Treadmill Guy

The Most Charming Corner of the ICU

Monday afternoon, Maggie and I returned to the hospital, flowers in tow. Maggie insisted we bring yellow roses -- Violet's favorite -- and wear her favorite scent. Yet while we walked in a cloud of floral perfume, it didn't keep the hospital smells from creeping in. The entire hospital reeked of antiseptics and rubbing alcohol, but in the neuro ICU, where Violet was being kept, many other, fouler, smells pervaded. As Maggie and I walked through the the room, we passed bed after bed of patients with varying ailments, each separated from the others by nothing more than a thin curtain. Luckily for us, Violet's bed was at the end of the long room, near the windows, which afforded a little more privacy and quiet. Some patients were louder than others, and the combination of weak moaning with the beeping of various monitors was cacophonous even on the best days.

Violet's little corner was about as charming as the ICU can get. It was separated enough from the louder patients and the busy nurses surrounding them that it was almost peaceful, and enough of Violet's friends had visited over the weekend that she was almost hidden behind a mountain of flowers and balloons. However, one bouquet in particular caught my eye as we got closer to her bed, one that hadn't been there the day before: yellow roses, in a clear vase, sitting at the edge of her pile of gifts. As I wondered where they could have come from, we drew close enough for me to find my answer. Sitting next to Violet's bed, talking to her quietly, was none other than "The Idiot Who Put My Sister Into a Coma." Oh my gosh, he must really be her boyfriend. But why hadn't she told us? One glance at Maggie told me she was thinking the same thing. We had stopped walking just before Vi's bed, and were silently watching Zach talk to her.

As one moment turned into two and time seemed to stretch indefinitely, Maggie sneezed suddenly and Zach jumped about a foot into the air.

"You could've told me you were there!" His face burned crimson and he had moved several steps away from Vi's bed, looking incredibly embarrassed.

"You must really love her." Maggie's voice was gentle, but I could hear a twinge of sadness. She was still hurt that Violet hadn't told us about him.

Zach flushed an even brighter red and began to laugh a little shakily. "Well, you know. Chiara said holding her hand might help, so I just thought..."

"She told us the same thing." Maggie placed our roses next to Zach's and pulled another chair to Violet's bedside. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

He looked a little uneasy but sat down nonetheless. "Uh, I dunno. Not too long. I came after my classes let out."

Maggie nodded approvingly; if he didn't skip class, he must be a pretty decent guy.

"Do you go to Dominican University?"

He looked up as though surprised at my friendliness. But hey, if he really was Violet's boyfriend I should probably get to know him.

"Uh, yeah. I sure do."

"Is that how you and Violet met? Do you have a class together or something?"

"Uh, yes and no. We don't have a class together, we met at the gym." He blushed still brighter and refused to meet my eye.

"That's so cool," Maggie said. "what are you studying?"

"Business."

I managed to turn my laugh into a coughing fit, and Maggie just said, "Oh." It was no secret that Dominican's business program was a complete joke and all the business majors were lazy, pot-headed, stupid, or some combination of the three.

Zach seemed to realize our disgust and blushed still more before adding, "I want to start my own nonprofit to serve families in crisis."

This time, Maggie smiled, and her "oh" sounded completely different. I was still unimpressed, to be perfectly honest. Thinking optimistically, I figured he'd probably end up doing the bare minimum at the same old desk job for forty years. That was kind of how it went for Dominican business majors.

They talked for a solid hour and a half, and I couldn't help but notice that he was kind of the perfect guy for Violet. Tall, blond, thoughtful, and caring, he listened to Maggie patiently and with genuine interest as she talked about nursing classes, home, and Violet. 

He cared enough to visit frequently and seemed to care about Maggie and I. He had big plans for the future (admittedly, plans that would never come to fruition). He even knew her favorite flower.

Coming next: a new man enters the scene...