Hospital Food and Rainbow Rings

            “How’s she doing?” Xavier poked his head into the room. His dark hair was pulled back tightly, and his goatee looked abnormally unkempt. He seemed stiff, there were worry lines across his brow and he was wearing the exact same thing he had been wearing since we arrived yesterday. Actually, so was I. Neither of us had gone home since we checked Cooper in. Xavier didn’t want to leave me here by myself, and I didn’t want to leave Cooper here unless something happened.

            I cleared my throat and blinked, “She’s doing fine. The doctor said she would wake up at any time, now.”

            He put on his trademark, goofy grin and nodded.

            I turned back to Cooper once he left. She looked so different. Her normally curly locks were tied back in a messy ponytail, there were heavy bags underneath her eyes, and the deep red handprints around her neck were unbearable to look at.

            I tore my eyes away from her, and redirected them towards the window. It was raining�"thundering. It was as if nature knew that Cooper was in the hospital. No birds were chirping, rain was pouring, the sky was dim…everything slowed down.

            Cooper had only stirred a few times, but she never woke up.

            I cringed as my stomach argued at me. I hadn’t eaten today. If Cooper was awake, she would’ve been fussing at me to get something in my stomach. Of course, she wasn’t awake. So, that meant there was no one to tell me to eat. No one to tell me to do anything. Right now, I didn’t have a conscience. I guess it’s easy to say that without Cooper, I’m just this shell of a person. And she’s the same way without me.

            My hair was soaking wet and it stuck to my face�"I had to stick my head into the hot shower a couple times to stay up. I pulled it back and out of my face, leaning my head back against the wall. My cell phone started going off in my pocket, ringing at me. I didn't care right now. Well. I was curious to see who would be calling me.  I blinked furiously to focus, trying to wipe the sleep away.  When I was able to focus, I saw that the caller ID read Ashton’s name. I didn't open the phone; I just threw it across the room.

            I wasn’t in the mood to talk to Ashton right now. Knowing him, he’d probably rant on and on about a fight his parents were having. I loved him, but I had other things on my mind. Besides, he had a way of making me feel more pathetic than usual.

            “Hey,” A soft, raspy voice floated into my ear.

            I grinned and took her hand.

            “Hey�"how you feel?”

            She shrugged, “Better than before.”

            My fingers flinted across her cheek, but I pulled back when she flinched. “Ah, sorry.”

            She smirked, “It’s alright.”

            “You know, I’m kind of getting tired of this little game we’re playing. All this reckless endangerment has got to end some time.”

            “I’ll stop when you do,” She winked.

            And so it goes on.

            Cooper and I had this constant cycle of who can get the biggest adrenaline rush without going over the edge. It started when way back when we met in first grade. She was the new girl in class. She just randomly walked up to me on her first day and bet me that she could last longer with a mouth full of sand. I took the challenge. About fifteen minutes into our game, one of the other kids told. The teacher made me spit mine out first. So, technically, she won. Even to this day, she hasn’t let it go.

            “You look like s**t,” She muttered.

            “You don’t look so glamorous yourself.”

            “I don’t aim to be glamorous, babe,” She sighed. “How long have you been here?”

            “We check you in yesterday. I haven’t left since then. Xavier’s in the waiting room. He hasn’t left either.”

            “Oh,” She lowered her eyes and pursed her lips.

            “Are you hungry?” It was a rhetorical question. Cooper was always hungry.

            “Since the day I was born,” Her blue eyes brightened.

            “I hid a burrito under your pillow. It might be cold now,” She doesn’t care.

            She pushed her body up and swatted the pillow away. She scooped up the burrito and crammed it into her mouth like it was the first thing she had eaten in months.

            “You might want to slow down�"”

            “Don’t tell me what to do,” She growled with beef leaking out of her mouth. “When can I go home?”

            “The doctor said you should be ready to go in a day or two,” I said.

            She groaned, “That’s too long. I miss your bed…”

            “My bed misses you, too,” I shoved her.

            Her eyes connected with mine and that dreadful, uncomfortable silence settled over the both of us. It had been happening a lot lately between us.

            “So, Cooper, what happened this time?”

            Her brow furrowed, “Eh, Thomas was being a d********g.”

            There wasn’t much more of an explanation needed there. Thomas was Cooper’s mom’s boyfriend, and the two of them fought every time he slept over�"which was whenever he wasn’t busy with one of his various other lady-friends.

