(Un)Fortunate

Chapter 15

"Hello, could you please tell me what room Caleb Morgan is staying in?" I ask the nurse at the front desk.

She pokes her perfectly manicured fingers at the keyboard. She looks up at me with bored eyes and says, "Are you family?"

"Yes, I am his sister and this is his brother," I say, nervously twirling my hair.

"Okay then, he is staying in the ICU unit.You just take a right down this hall, and then go left and you will be at the entrance. There will be someone at the front desk in there, ask them his room number," she says, and goes back to the word search she was working on before we came in.

"Thanks," I say, but its no use. She has already stopped listening.

We follow her directions down the hall. With every step, my stomach hurts more and more. I stop walking, and Brandon, who is walking behind me, stops too.

"Are you okay?" He asks, grabbing my arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Its just that, I am worried," I say, looking down at the floor.

"You two can go ahead," He says, motioning to Jen and Cam to meet us there.

Once they are out of earshot, Brandon starts to say something, but chokes up.

"Listen," He manages to say. "I know Caleb. He is tough, and probably the most dramatic brother in the world."

This causes me to giggle. I look up at him. His eyes are brimming with tears.

"You have that right, he is also strong. And don't forget really annoying sometimes," I add, chuckling some more.

"That's right, and you know what he is doing right now?"

"What?" I say, wiping a tear that fell down my cheek.

"Right now, he is using his inner strength to pull through. So he can wake up and see all his fans, and his family, and his wonderful sister." He says. When he tells me this, I want to take every word he says, and preserve it forever.

I hug him, and he seems surprised at first, but then gets the concept and hugs back. We walk together to the ICU. At the doors, I stand there for a moment.

I take a deep breath and push through the doors.

Inside, it looks more high tech than the rest of the hospital. There are more machines and gadgets, as well as a stronger smell.

The smell of disinfectant simultaneously gets stronger as you cross the threshold from the hall into the ICU.

An emblem on the wall shows a picture of the hospital's symbol as well as a sign below it that says: Intensive Care Unit. The front desk is practically empty, all the nurses are in rooms tending to critically conditioned people.

I watch as the nurses fly by, like bees in a hive. I spot a head of familiar blonde hair, and my eyes grow wide. She comes over to the front desk and I take the opportunity to say hello.

"Casey?" I say, looking at her.

"Ooh, I know this one! Broken wrist, brown hair, surgery. Arielle?" She smiles, joking with me.

"Yep," I say, chuckling slightly.

"What are you doing here sweetheart? Your next appointment wasn't for a couple of weeks."

Brandon sees me talking to someone and joins me.

"Who is this?" He says, smiling at her.

"This is Casey, a nurse who was there when I broke my arm. She helped me out a lot," I say, smiling bigger.

"Yep, and I just asked her what she was doing here. I just saw her yesterday, so she can't be back for a checkup!"

Has it really only been a day? It seems like an eternity ago.

"Actually, we are here to see our brother, who was also injured in the crash," Brandon says, turning to face me.

"Oh, what's your brother's name, I can show you to his room!" She says perking up.

"Um, Caleb Morgan," I answer.

Casey's face turns pale.

"Your brother is the Caleb Morgan? As in, your brother and sister or whatever?"

"Yep," I say. Her eyes grow even bigger. She doesn't' even need to look at her sheet to tell us where he is staying.

She leads us down one hall, then down another. Until we have reached a closed door. Next to the door, it says: Caleb Morgan, Room 27.

My stomach drops. Casey knocks on the door, and pretty soon, my mothers head pops out.

"Thank you Casey," I say, watching her as she scurries away.

"Hi mom, how are you?" Brandon says, and my mom pushes the door open a bit more.

"I could be better, but you know," She says. Her face looks the worst I have ever seen it. Her eyes have bags under them and her face is red from crying.

"Can we see Caleb?" I ask, looking down at my shoes again.

"Actually, the doctor is in here right now. So how about we wait a minute until the doctor leaves?"

We nod and sit in some chairs out in the halls. Jen grabs my hand and squeezes it. I look at her, and she raises her eyebrows.

"Jen, we should not be here. This is the time for Ellie and Brandon to share with their brother, not ours," Cameron says, standing up. Jen agrees, and they both say goodbye before leaving to grab a bite to eat.

We sit in the hall for what seems like forever, watching the minutes tick by. Brandon's leg is bouncing up and down, and it is really starting to annoy me. Finally, the door opens and the doctor steps out, he says a few words to my mother before proceeding down the hall.

My mother motions that we can come in now. I stand up, my legs shaking. I feel Brandon's hand grab mine. I look up at him, and he stares straight ahead. My mother opens the door a little bit more, and I close my eyes, imagining him before the crash. How healthy, and strong he is. And open my eyes and walk in.