Will and Hope [Formerly Ro and Georgie, slowly editting]

Chapter 12

Georgie opened her eyes, they felt thick and heavy and that’s how her whole body felt on a whole. She sat up and fell right back on her back. The room was so bright and she felt really light headed. She was in a hospital room; she was in the rosy red dress she had been wearing the night before and was lying in a metal crib.

Across the room her parents were standing staring at someone on the other cot. Her mum was biting her nails the wick and her dad had his arm around her mum. From here she could see that her dad had some grey hairs shooting from the roots.

Next to the other bed Ro was sitting next to a still body, he was holding a pale hand and was rubbing his thumb up the back of it. Her heart felt thick looking at the concern and love in his eyes. Who was he holding? Her heart was breaking thinking it was not her. She climbed out of the bed and walked over to the bed, opposite to Ro. There was a girl there, with coppery brown hair cut in a pixie cut and needed a good shower, her eyelids were shut but there were purpley rings under her eyes and there was a fat gauze bandage on the right side of her head. Georgie gasped. The girl was her.

She stepped away and felt her breathing pick up, she spun to look at her parents, they weren’t looking at her, and it was like they couldn’t see her. She walked over to her mum and waved her hand in front of her face, her mum shivered like there was a breeze but apart from that there was no recognition of her daughter in the room except from the thing on the cot.

She looked at her father; he didn’t seem to see her either. She turned back to the full cot, she walked over to Ro, and he was too immersed in looking at the girl to even notice her, she put her hand on his shoulder, but her fingers went right through the top, through his flesh and she could feel his bones, she reeled back and looked down at her hand in horror, she turned it looking at the palm and then the back of her hand to see if there was any abnormalities about it, there wasn’t.

“Ro.” she whispered, his head popped up and for a moment her heart skipped a beat; he could hear her! Then he looked back at the girls face and stroked her cheek lovingly.

“Sweet heart?” her mum mumbled, Georgie whipped around with a grin on her face, but it fell when her mum was looking straight through her. “Ro, darling. We’re going for a coffee. Are you okay here?” Ro nodded. “Do you want us to get you a coffee?”

Another nod, “Black please.” He croaked with a wry smile. Her parents left and she watched as Ro continued to stroke the girls – Georgie’s face. After a moment she noticed Ro’s shoulders fall then shudder and he slumped onto the bed, his head resting on the girl’s stomach. It was the saddest thing Georgie had ever seen and a fat tear dribbled down her face.

She went to Ro’s side and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the queasy feeling she got touching his bones.

Ro’s head snapped up “Georgie?” he said and this time he looked at her, right at her.

“I’m right here.” Her voice was thick with tears and she stroked his cheek.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” Ro said staring wide eyed at the dress. Georgie picked at the hem of the bodice of the dress.

“Doesn’t matter.” She looked down at him, he was smiling at her and a tear was tracking down his face. “Ro, I’ll be with you soon okay? Just hang on. Please.”

He nodded in response, obviously too emotional to answer. She kissed him on the forehead and felt her lips touch something gooey and wet; she pulled back and instantly regretted it, but touching his brain? It was disgusting.

She sat on the bed next to the real her and just stared at Ro while he looked at her, after a while he rested his head next to the real Georgie and soon his eye lids slid down.