            “I take it he won?” I whispered.

            She shrugged, “I wasn’t exactly fighting him this time, and I was just trying to get to my room. He was blocking my way so I shoved him. I didn’t know he’d use that bottle…” She wiped her mouth with the back of her arm.

            I watched her bring her hand up to the back of her head.

            “You’ve got stitches; don’t bother them,” I said.

            She lowered her hands almost immediately and moved over on her bed. She patted the space she made and grinned, “Lay with me.”

            “I’m not getting in bed with you without a proper date first, Coop.”

            She poked out her lower lip and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something. Suddenly, she shut it and straightened up. I watched her scan the room and look at her hands. I knew what she was looking for.

            "Where's my ring?" She asked.

            I'd wanted to pipe up about Cooper's ring for a while now, but I didn't know what to say. It was a stainless steel ring with rainbow jewels circling it.

            I'm not sure when I noticed it. I just looked down one day, and I couldn't look back up. I never questioned Cooper's sexuality. She'd dated guys before. Hell, she'd had more boyfriends than I did. She even made little comments about how attractive Xavier was. What reason would I have to think she was a lesbian?

            But we did have small, sentimental moments together. Moments where I thought there was a spark. Moments where I thought something would happen. But of course, those moments left just as quickly as they came. When she slept over my house, which was every other night, we'd huddle up together and fall asleep in each other's arms. But most of the time, we'd just talk the night away. I didn't want to leave her awake, and she didn't want to leave me awake, so we'd end up nearly passed out on our desks at school the next morning.

            "Here," I dug into my pocket and pulled it out. "I took it before we got here. I didn't want the doctors to lose it or anything...I know how much it means to you."

            Her cheeks burned, and her lips twitched into a smile. She reached out, almost reluctantly, and took it.

            "What else has changed since I nearly died?" She asked calmly.

            "Don't say that," I giggled.  "And nothing's happened."

            I kicked off my black, high top converse. "Move over," I climbed into the hospital bed, pushing her to the side.

            She chuckled and made more room, "Changed your mind, huh?"

            "It's impossible to refuse you, my love," I cooed softly.

            She settled back down on the pillow and slipped the ring back on her finger.

            "How's Braden?" She asked.

            I cringed. He was the last person I wanted to talk about. Braden Marcus and Cooper hated each other. They always had, and they always would. It was some issue they had with each other that started before I even met Braden last year. He immediately took to me like one of those annoying dogs that keep humping your leg. He followed me in the halls at school, called my house late at night, and bought me gifts every so often.

            Cooper thought it was pretty hilarious. Actually, she encouraged him most of the time. If they only knew...

            "How's your therapy?" I asked to change the subject.

            It was Cooper's turn to flinch. She sucked in air and said, "So far, six of my therapists have retired or quit on me. I haven't met the new one, yet."

            "Coop," I shoved her. "You made them quit?"

            She furrowed her brow, "No; it's not my fault they're quitters. If you can't handle Cooper Casey's baggage, that's your problem." She grinned smugly.

            She was right. Dealing with Cooper was a hassle, everyone knew that. You had to be one tough cookie to put up with her.

            "Mel, do you think maybe you could come with me this time?" She asked nervously.

            "To your therapist?"

            She nodded, "I know I never asked you before, but I can't take walking into that place alone again. You have no idea what type of nut jobs they have roaming around that waiting room."

            I chuckled, "I can imagine."

            "So, you'll come?"

            "Of course," I kissed her cheek.

            Just as I was pulling back, the door creaked open and Xavier slid through. One hand was on his head, caressing his dark wavy hair. Most people said Xavier and I looked alike. I believed them. We had the same hair, but mine was longer...too long, that's what I thought sometimes. Especially in the summer. But I'd never cut it. We had the same nearly flawless coffee colored skin. I use the term "nearly" loosely.

            He was wearing a black vest with a blue V-neck underneath. His other hand was stuffed into the pocket of his black skinny jeans.

            "Hey, kid, we've got to go," He said silently to me.

            He forced a smile at Cooper. I knew it hurt him almost as much as it hurt me to see her in that hospital bed. But he tried to stay strong...for me.

            I pressed my lips to Cooper's forehead and mumbled, "I'm sorry." I didn't want to leave.

            She squeezed my thigh, "It's cool. Go home and take a shower."

            "Bye, buddy," Xavier tried to bring out his usual happy-go-lucky voice.