Mittens

More Than All The Lights In New York City

"Fate is never fair. You are caught in a current much stronger than you are; struggle against it and you'll drown not just yourself but those who try to save you. Swim with it. and you'll survive" ― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

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The boy sat staring at the impossibly blank wall.

Couldn't they have at least hung up a picture or a painting?

The boy was worried sick, and so he let his mind wander to other things.

He noticed something in his peripheral vision.

Sitting against the "impossibly blank" wall towards the corner, was a lady sitting still as a statue, all of her features rigid and stiff.

He couldn't help but think that she was so still, she could be the wall decoration.

The woman looked to be in her late thirty's but if she kept frowning like that, her face would keep all those frown lines and she'd end up looking as though she's seen many years.

The boy's analysis was cut short when he heard a voice speaking to the nurse.

He listened closer and what he heard startled him.

He knew that voice.

He looked towards the nurse station to his left, but he couldn't see her around the corner.

He made out the words "your father" and "looking for" from the conversation, and he shot up out of his chair faster then you could say Eleanor.

When he turned the corner he was met with the sight of Eleanor and the girl with the mittens.

Before he could question it, Eleanor ran up to him, shedding the oversized coat she was cloaked in during the process.

Gavin!

Wordlessly (as per usual) the boy scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight against his chest.

He had been so scared. After he left the coffee shop, his uncle called him in a panic, stumbling over the explanation that his aunt had taken a turn for the worse and Eleanor had gone missing.

I'm so sorry I left. It's just, everyone was so sad. And I didn't like it.

Eleanor's eyes were wide with innocence and the boy nodded at her.

He pulled out his phone to text his cousin who had gone out looking for her.

Eleanor opened her mouth to tell Gavin the tale of the girl and the mittens, but didn't get the chance as a nurse walked up to the small group and stated that Gavin and Eleanor were wanted by Eleanor's father.

Gavin began to follow the nurse, his cousin in his arms, but the girl, Mia, stood awkwardly in front of the nurse's desk,

Gavin noticed her absence and turned around, walking backwards for a moment to beckon to her.

Confused she murdered the word, me? and pointed to herself.

The boy gave her a reassuring smile and nodded, then turned back around to make sure he didn't run into anything.

His shoes squeaked on the white tile and though the hospital was mostly quiet, a certain restlessness hovered in the air.

Gavin's stomach was churning, but he knew that he must stay strong for Eleanor and his uncle.

The boy would not crumble in front of the beautiful girl that fate brought to him and scare her off before he even knew her name.

He recognized the intensive care unit and knew that, too soon, he would have to enter the room that he dreaded the most.