A New Beginning

Visitation

Shane strolled through the bleak, white hallway of the hospital, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. It was almost ten at night, since he had just finished a shift at the Pizza Shoppe. Ever since he heard of Shania's accident, his mind had been racing with worst case scenarios.

As he approached room 3344, Shane slowly pushed the door open and poked his head inside. He laid eyes on Shania, who was lying comfortably in the bed with its head elevated. Her pale, sickly skin color contrasted with her dark brown hair, and she had dark circles under her green eyes. She was dressed in a thin hospital gown, with her right arm immobilized in a sling, and a drab hospital blanket covered the lower half of her body. There was an IV line attached to her left hand, which connected with a bag of fluids, and beneath the bed was a catheter, which was draining her urine.

"Hey, Babe," Shane greeted Shania as he entered the room and took a seat in the chair beside Shania's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Shania's eyes lit up upon seeing her boyfriend. "I'm doing alright," she answered. "Just bummed out I have to be in the hospital all summer."

"I know how you feel," Shane sympathized with her, reaching for her hand and holding it gently. "I remember being in the hospital a few months ago, and trust me, it sucks ass."

"That was when Trip stabbed you, wasn't it?" Shania asked, shaking her head. "I still can't believe he did that."

"I can," Shane replied. "Trip's an asshole."

"For sure," Shania agreed. "Remember when he was trying to force me into going out with him, and all of a sudden you came along and stood up for me?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Shane replied adjusting the cap on his head. "I gave that piece of shit what he deserved."

Shania giggled. "I'm so grateful your family decided to move here," she stated, gazing at Shane with admiration in her green eyes. "Otherwise we never would have met."

"True that," Shane agreed, reminiscing over the time when he first laid eyes on Shania. "I remember being so pissed about leaving my old school, my old friends, and my old football team, but honesty, this is much better. I'm thankful that you're in my life. You are my world." He reached over and placed his hand in her lap.

Shania smiled and grasped Shane's hand with her own. "And you are mine," she breathed, closing her eyes blissfully. "I love you."

"I love you too." As Shane gazed at his girlfriend, who lay quietly in her hospital bed, his heart warmed with gratitude. He never felt so blessed to have a particular person in his life. In spite of all the bad things in his life, Shane was happy to have this one good thing going for him. He hoped that, in spite of his flaws, Shania would choose to stay with him for a long time to come.