The Day She Left Him

Hospital Juno

The flickering light in the waiting room at Hospital Juno reminded Chris of a typical scary Hollywood movie. As Chris rested his head on the couch, he could hear soft music playing in the background. It's so calm here, so different from Lisa's life, he thought to himself. The irony and injustice biting into his suppressed anger. He took a long deep breath and closed his eyes.

I did my best but I guess my best wasn't good enough cause here we are back where we were before...

Lisa, I've failed you, he thought miserably.

Chris remembers vividly the first day they met. It was a cloudless summer day, far too bright to be outside without sunglasses. He remembers seeing Lisa walking up to the office for the first time. He assumed she was a customer, or someone looking for directions to Metro Pool because that wouldn't be the first time strangers dropped by the office. Either way, he fixed his shirt and prepared himself.

"Hello there! Can I help you?" Chris flashed a smile as soon as she pushed the glass door. She was slightly out of breath but managed to return his smile.

"Hi! I'm here for a follow-up interview with Chris Marshall?"

And just like that, he was hooked! He didn't know what it was about her but he felt a cosmic connection with her. Something inside told him, that she was the one. Despite finding out half an hour later that she was married and has a year old baby, he still found himself somehow tied to this stranger he just met.

That day, he went home and looked at his calendar. Staring intently on the date, he vowed he would treasure the day he met Lisa. He vowed this particular calendar would not be switched with a new one so memories of their first meet will linger as a strong memory in his mind. It seemed futile as she was married with a child but he found himself not wanting to give up. He found himself needing to be close to her, even if it's just as friends. And that's what he was. All these years, he stood close by. Watching, learning, and being there for her whenever she needed him. Each day he learned a bit more about her. About her troubled marriage, her unfaithful husband, her despairs. He wept for her the more he learned as his heart could not bear her sufferings. He wanted to be the hero who saved her from her dreadful life but he did not want to scare her away. As his internal struggle to be the best person for her persisted, he watched in agony as her marriage spirals to an end. When he thought his window of opportunity was finally knocking on his door, he found himself in this hospital waiting room, uncertain of the future. 

"Why don't they just fix the damn thing?" Chris muttered to himself. He looked up and saw one nurse talking to another. The other nurse shrugged and turned her head in his direction.

"Mr. Marshall?" She asked.

Chris nodded, quickly stood up and walked towards her.

"I'm Nurse Kelly. Miss Pickard is resting and would like to see you now. Please follow me." She smiled as she waited for him.

Chris stood up, followed her and decided to try his luck.

"Urm Nurse Kelly, I'm wondering if three new patients arrived today at the ICU?" Chris asked, clearing his throat which had gone dry.

"We've had more than that today, Sir." Nurse Kelly responded patiently.

"No, I mean. A man, a woman, and a little boy. They came in together not too long ago?" He pursued.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Marshall, but I do not know the ongoings of the ICU. If you tell me the specific names of these people, I can look them up for you?"

"Yes, Lisa. Lisa Cooper. And the little boy is Jake."

"And the man?"

"Mr. Cooper. Uh, that's what I call him."

Nurse Kelly raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She smiled and nodded as they arrived at Elaine's door.

"When will you let me know?" He asked as he placed his hand on the door knob.

"As soon as I know, Mr. Marshall."

"Are you making the inquiry now?" He demanded, a little more strongly than he intended and immediately apologized, "Sorry, I'm just... "

Nurse Kelly smiled understandingly, "Don't worry about it. I understand you're anxious. I will be back shortly." And with that, she left.

Elaine looked up when he entered the room. One glance at her and he knew they were both wondering the same things.

"Any news?"

He shook his head. They both looked at each other, grim and lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes.

"You ok?" Chris looked at Elaine and mustered a small smile.

"You don't have to do that. We're beyond that basic niceties and you know it." She saw him shrugged although his expression heavily wrought in worry. Not for her though. No, not an ounce of his worry was for her. She knew better after knowing him all these years. Despite his efforts in concealing his true feelings for Lisa, Elaine knew Chris better than he knew himself. 

It was hard to miss how different he was around her. The way he would smile when she walks into the room, his eager efforts in doing things for her were unprecedented. She knew this as she did a little experiment on him. She asked him to do a small, simple task for her when it was just the two of them and all he did was grunt. Men... Elaine wished there was one man out there who would treat her good like the way Chris was treating Lisa.

Lisa was faithful to her sham of a marriage. Faithful to a fault! Her faithfulness made her oblivious to Chris's efforts over the years. There were times when Elaine wondered if Lisa was aware of Chris's feelings. If she was, she made no indications whatsoever. Her troubled marriage consumed her waking thoughts leaving zero possibilities for Chris's love to blossom in her mind. Lisa was trapped in her own world, which threatened to consume her well-being each day.

A tear rolled down Elaine's cheek.

A sudden knock on the door forced her to quickly wipe away the tear as she looked up to see a doctor entering, followed by the same nurse that showed Chris to her room earlier. They both looked grim. She turned to look at Chris just as he was turning to look at her too. They both exchange a worried glance. Something feels wrong.

"Mr. Marshall. Miss Pickard. I'm Dr. Hawthorne. Nurse Kelly told me you've been inquiring about the Cooper family. May I know your relationship with the family?" Dr. Hawthorne asked methodically. 

Chris answered before Elaine had the chance to. 

"We're her close friends. I'm her colleague as well. How are they doing, Dr.?" Chris replied quickly.

"He's also her boss. Dr. Hawthorne, we need to know what's going on. How is Lisa?" Elaine asked immediately after Chris.

"Calm down Miss Pickard. You do not want to collapse, again." Dr. Hawthorne replied seriously. Then turned over to look at Chris. "Please have a seat, Mr. Marshall".

"No, just tell me the news! Damn. Damn you hospital people!" Chris shouted.

"Chris!" Elaine quickly stopped him from spewing out rude words out of anger.

Both Dr. Hawthorne and Nurse Kelly remained unperturbed. The situation is far too familiar in their line of work that it fails to ignite any emotional response.

"I'm sorry to tell you that Mrs. Cooper didn't make it." Dr. Hawthorne said calmly.

"WHAT?" Chris asked quickly, interrupting Dr. Hawthorne who was about to divulge further information. "What do you mean, doctor? She didn't make it? What... she.."

Tears gushed down Elaine's eyes as she continued looking at both Dr. Hawthorne and Nurse Kelly for confirmation.

"Both Mr. Cooper and Jake are still in surgery. We will know their situations in a couple of hours. I'm so sorry." Dr. Hawthorne nodded his sympathy and walked out of the room. Soon, an agonizing scream was heard down the hospital hallway.