Resolution

Chapter Five

The room was still. K had just turned off the TV and was staring out at the garden, watching a little boy running around. Presumably his dad was sitting on the grass nearby, watching with a smile on his face.

She could guess the scenario. His mother was probably in this hospital somewhere, nothing life threatening, or the dad would look more worried. Perhaps she broke a bone, or rolled her ankle. Or maybe she'd had a baby, and her family was coming to visit.

As K watched the little boy playing on the grass she pondered their situation, her mind reaching to far worse places than her own.
After a few minutes, the dad called to the boy, and stood. The little boy grabbed his dad's hand and, arms swinging, they disappeared from view, heading back towards the nearest entrance.

Once they disappeared, K just watched the flowers and leaves swaying gently in the summer breeze. It was a pleasant day outside. Not too hot. Nurse Eloise had come earlier and tried to get her to go outside.

"Your physiotherapist said that you need to be walking around, Brooke."

"I am walking around," she said, "just not outside."

Elouise has just let out a sigh and left. The longer K was here, the less patient the nurses seem to get with her. She had been treated like she was fragile and broken ever since she snapped at Nurse Harriet her first day.

It seemed that the nurses were forgetting more and more that K was 'emotionally vulnerable' as she had overheard one day, from nurses speaking in the hallway.

Elouise was the best of them. She was always the kindest and most patient. But even Elouise was becoming intolerant to K's surly and unwilling nature, though she wouldn't admit it.

K didn't care. She would be out of there in another few days, and then she could be bitter and mourn her shattered existence in peace.

She sees the little boy and his father again, this time accompanied by a woman carrying a tiny baby in her arms, grinning, and laughing, looking exhausted but in absolute love.

K had been right.

They were going home, she could tell by the bag the dad was lugging along. K watched them walk past, presumably heading towards the hospital car park.

Then, once they were out of sight, she picked up her remote and shut the blinds, so she was left in darkness. She took a deep breath, holding back tears, then stood, slid on her pair of blue slippers, and headed for the door.

She shuffled along the hallway, playing with the edge of her hospital gown. A nurse passed her, but took no note. K was allowed out in the hallways. She was essentially allowed to do anything she wanted but leave.

She couldn't leave yet. She wasn't allowed.

She headed to the nearest set of elevators. She had decided she would go see Ella, for their daily game of noughts and crosses.

Ella wasn't incredibly sociable, K had learned. This was okay, though, because K rarely felt like talking anyway. Yet, they still needed each other's company. Or at least K needed Ella's company. Ella had a boyfriend, that visited her daily, and one time K had gone to see her, their was a set of greying haired parents, who adorned their 'poor baby girl' in affection.

What K wouldn't give that those parents were her own, coming to see her.

But her parents were dead. Her caring boyfriend wasn't going to come and visit, either.

K was alone, but for Ella.

So, regardless of how silent their meetings were sometimes, K relied on them to keep sane.