The Thyme Travelers

Chapter Six: In the Wake of the Accident/ Two Stupid Doctors

"You tell me," Zach said, approaching my bed by the window. The window was open and it let in a cool breeze.

"Well," I began, "I got the supplies for the time machine." I knew this wasn't what he was asking. He stood at my right and raised his eyebrows, signifying he wanted to know what had happened that we were in the hospital. He glanced down at my cast. "We got in a car crash," I stated. I gazed at my sister, hooked up to all these weird machines and said, "Eliza would be freaking out if she knew you were here." The left corner of his lips turned upward and I chuckled a little. "It's on the news and probably all over Facebook now." Zach closed his eyes.

"Stupid drunk," he muttered under his breath as I sat up in my bed. He had obviously seen the news. "How long are you gonna be here?" Zach asked.

"I can leave tomorrow. They're just keeping me here to be monitored. You know, make sure there's no trauma and crap like that. They shouldn't concentrate on me. It's my sister who needs help. She's in a coma." Zach shook his head.

"You are just too noble." Then he leaned in and made eye contact. "There are people who care about you. They need to make sure you're okay. That's why you're here." Then there was silence, as he seemed to study my face. It was an odd silence; not quite awkward, but not a silence that two science partners should share. Then, as if he read my thoughts, drew back.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said softly. I smiled.

"Thanks." Then he went over to my sister's side of the room and looked at her. His back was to me, so I couldn't see his expression, which must've been something like Holy --. Slowly Zach reached into his leather jacket and drew out something-I couldn't see what. He placed it on the table next to her and to my surprise, saw that it was... a rose. I couldn't help but smile at his kindness towards my crippled sister. Then he turned back towards me and gave me that almost-smile-but-not-quite. He came back to my right side and dug back into his leather jacket. He drew out an orchid, and I thought, Holy crap, this guy is really going out of his way because he cares about my sister and me. "You went flower picking," I said bluntly.

"No. It's not flower season anymore." Well, of course. He would know. Zach placed the orchid on the table beside me, and looked at me. "I have to go now." I nodded as if to say okay, and before he left the room he looked again at me and said, "See you later," and he closed the door behind him.

I waited a few minutes before doing anything, letting everything sink in. I looked to my right at the table next to me and there sat the orchid, pure white under the light. I picked it up and studied it. It smelled nice, and that automatically lifted my moods. Why he gave me a flower, I don't know. I mean, I'm not the one in the coma. I just broke my arm protecting myself from an air bag, which was pretty stupid, but whatever. I put the flower back on the nightstand and got out the Iliad again. I read the words on the page, but I couldn't seem to understand them. My mind was somewhere else, when it should have been concentrating on Agamemnon and his fake dream Zeus had sent him. Maybe this crash had all been a fake dream. Maybe Zach had never come to see me-us, Eliza and me. But one glance at the orchid told me this had all been real.

Outside in the hall I heard footsteps and panicked. They were probably my parents', coming in from their cry-I mean, walk. What would they think about the flowers that were just all of a sudden on our bedside tables? I didn't have time to take them and throw them out... plus I didn't want to throw them out. Think fast, think fast-

"Hello sweetie," said my mom, coming in through the door. Her eyes automatically flew to Eliza, and then I saw them twitch a little to the right... at the bedside table. "Ooh, well who left this?" mom asked as she came in through the doorway. My dad followed in behind her quietly. I racked my brain for something to say.