Just keep breathing

Chapter 70 - Day two

January 30th

Harry's perspective

"Black coffee please, large," I mumble groggily to the middle-aged woman with greying hair standing behind the till in the cafeteria as I try and rub the sleep out of my eyes with the back of my hand.

The combination of the too-small sofa, the nurses coming in every two hours by rote to check Katie's obs, and the worry coursing through me that I couldn't manage to forget even in sleep, has left me utterly exhausted this morning.

A tiny Asian nurse with jet black hair shooed me out of Katie's room about a half-hour ago so they could take care of some of her more private concerns, and given that her parents and Mel are due to arrive shortly, I figured it was time to try and refuel a bit.

At least, as its barely six o'clock, there's no one else in the cafeteria, so I don't have to worry about being recognised.

Meeting a girlfriend's parents is always a nerve-wracking experience, but when your about to meet them for the first time over a hospital bed in which said girlfriend is fighting for her life... not being half asleep seems particularly important.

Taking a sip of the scalding hot black liquid, I scrunch my nose in distaste and reach across the counter for a packet of sweetener, it tastes more like petrol than anything else and makes my empty stomach churn with disgust.

Remembering my mum's words from last night about taking care of myself, I hastily grab a banana and a nearby bagel and add it to my order without even registering what's in it.

Chewing absent-mindedly, I head outside into the early morning mist and cold January air, shivering slightly as it bites into my bare arms, and make my way over to my car.

Years of travelling from place to place have ingrained in me a habit of leaving a 'to go' bag in the boot of all my cars, just in case. I pull the large blue shoulder bag out of the boot and drop it on to the tarmac where it lands by my feet with a dull thud.

Leaning against the boot, I finish my food and down the rest of the coffee before rifling through my bag quickly in the hope of finding a jacket.

No such luck, but my old Green Bay hoody is crunched up in the bottom looking slightly creased and worse for wear. Tugging it quickly over my head, I yank the hood up and keep my eyes focused on the ground as I make my way back up to Katie's room.

As the morning drifts on, more and more people are walking around the hospital, and the last thing I can cope with right now is being recognised.

When I get back to the room, the nurse is in the process of pulling a coarse beige blanket up over Katie's exposed legs, not wanting to get in the way, I linger in the doorway for a few seconds watching as she tightly tucks the edges under the mattress, securing Katie in some sort of fluffy cocoon, before picking up a large bunch of bedding in her tiny arms and turning towards me.

"Hi, It's Harry, right?" She asks in a small voice, raising her eyebrows as she cranes her neck to look at me.

She can't be more than four and a half feet tall I think idly as I nod my head slowly in response, has she recognised me? Or did the doctor or another nurse give her my name?

"Sorry, I don't mean to bother you or anything. I recognised you earlier, and I just wanted to let you know that, well, whilst this area of the hospital is pretty empty most of the time, a lot of our patients are elderly. They, unfortunately, don't get all that many visitors, occasionally their families do pop in, and things get a bit more crowded.

Anyway, I thought you'd like to know that visiting hours are between ten and two and five and eight, you might want to keep yourself out of sight during those times."