Thats Life

Chapter Twenty-Two

I could have sworn time stood still. The clock didn't tick, the receptionist didn't type, the vending machines even stopped their humming.

"We can only have two come back at a time." She mentioned when we all stood up. I turned around and gave Katie an apologetic look.

"Go." Katie nodded.

"Suzie." I held my hand out to her. She pushed past it and followed the nurse who was now walking away.

After silently thanking Katie, I turned around and followed both Suzie and the nurse back to the room.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

She glanced behind her towards me for a moment. "He's stable. The doctor will give you more information."

"So, he's alive?" Suzie asked.

"He is alive, but he isn't awake." Was all she said to us before opening the door to his room and moving over so we could walk in.

He laid there on the bed looking so peaceful while sleeping. As horrible as it was to see him here, it was nice to know he was in the safest place he could be. The knowledge of this eased a pain in my chest that had been there for the past few months. The constant worry, and watching, and thinking. Now, there were people around who could help, and it wasn't my responsibility.

Suzie immediately started crying while running over to him, she pulled a chair next to him and sat down with her head on his bed next to him. She grabbed his hand and sobbed.

"The doctor will be in shortly" She left, closing the door behind her.

"Look at him" Suzie cried.

I did, then quickly looked at the wall on the other side of him. I hated how he looked. He had a heart monitor on, an oxygen mask, a few IVs were connected to him, and a blood pressure cuff was on his right arm. He was laid back, to look like he was sleeping. His hospital gown was slid down is shoulder and his hair was in his face.

There was a steady beep in the room coming from one of the machines. The lights were bright, too bright. He wouldn't have like it. I walked over to the light switches and turned everything off. The light from the window and the small reading light behind the bed lit up the room just enough for us to be able to see everything.

"Thank you." Suzie said, for Jace I'm assuming. We all know how he is in that cave he calls a room. If Jace were an animal, he would be a bat. Just hanging out in cold dark caves, sleeping and eating.

The door flung open, and Will stepped in. "Those bastards were trying to keep me out of here." He swings the door shut behind him "Like I'm going to wait any fucking longer to see my own damn family."

His voice carried across the empty room; hospitals are not a place for people like William.

"Oh my god..." Will walked over to Jace and move the hair out of his face. "They did you dirty my brother."

"What do you mean?" I asked, facing my fears, and looking back towards Jace. I didn't like how not real he looked, almost like me might be dead but the doctor felt bad and put him here to tell us he was alive.

"Look at this gown, it is not his color" He grabs the sleeve of the pale blue and white gown and tugs on it. "Do you think he has clothes on under this?" The smile on Will's face was a red flag.

"What the hell is your problem?" Suzie asked.

"What? If he did, id help him out and take this god-awful thing off him. I know he would thank me for it."