Rehearsal

Part IX

Teresa looked at the sheet of paper in her hands. Room 2.045. This is it. She took a deep breath and knocked at the door. Her heart was racing but she didn't know why exactly. She waited a moment but as nothing happened she entered anyway.

First, she saw the three hospital beds in which three men lay.  Then she could make out a slumped figure. It was Eddy. Sitting on a chair but his arms and chest resting on one of the beds. His eyes closed. His chest slowly rising and sinking to the rhythm of his breathing.

Her eyes wandered to the man in the bed. Brett looked so normal. As he would only be sleeping. The sun shined through the window onto his bed. It looked like a movie scene.

Shyly she went to his bed and took Brett's hand into hers. She could feel a knot forming in her throat. She was not sure what to do next. Should she say something? Could he hear her?

"He has not weakened up yet," Eddy whispered and rose his head. "But he is breathing on his own now. so.." He let out a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. Teresa didn't know what to respond to this. She had always felt awkward in Eddy's presence. She got quieter than she already was. "What are you doing here Teresa?" Eddy looked right into her eyes. It made her even more uncomfortable. "I came to see Brett," she said so quietly she could barely hear herself. "Brett told me you two had broken up." His voice was harsh. Obviously, he wanted her out of here. She blinked to hold back her tears. "Teresa, what do you want?" Eddy ask loudly. He had stood up and was ready for a fight. She dared to look into his eyes but got scared and turned away. "I still care about him." She swallowed hard before she continued "I still love him and want him to be safe." - "I will take care of him," Eddy responded. Still sounding very angry.

For a few seconds silence filled the room, then she turned around and left the room. She wanted to cry but didn't allow herself this relief. She had to stay strong.

Eddy had never liked Teresa. She was self-centred and used everybody around her for her own interest. Especially Brett. But still, Eddy felt a little bit bad for how he spoke to her earlier. Maybe this was the first time Teresa really cared about somebody else than herself.

It didn't matter. He had to make sure that Brett was safe now and Teresa meant trouble, so he wanted her out of the way.

He had sat there with Brett the whole night and most of the next day as well. The sun was already going down again. He was tired and hungry but got no apatite. And every time he closed his eyes his memories returned. The bloody shirt on Brett's body, the dead conductor he had fallen over, the sound of a gun, his fear... It was too much. So he stayed awake as long as he could until he just passed out.

There was a knock on the door and Teresa entered again. This time with two coffee cups in her hands. "hey" she said. Eddy glared at her. "What do you want, Teresa?" - "I know we didn't get along in the past, but I think we should pull ourselves together. For Brett. So this is my peace offer" She held one of the coffee cups in his direction. He hesitated. Was this one of her tricks? But his body demanded some intake so he grabbed the cup. "okay" he mumbled.  "but just for now" - "sure", she grinned. Eddy hated it.

For a couple of minutes, there just sat there in silence. Each holding one of Brett's hands. "So..", began Teresa. "What actually happend in there? The media is still not given any info." Eddy stayed silent. He could feel his anger coming up again but he pulled himself together. For Brett as she had said. "I mean, was it scary? Did you saw the conductor get shot?" - "I don't want to talk about it." He tried to stay calm but his voice got harsh again. His hands got a little bit sweaty. Picture flicked before his eyes. "Eddy, are you okay?" - "Shut up!" His heart began racing, he felt like he could breathe anymore. He could feel the fear creeping up from behind, making him relive the last day all over again. "I need some air...", he said and stumbled out of the room.