Remember Me

2. We Meet Again

At home I sat at my desk doing homework. My parents weren't popping in and out of my room for the first time in a while so it was rather quiet at the house. I checked my phone, it was 16:45, my mom should've been back by now. I placed my phone down, got up and headed for the door when my phone rang. It was my mother, I answered and with a worried voice she said, "Your father has been h-hit by a truck. Your uncle is coming to pick you up and bring you to the hospital." She dropped the phone, didn't even say goodbye. I packed a back pack like always, it was habit but I wasn't complaining. I rushed around the house closing windows and locking doors just as my father taught me, then I realised. My father was in hospital and I was doing as he taught me, wouldn't he feel proud. Rushing down the stairs almost falling over my own feet my uncle arrived, honking his horn. I locked the door behind me, sprinted for the car and tried to hold on as my uncle frantically drove us to the hospital.

When we arrived I ran up to my mom, giving her a hug. She held me so tight that I lost my breath but I didn't show it. My uncle came over and gave my mom a kiss on the cheek, he was showing compassion but as he saw the doctor come out of my father's room his look of compassion wilted into deep concern. The doctor allowed us into the room to see my father, although he was against my eyes witnessing my father I wanted to see him.

My mom, uncle and I walked into the room. It was dimly lit, squeaky clean and reaked of blood, I hated the smell of blood. My mother sat beside my father, taking his hand and shedding a tear. My father's leg was broken, he had multiple cuts on his arms, his shoulder blade was bandaged, his neck in a brace, his lip gnashed, eyes blue-black and he had a huge cut that the doctors stitched up right across his face. I walked over to my father and touched his cheek, it was cold but his chest rose and collapsed making the cold disappear. My uncle examined the drips and heart rate monitors as if he understood what was going on and I couldn't help but stare. After barely five minutes my mom and uncle sent me to get something to eat.

Sometimes I just wish parents would just say that they want some privacy!

I went to the cafeteria. It was hard to choose what to eat, most hospital food tastes gross and this place wasn't any different. I scanned the different food items but couldn't pick anything so I just bought a packet of jelly beans, wine gums and a bottle of diet soda. I sat on a bench outside my father's room eating my sweets, thinking deeply and hoping that my father would be okay. As my head began to sink a doctor rushed down the hallway with a girl, she looked familiar. I tried to hold myself to the bench but eventually got up and followed the doctor. He took her to a ward I've never been to which was strange because I visited the hospital on numerous occasions. I walked around, it was weird, this ward's atmosphere was completely different. It felt as if I was becoming numbingly confused in the cognitive part of my brain and then she called out to me which to my luck happened before I passed out.

"Kris, what are you doing here?"

I snapped back into reality, my eyes readjusting to my surroundings.

"Uhm......I, I'm here for my dad. He got hit by a truck." I said it so plainly that it made me feel guilty. "Wait, Nea? Why are you here?" She widened her eyes and stood silent till the doctor came out and took her into a room. I was puzzled, so I stood there for a while but started feeling dizzy so I ran to my father's ward where I'd hopefully feel normal. My mom and uncle were waiting for me, as we walked out I saw Nea get into her parents car and drive away. On our way home my mom was silent, so I was too. I got out of the car, opened the front door and watched my mom walk up the stairs and into her room. It hurt to see her that way, it hurt even more not to know why she looked the way she did. I knew my dad was in pain but it surely couldn't have been that bad, could it?