between us. The fact that we hardly knew the other made it seems as there had been no reason to feel as if we needed to be withdrawn. Sometimes it was easier to honest with a complete stranger then it is to the friend who knows you.
“We should probably get going.”
“Agreed.” I said as I stepped out of the car and almost instantly regretted it. The cold wind hit me like a train almost as if it had been trying to remind me it was winter. As we stepped out of the elevator, the temperature in the hospital wasn’t any different. If anything, it may have been colder. I got an unsettling feeling that the air—conditioning had still been on full blast. Paige hadn’t snapped out of her silence yet so she wasn’t much help with the temperature.
“Paige.” She looked up at me, “You okay?“ I asked as I placed my hand onto her left arm. She flinched, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Yet, I could feel her trembling. Her face seemed ice cold. She slipped her shoulder out from under my hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Huh? Yeah, sure. Meet you upstairs?”
“Yeah, upstairs.” She spoke as she walked away tapping her pockets. Her voice seemed weak.
I never really spent much time with Paige but something had told me this was unusual even for her. No shit Sherlock. I chided myself as I made a mental note to inquire about it later. I shrugged it off for now and walked towards the stairs. The elevators were usually packed at visiting hours and had preferred to avoid a crowd. Besides, it was a decent workout.
The wards of the hospital were colour coded which made getting around slightly easier as you just had to follow a simple coloured line on the lower section of the wall, yet, it was understandable that many people still got lost. The place was a labyrinth.
Anyhow, I followed the light blue line until I reached a double door painted in the same colour has the line. Ward 3B.
I heard a faint bell sound from behind me. Almost as she had perfectly timed me, page stepped out of the elevator. She was out of breath and her wool cap was pulled down lower.
“Shall we get going?“ Her voice sounded normal now. Slightly on edge but it didn’t seem shaky. “Yeah.” I said as I opened the door. The smell of medication from the entire ward seemed to hit you like a train. It took a while to adjust to the amount of light in ward but as soon as I had, I realized this section of the hospital seemed different to the rest. Every other room seemed unwelcoming. The cold a sinister walls seemed as if it wanted to engulf you. This ward had the opposite effect.
Whereas the others pushed you away, nearly motivating you to want to heal and leave, this ward and the rooms in it seemed welcoming. It was fit for all ages in other words. The rooms circled around the outer walls of the ward. The centre was made as if were a visiting area. Chessboards, checkers and bookshelves with books containing fairy tales to Stephen King novels. The area even had a coffee stand. And of course, that’s where my grandmother was.
Paige grunted out a laugh, “Boss lady has taste.”
I realized that the room was designed to be comfortable because to many of its patients, it would probably be the last room they see before they were rushed into ICU.
“Paige, Daiman. Good evening to the both of you. What I do to deserve your visit?”
“She said my name first.”
I snorted. “Could you make up your mind on which mood you in? This is kind of confusing.”
“Shut up, waiter boy.” She said without a hint of hesitation – as usual. “Good evening, Boss lady.”
“Coffee? I make an excellent cup.” My grandmother offered.
“No thanks. Thanks your grandson, I don’t think I’ll be able to have another cup for the day.”
“It wasn’t my fault, idiot. “ I protested. “It was your bright idea.”
“Seems like the two of you get along just well.”
“Oh, yes. Perfectly.” Paige looked up at me with a glare that made me feel as if she had still been mad at me for laughingly at her. My grandmother laughed as she took a sip of her coffee.
Paige eventually broke the glare as she fell into the seat next to my grandmother. Not fell into the seat as in taking the seat, she fell. The look on her face made it obvious that she was consumed with pain.
My grandmother slide her hand over hers. “Cold... Daiman, get her home as soon as possible.”
“No, I’m fine.” Paige protested as I slipped her arm over my shoulder. She was too weak to resist further then trying to walk on her own and pull as we made our way down to the stairs and towards the car.
It had was hard with her resisting but we finally made it and I struggled to find my keys. I felt as Paige stopped resisting. Her face went pale as her eyes drifted close.
~~M. H~~
I dunno. I just felt like ending the chapter in a cliffhanger. Anyway, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank those of you guys who actually made it this far into the book, you guys rock. Like seriously rock💙
Speaking of rocking, I’d like to ask a little favor from you guys.
Hit that follow button. She’s awesome, you’d be doing yourself a favour 😌
Anyhow, I need to leave now, I’m supposed to be studying...
I love you guys! Stay unique ✌
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Stargazing: Changing Our Stars
Romance"Life has always been precious. Many of us never truly understand just how precious it is. Paige, you something else. You long for the smaller things in life- the stars, the warmth of the sun and even the gentleness of the wind." ...
