The Hospital

       Work seemed more interesting today, not because of anything in particular, but something about it had me anxious.  I was thinking about my upcoming dinner with Leonna and I couldn't wait to do that, but it wasn't what stood out.  I couldn't put my finger on it, instead I stayed busy; I changed motherboards, and added memory to different customers' computers.  I just had to keep moving, I still felt great from my encounter with Alana, and strangely she didn't come to work as she had promised to. 

       "Ryan?" That was it, what I had been so excited about, or so it seemed.  I felt suddenly calm and at ease when he said my name.  I turned around to meet his face.  He stood there, application in hand, smiling.

"So, should I just give this to you?" He asked and held the application out.  I went to take it from him, but he immediately snatched it back.  

"Wait a minute, I'm not giving this to you unless you say something." He said playfully.  I rolled my eyes.

B*****d.  "Something." I said with a dull sarcastic tone.  

"Oh wow!  He does speak."  I turned back around to get back to work.  

"You know it's your own loss if you don't hand in your application."  I thought about what it would be like to work with him.  Probably a pain in the a*s.  Why work here anyways?  

"Look, I was just kidding around." He said defensively.  

"I'll get the manager, you can speak with him about the job." I told him, trying not to sound overly interested, even though I was totally excited about him potentially working with me.  I started to walk to the back to get Matt, my department manager.

"Wait--" I turned around trying to stay relaxed. 

"Look, we haven't really introduced ourselves.  You're Ryan, and I'm Anthony, my friends call me--" 

I cut him off.  

"I know who you are."  He held his hand out now for me to shake.  I glanced down at it, and thought about whether I should return the gesture.  Hesitantly, I did.  Warmth rushed through my body at the sudden excitement.  I felt like a school-girl, but I was definitely trying to hide it.

"My friends call me Tony." He finished his statement.  A flash came through, and for a moment I saw myself.  But that was all, just a flash.  I released my grip and he sorta jumped back a little.

"I'll get the department manager." I said walking towards the back.  

"Nice to meet you too!"  I heard his sarcastic remark from the back room where Matt was, sitting watching TV, on break.  

"Hey, Matt, there's a guy out at the service desk who wants to speak to you about an application."  He looked at me and got up from where he was sitting. 
"Alright."  He said and as he left the break room, Leonna came in looking unusually upset. 

       "What's wrong, Leonna?!"  I asked trying to sound concerned, even though my mind was still on Anthony.  My mind was rushing, overwhelmed with excitement.  I couldn't help but feel disconnected from Leonna's emotional display.

"Felicia, just got a call from Travis."  I could feel the color leave my face when, suddenly, I realized what she was about to say.  

"Alana is in the hospital, she collapsed."  Leonna was now in tears, sobbing, and was hardly speaking clearly.  

"Oh my God, I don't understand how that could have happened."  I said trying to hide the guilt in my voice and walked over to console her with a hug.  I had to force myself not to make bare contact.  

I put Alana in the hospital?  I thought to myself.  I didn't know what to say or do, the whole situation must have been my fault.  And what could I do?  Alana had a hard enough time believing what I told her, so it's not as though I could come right out and tell Leonna too.  I didn't need two friends believing me to be crazy.  

"Look, when our shift is over we can go see her and make sure she is okay.  But you can't worry about it too much, there's really nothing we can do from here."  I told Leonna, while trying to help her pull herself back together. 

       Leonna wiped the tears from her face just as Matt was re-entering the room.  

"What's wrong?" He asked, sounding noticeably more sincere than I had.  

"Apparently, Alana collapsed and was taken to the hospital."  I explained to him quickly, trying not to think too hard about the whole situation.  

"Oh, well I am sorry to hear that, I am sure she'll be fine though!"  Matt told Leonna patting her back gently. 

Matt was a handsome man, my brother-in-law, in fact.  He was about five foot, seven inches tall, average build, brown-skinned mixed man.  

He was perfect for Felicia, charming and funny, and he made a great father and husband.  My sister had four children, two girls; Angel and Alaine from her previous relationship, and two boys; Matthew Junior and Anthony, they were all extremely adorable.  

It was a workplace romance when they first started seeing each other two years before;  Felicia was just a cashier, and Matt was a technician like myself.  They had come very far since then though, when I was an assistant manager I had Felicia promoted to the customer service manager, and while I was gone on medical leave Matt was promoted to the technician manager. 

       "Alright you two had better get back to work, I have some paperwork to get filled out with Anthony here."  Matt said as he turned back toward the service desk area and spoke again, this time to Anthony though.  

"You can come on back here, Anthony."  Leonna and I brushed past Anthony as we walked back out of the break room, and we both got back to work immediately.  Leonna worked in the music section so I wouldn't see her again until the end of our shift. 

       I can't believe Matt hired him on the spot, he must have really impressed him.  My thoughts continued, running rapidly and without direction.  

