Disappointed (Alex Wolff)

Chapter Five: Hospital Food

     "Hey Alex?" I ask before we get to the cafeteria.

     "Yeah?" he says, stopping the wheelchair.

     "I think I'm ready to try to walk now," I tell him.

     "Are you sure?"

     "I think so."

     "Okay," he says and he steps in front of me. He extends his right arm and holds his hand out, waiting on me to grab it, which I do. I stand up with him on my right side and I slowly try to take a step. My legs go wobbly for a second and I almost fall, but Alex places his left arm around my lower back to steady me.

     "Thanks," I say and I take one more step. It hurts, but I'm not going to tell him that. I have to get used to this soon, or else it'll be too hard to walk around the school in two days.

     "No problem. You're doing pretty good," he says and I laugh.

     "You're just saying that," I said.

     "No really. If I was in a car wreck less than a week ago, I would probably still be in bed. I'm a baby when it comes to pain."

     "Sure you are."

     "Okay. Now what do you want to eat?" Alex asks me.

     "I think I'll just take a salad. All hospital foods disgust me."

     "Same here. I can barely decide which is worse: School or Hospital food."

     "Finally! Someone who agrees with me," I say and Alex laughs as he leads me over to a table. He pulls my chair out for me and I take a seat. He is such a gentleman. I watch him as he retrieves my wheelchair and parks it next to the table.

     "Just in case," he says and smiles before walking over to the salad bar and filling two bowls with lettuce, cheese, cucumbers, and bits of breaded chicken tenders. He grabs two water bottles and pays for the two meals before walking back over to the table.

     "Ranch?" He asks and I nod. He comes back with a cup of ranch and two forks.

     I pick through my salad and I make sure I don't get any of the chicken on my fork.

     "You don't like chicken?" he asks me.

     "I don't eat meat," I tell him.

     "Oh, you're a vegetarian?"

     "Something like that. I used to eat meat all the time when I was little, but then I just kind of stopped once I got in middle school," I explain, but I don't tell him the reason that I quit eating meat. I was tired of getting made fun of and called fat, so I stopped eating meat and drinking anything with sugar or calories in it. I still eat a few chips every now and then, but meat is definitely out of the question.

     "Oh, okay. Cool," Alex said, smiling.

     "Mhm. I'm full now.. Can you throw my plate away for me?" I ask.

     "No. Of course not," he says. His reaction surprises me and I raise my eyebrows at him.

     "I'm kidding! Hand it here."

     I hand him my plate and empty bottle of water and he dumps everything into the nearest trash can before helping me stand up again.

     "What about your wheelchair?" Alex asks.

     "One of the nurses will find it and put it up," I tell him.

     He puts his arm around my waist again and we walk all the way to the elevators and we make it up to my room before we run into Stephanie.

     "I was wondering where you ran off to," Stephanie said to me.

     "I took her to get some lunch. I hope it was okay," Alex said.

     "Oh, it was fine. Actually, Jo, I have some good news for you."

     "You do?" I asked.

     "Yes. I looked through your files and I can see that you're walking now. You have the choice to go home today! That is, if you want to."

     "Seriously?"

     "Seriously. All you have to do is sign some papers and you'll be ready to go."

     I look over at Alex and he has a smile on his face. I smile back. I'm kind of nervous about staying at his apartment, though.

     "I guess I'll get to take you on that date a little earlier than planned," Alex whispered to me and I smiled at him as Stephanie handed me a clipboard with a few papers attached to it.

     "Wait. I can leave now?"

     "You have to sign these papers first, but yeah, you can leave as soon as you get your stuff together," Stephanie says and I take the clipboard and pen from her hands. I sit down on the hospital bed and read through the papers before signing the bottom of the page.

     "You are free to go!" she says as she takes the clipboard from me and leaves the room.

     I walk over to the closet in the corner of the room and I expect to find clean clothes. Instead, there is nothing. Am I seriously stuck in this stupid hospital gown?

     "Hey Alex?"

     "Yeah?"

     "I don't have any clothes in here whatsoever," I tell him.

     "I can run you by your house and you can gather some things to bring over to my aparment?"

     "You would do that for me?"

     "Why not?" He smiled. I'm starting to like this guy. I look into his eyes again. I swear I am going to go insane if I can't figure out where I've seen him before.