Time

Chapter 2

The next day I woke up with a stomach and head ache. My nurse gave me some kind of medicine, but it didn't help, so I just went off to sleep until my mom came for a visit around noon.

"I heard you weren't feeling well, so I took off work for a little while to bring you some soup." She said, handing me my favorite, vegetable soup.

I shook my head. "What's the point, if I won't be able to keep it down?"

"Sweetheart, please just try to eat some."

I took a couple bites for her, and then her phone started going off.

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry, but I really have to go. We're having an emergency meeting, but I can probably get away with not going."

"No mom, you can go. I'll be fine. I really just want to sleep today anyways."

"Okay." She said, getting a little teary eyed, like she did every time she had to leave me. "Just promise me you'll eat a little more of that soup."

"I promise." I said and she left. I sat the soup on my side table and went back to sleep.

At about two, I was awoken by a knock at the door.

"You've got a visitor." the nurse said, peeking into my door.

"Oh mom, you didn't have to come back."

"I'm not mom." said no name, he sat

in the chair next to me, as the nurse picked up my soup. Normally, she'd tell me to eat a little more, but today, I had company so she left me alone.

I smiled at him.

"How are you?" he asked awkwardly.

"I feel like shit." I said. "But, I want to know, how'd you manage to convince the nurse to let you come in here?" The nurses have something against patients in patients rooms, like we'd catch each other's cancer, or something.

"Well, at first they wouldn't let me come, they said I needed to go to their stupid fun room, but I let out a sigh and I gave then sad eyes and they said they'd let me come see you, just this one time."

"You manipulative little shit!"

He shrugged and smiled.

Suddenly I got nauseous. He handed me 'the bucket' as if he knew, just by the look on my face.

A couple minutes, after my disgusting barfing episode, I looked up, expecting him to be gone, I would expect anyone to run far away after seeing that. He was still there though, asking if I thought I was done and I nodded. He took the bucket from me and went to the bathroom to wash it out, then he came over and helped me out of bed. He placed his hand on my back, leading me to the bathroom, where he already had my toothbrush and toothpaste set out for me. I brushed and then took a sip of water from the cup that was sitting on the sink.

"Better?" he asked.

I nodded, and he walked me back to my bed. When I got in, he pulled up my blanket to my shoulders, pushed back my hair and kissed my forehead. Then he sat back down and I turned over on my side, so I was facing him.

"Why are you taking care of me?" I asked him. "Isn't it kind of..gross?"

"You forget, I'm sick too. I know how it feels like to be feeling like shit all alone and I don't want you to feel that way."

"Thanks." I said smiling. "You're a good guy."

He smiled back at me and we just sat there smiling at each other until I fell back to sleep.