I can't believe Alana is in the hospital!  How could I have been such a monster?  I sat still in front of one of the computers, trying to gain some clarity.

And whats with the flash I got from Anthony, that was strange.  This whole situation was starting to scare me.  I couldn't help but feel that things seemed slightly out of control.  I just kept hurting all of the people that meant the most to me.  I had started my day off so well, my encounter with Alana seemed to dull my enhanced sense of touch, and my recent run-in with Anthony was interesting as were the last two.  Now, though, I find out that I have hurt the friend who has been the closest to me for the last year.  I had a few more customers come and drop off computers to be looked at, and it made the time pass pretty quickly. 

"We can take my car that way you don't use up your gas."  I told Leonna as we left the building and walked toward the parking lot.  

We both got in and drove quickly to Memorial Health; the hospital where both Alana and Michelle were being cared for.  The desk clerk told us that visitation was over at ten, and it was already nine fifteen, so we'd barely made it.  

The nurse, Linda, came from around the desk and led us to the ICU room that Alana was in.  I stopped dead in my tracks before we reached her room, Michelle was also being cared for in the ICU, as most comatose are.  She looked so pale---almost dead even.  I couldn't move, my heart was racing.  I couldn't stand to see her like that, my keys dropped from my hand and I heard them hit with a loud CLINK to the floor.  

Leonna stopped and realized what I was looking at.  Michelle and Leonna weren't friends however, they weren't enemies either, they just never bothered to get to know one another.  Leonna walked over and collected my keys from the floor in front of my feet.  Gently, she pulled my arm to motion me away from the window.  

"Right in here,"  Nurse Linda said as she slid a card in the slot on the door.  "we just medicated her, so she won't be awake for too long."  

We both walked in to see Alana resting on the bed. 

"Alana!  I am so glad you're okay."  Leonna rushed over to her bedside.  I could hardly move, I walked slowly over to where she was reposed.  

"Did the doctors tell you what was wrong or what happened?"  I asked her curiously.  Alana looked carefully at me, she could see that something was wrong by the look on my face.

"They said I had a minor stroke, they don't know why though.  Of course it's unusual for someone of my age to be struck by such a thing."  She explained sounding light but cheerful.  

Its not unusual when you have a friend like me messin' around in your head.  I thought to myself.  

"They want to keep me here for twenty-four hours, to monitor my vitals and such, but I'll be fine, nothing to worry about."  Alana continued still trying to sound like her normal self.

"Nothing to worry about?!  Alana you had a stroke, you need to make sure you take it easy!"  Leonna told her.  If only she knew what caused it.  If she knew it was me...    

       I kept getting flashbacks, remembering the car accident and waking here from a coma, it was paralyzing.  I hated hospitals, everything about them drove me crazy.  My mind ran a thousand miles a minute, and I felt like driving myself off a bridge for Michelle's condition.  It wasn't fair to her.  

"Ryan, you need to stop beating yourself up about her,"  Alana looked at me with soft eyes, "it wasn't your fault.  You have to know that!"  she continued trying to be reassuring.  

"Alana, you need to rest.  We'll come by tomorrow to see how you're doing, but I can't stay here."  I said.  

I signaled Leonna and she immediately got up, and they exchanged goodbyes. 

       I didn't speak on the ride back.  In fact I tried to keep my mind busy thinking about what the next day might bring.  Anthony would be starting work soon and that would be something to look forward to.  I couldn't seem to keep my mind off of him.  I should have been thinking about my friends who were in the hospital, but instead I thought about Anthony.  That night I even dreamed of him.  It wasn't a vivid dream, but I could remember seeing him---talking to him.  My mind had played out an entire scene between the two of us laughing about something in some cafe.  

              

*Buzzing*

       

My alarm-clock startled me as usual, and I quickly struck it with my hand silencing it. 

"Ah!"  I grumbled, retracting my hand.  The pain this morning was unusually unbearable, again even more intense.  I could hardly move.  As the sheets caressed my skin and it felt like I was being skinned by a human-sized cheese grater.  I threw them off as fast as I could, but more pain came, and my hands throbbed.  

I didn't want to leave my bed, but even there I wasn't safe from touch.  I could feel every strand, every fabric that met my skin, even my clothes brushing against me caused a burning pain.  I wanted to peel my skin off to see if it would make the pain go away.  Imagining that it would be less painful somehow.  

My body trembled a little from the pain, but I threw my legs over the side of the bed and sat up.  I pressed my feet to the cold floor and tried to stand up.  Instead, I fell back onto the bed.  The cold against my feet felt like they were being twisted off with a wrench.  I couldn't believe this, why was it so bad?

       It was Friday, which meant no classes today, but I had to work the afternoon shift.  I couldn't move from my bed, never mind go to work right now, so I would have to call and see if I could get my shift switched out.  I picked up my phone and dialed.  Matt answered. 

