Single Caffeine

All Hospitals Smell the Same (13)

Chapter Thirteen

All Hospitals Smell the Same

I was sitting next to the bed while Chase’s body laid there. Tubes went everywhere, an oxygen mask over his face, his eyes shut and dressed in a hospital gown. It wasn’t a great sight. The boys had been here for a few hours now just hoping Alex, their best friend, would wake up soon and be alright.

“How did he get swept away and I didn’t?” I ask Alex for the millionth time? He didn’t mind, he knew I was freaking out and was happy to reassure me that it wasn’t my fault.

“He probably swam out to get away from you,” he said walking over to me and kneeling down to give me a weird hug.

“Seriously, you don’t need to repeat yourself every half an hour. It wasn’t your fault,” Jackson said and then left the room.

“I’ll go see what is wrong with him,” Randy announced.

“What did I do wrong?” I said bursting out in tears on Alex’s shoulders. “Now Jackson hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” he replied pulling back so he could look at me. “We are all fragile at the moment; he just needed to let out steam.”

“He will wake up, won’t he?” Alex knew I wasn’t refereeing to Jackson anymore but rather asking the question that nobody had asked out loud yet.

“Of course he will, if not well then I have less competition,” he joked but then realised how inappropriate it was but I still laughed as he hung his head over my shoulder.

“Well maybe you will have to take me on a date too, let’s hope you don’t end up in hospital though,” I said laughing. It was wrong to make humour out of another’s pain but there was nothing else to do other than sit there and weep the whole time.

 “You know how bad it is to flirt with me while Chase is lying here? If it was anyone but you I would be going off,” he said pulling me up from my seat then sat down in the chair.

“Hey, you say something nice and then you take my chair?” I said smiling at Alex.

“You are the one that got up from the chair. Go sit on that one.”

“Actually I think I may go home for a bit, I am still in the hideous clothing you chose for me to wear.”

“You could thank me, I could have left you to wear your swimmers,” he said just as the guys came back.

“Sorry Cassie, it’s just I am so stressed,” Jackson said embracing me in a hug.

“It is ok, we all are but I don’t know why because he will be fine.”

“I know but that doesn’t make it any less stressful. Did you say you are going home for a few hours?”

“Yeah, just to get changed and stuff.”

“Can I come with you? I don’t like hospitals they freak me out.”

I don’t see why people get freaked out by hospitals, sure people die in them but people also cured in them. I think they are pretty cool.

We get to my place, took a shower and changed while Jackson just hangs out on the couch, we are ready to leave when I remember my phone and purse and stuff of Chase’s were left at the beach.

“Before we go back to the hospital do you want to the take a detour to the beach and see if my belongings are still there?”

“Yeah, that’s ok, the longer the delay the better. I rang Chase’s parents just then, I don’t know why we didn’t ring them earlier. They are flying out tonight but won’t be in till early morning.”

“Oh shit,” was all I said. The whole situation was crazy. You wouldn’t think this would happen to you or your friends but it surprisingly does. It was scary and the thought of Chase dying made my heart flip then to think that it was my fault. I accepted to go on a date with him even though I hardly like him like that, I am the one who took him to the beach and I am the one who… well I can’t think of anything but… it is my fault.

The beach was fairly packed and looked similar to when I was there just a few hours ago but it felt different, it felt not like a place of happiness but rather one of sadness. Maybe this is how people feel about hospitals.

“Why don’t you like hospitals? Have you had a bad experience?” I ask Jackson while we walk to the life guard tower to see if they have my stuff.

“No not really but so many creepy things happen in hospitals, I just don’t like them,” he answers.

We find a man at a desk and I ask him about my stuff, he told me he hadn’t seen or been received any lost or found items like I described and told me he would call me if he did find them.

Jackson and I walked to the spot where Chase and I were earlier but my stuff was missing, great, another problem to add for the day.