Treated

sixteen

HARRYS POV

I dress myself in a casual plain white t-shirt, my black skinny jeans and boots. Kendall always insisted on buying me all the top branded clothes but of course I declined. I much rather my own clothes anyway because if anything happens and they get ruined, they’re so much easier and cheaper to replace.

I hop down the stairs and ignore the selection of various fruits on the breakfast bar. I left the house locking the ranch door I always entered through and left my girlfriend’s home.

My growling stomach directed me to the line of shops just down the road from Mulldreary. I parked in one of the many empty spaces and got out with my wallet. I scanned the rows of shops and settled on the bakery beside the superette.

The door above me rung as I entered like it does at Ronny’s but instead of the smell of pizza I was greeted with fresh bread and iced goods lined up behind glass cabinets. A small old woman on a stool with a warm smile welcomed me.

“What can I help you with, dear?” She asked me from behind the counter. She sounded American but some other accent tainted her voice.

My eyes scan through the selection in front of me and settle on an iced bun with raisins. I look up and see the name tag attached to her red apron, it read MARY.

“I’ll just have a sticky bun, please.” I asked her, smiling politely. I loved old women; they always had something good about them. Some could sew, some were artistic, and others, like Mary could bake.

“Of course, say, you couldn’t be Anne’s son could you?” She stares at me like she is trying to identify a part of me that would give it away. I smiled and she lifted her chin, I assume she found it.

“You know her?” I ask the old lady.

“Oh yes! Anne and I went to high school together! When I was in England, I lived there while I was at high school but moved back here when I finished. It’s not all I expected it to be.” She chuckles at her inside joke I was not aware of. I felt awkward so I just smiled. “I can’t believe she has a son.”

After examining me again and making a sound crossed between a sigh and a hum, she bent down and got my bun and placed it in a brown paper bag using a pair of tongs.

“Two-fifty please love.” She asked me holding out her hand. I took another glance at the cabinet to find the price was really four dollars. I looked back at her to find the smile radiating off her face. “Well come on.” She insisted.

I tittered at the woman’s kindness and collect the coins in my wallet, placing them in her hand. We thanked each other at the same time and I left the bakery with a ring of the bell.

I took a bite of my bun and it was delicious, still slightly warm and soft, the raisins juicy and not at all dried out like most. I finished it within a minute and entered the store next to the dairy to buy a drink.

I grabbed the first apple juice I saw from the fridge and placed it on the counter. The man standing there asked me if there was anything else I wanted, so I placed a pack of gum in front of him also.

“$4.50, please sir.” He asked. I reached into my wallet and gave him the money, and then before he had finished putting my things in a plastic bag, I picked up a chocolate bar from the selection and added it to my groceries.

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CHARLECE’S POV

No, oh god, please, no.

I ran as fast as my legs could take me to the front desk as soon as the shock had settled. I swerved through the corridors occasionally tripping as my mind ran wild with the endless possibilities of this situation.

No-one ever gets moved in this hospital, unless something fatal has happened, and I was convinced it was far too early for Sara.

I arrived at the desk after what seemed like the longest run of my life. I rang the bell furiously and with no assistance, I began slapping my hand against the top, almost yelling for someone’s attention. Finally a woman emerged from the room behind the desk and my eyes widened at the casual look her face was wearing. My frustration and anxiety was growing rapidly.

“Where is the little girl that was in the left wing? She’s been moved. Her name is Sara Matthews. She has brown hair and blue eyes and has tuberculosis. Have you heard of anything bad from the nurses? Has she been released? Where is she?” A million questions are bursting behind my teeth but I push my tongue against them to give the dark skinned lady a chance to speak. I was so desperate.

“Sara Matthews, let me search the system.” She calmly and politely replies. Her pace puts me on edge and I stamp on my toes while I wait.

“It says here she has only been moved, two down from her old room, I don’t know her state so-” The nurse wasn’t even able to finish before I was off again in the direction I came in. I needed to see my little sister’s face alive, even if she wasn’t blood related.

I arrived outside her door and didn’t hesitate to enter.

There she was, blended with the white sheets of the bed that she was enveloped in. Her eyes were open tiredly looking out the window, but when I shortly reached her side they seemed to fill back up with life.

“Charlie!” She croaked. Her tone didn’t match her voice.

“Sara, what happened?” I sat down beside her motherly, holding her hand in mine on my lap.

“Well, the bacteria in my lungs are multiplying faster now. I had an attack, and I couldn’t breathe. They had to rush me in here because it was the only room with one of these and it helped end attack.” She points to the pole holding a bag of clear liquid that met her by a tube in the arm. Another tube was connected into the wall which I assumed was where the liquid came from.

I couldn’t believe this had happened. I felt like bursting into tears, but something in the way she told me what had happened in such an unconcerned way gave me the strength to fight them back.

I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was so beautiful even under heavy medication and confinement. I wanted her to see the world, I wanted her to know that it wasn’t evil and there were good things within it, but mostly, I wanted it to see her.

“I’m okay, Charlie.” She speaks over the silence. She bends her neck down so that her blue eyes meet my lowered ones. I look at her, and I knew she meant it. A smile played on my lips.

“I made you breakfast.” I told her, wanting to change the subject.

“Oh yum, I’m hungry! Where is it?” She asks me, scanning the room.

“I dropped it.” We both burst into laughter. The sound would be one I’d miss. It was the most sincere sound within the white walls of this hospital.

She scooted over and I lay beside her, still linked at the hands. We talked and laughed for the rest of the afternoon, not another silence to come between us.

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i'm writing longer chapters now hahaha

it probably wont last because i'm sort of making up to you but tell me what you think of them anyway?

remember to keep commenting and voting! i get real happy when i read your comments because it seems like someones paying attention and i'm not just posting chapters

vottteeee right now ok

love you!

Renae xx