"Hey Matt, I was wondering if you could switch my shift with someone on the evening shift and I'll gladly close.  I am just not feeling well right now."  I explained to him quickly.  

"That's fine.  Dan just called asking if he could switch to the afternoon shift, so it works out perfectly."  He told me sounding a bit hasty.  

"Okay, thanks!"  I hung the phone up quickly after I thanked him.  My ears rang loudly, and were stinging in pain.  I had to figure something out, I couldn't just lay in bed all day.  I looked back to my phone and it hit me.  I picked it up and typed a message sending it more quickly than I had thought possible.  Every key stroke felt like a safety pin being stuck into my fingers.  I even wished that it would get so bad I would just black out again, but it never came.  I couldn't remember ever feeling this terrible---even first thing in the morning. 

      I remembered the burst of energy I got when I touched Alana the day before, it was euphoric.  The feeling of her skin on mine---the way it felt in that moment---had flashed across me, and I craved for that once more.  I wanted that high.   I wanted it to drown out the pain, and make me feel great again.  I felt normal but powerful, like I could conquer the world.  It was like a drug and I had to have more.

              

*Ringing*

       

My phone rang at the receipt of a new message.  It read:  

I'll be right over.   -Leonna.  

The drug I craved---the touch I needed---was on its way.  My heart started to race at the thought of easing my pain and achieving my high.  I wanted to get up and jump around like an excited child who just found out they were going to a Disney park.  Instead, I sat still on my bed sitting up again with my feet hanging over the side, trying to avoid as much touch as I possibly could.  Minutes seemed to pass like hours, I kept wanting to get up and look out my window to see if she were pulling up in the driveway. 

       I couldn't even think straight, the pain was so intense.  I heard the thud from her car door closing, and shortly after came the knock at the door. 

"Come In!"  I yelled.  I heard the door close behind her, and the clanking of her keys as she walked through the house to my room.  She stood in my door way smiling, she was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink t-shirt, looking just as casual as any other day.  

"What's wrong?  You said you wanted to talk to me."  Leonna said, looking at me obviously curious to why I still wasn't dressed.  Leonna came over and signaled for a hug, just as I thought she would.  I stood up slowly trying to ignore my thoughts about what might happen.  She pulled me in close before I could make my final decision.  The warmth of her cheek against mine was nice, it seemed to soothe.  I could feel everything trying to push forward and all I could do was surrender to it.  I felt her body beginning to shake against mine, I must have been breaking through. 

       Flashes of a man came through, someone I couldn't recognize.  I could feel surges of energy rushing into my body, it was empowering.  Again the image came through, they were kissing.  There was passion and lust, it was out of control.  Her energy felt so much different from Alana's, it flowed so freely.  I kept taking in more, it was like fresh water to a person stranded in a desert.  

Something else came through, a doctor.  

"You're pregnant, congratulations Ms. Settler."  She wasn't thrilled though, and I could feel it. 

Oh my God, she's pregnant?  I thought to myself.  Instead of regret or guilt, I felt anger.  

How could she not tell me?  I opened my eyes and looked at her, she was lifeless without movement.  I didn't care, I wanted more.  I was angry for her hiding something so important from me.  I drained more, it felt like an electric charge filling me with life.  I kept trying to pull forth more and more.  I wasn't interested in her memories any longer, I wanted as much as I could get, but it stopped.  I released her and she fell to the ground with a loud THUD! 

I knelt over her to check for a pulse, but there was nothing.

"Leonna, come on you're fine, get up!"  I yelled, sounding worried.  I picked up my phone and quickly dialed 911.  

"I need an ambulance, my friend, she's not breathing."  Quickly I started CPR, but there was no response.  Had I actually killed her?  

How can this be happening?  I thought to myself.  My heart was beating so fast, I was nervous.  The EMS arrived within nine or ten minutes.  They got a response, finally, after using the paddles.  They had revived her.  Relief washed over me.  Quickly the rolled her out on a stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance.  One of the EMS workers asked me a few questions, but I could hardly focus.  Leonna had come within inches of death, in fact she was gone for quite a few minutes.  

"It looks like your friend might have had a heart attack, we won't know for sure until she gets seen by a doctor.  Would you like to come along for the ride Mr. Garcia?"  The worker asked me.  

"No.  No I think I'll drive myself.  Thanks, though."   I said sounding half dead myself.  I was on my way back to the hospital.  How does this keep happening?  My entire body was shaking.  I was in shock, but I needed to know she would be okay.

Reviews

[Fetish Ewing]

Freaking LOVE Nurse Linda! Can't wait to see more of her in the future. I know you have big things in store for her!

[Kaylor Mason]

Ryan just keeps digging himself in deeper and deeper with this new ability