Dear Universe, ✔

29.

"A lot can happen in two days." She takes the seat Drew had vacated moments ago and after a quick chat about Annie's lack of progress today, we open our books and do our homework in silence.

I can't focus on the pages in front of me, so instead I turn my eyes to Annie. I watch her face and the slow rising and falling of her chest. Her pulse was faint when the ambulance arrived, but the doctors say it's strong and steady now. I spend a lot of time watching her, hoping that I'll see some kind of movement, even in the smallest form. Based on her charts,  the doctors say that she should be waking up within the next day or so.

"Ian, you look like you're about to fall over dead." Fieldan's worried voice drags my eyes away from Annie and over to her.

"I'm fine." I lie, the words just rolling off ny tongue naturally after speaking them time after time for days now.

"You don't look fine. You need to sleep." She closes the text book she had been reading. "I'm worried about her too, but we have to take care of ourselves."

Fieldan and I have become pretty close over the past couple of weeks, which is still bizzare to me. Just last year she thought I was a freak and I thought she was a spoiled brat that wore too much pink. When Annie and I started dating, Fieldan and I spent more time together and formed a small friendship/sibling relationship, but ever since Annie stopped talking to me, and now this, Fieldan and I are like real brother and sister. Neither of us have other siblings, so it's nice to have each other - especially in times like this.

Add my relationship with Fieldan to the list of things I have to thank Annie for.

"I'm fine." I repeat even though I know she doesn't believe me.

With a sigh, she turns around and digs through her purse. A few seconds later she hands me some crumpled up dollar bills. "Then go get us some snacks."

I want to say no because I don't want to leave, but I know she'll keep talking about how not okay I am if I stay, so I take the money and rise to my feet. My legs welcome the opportunity to stretch, and can't comtain the yawn that escapes me as I stretch my arms above my head. Fieldan gives me a pointed look, but I roll my eyes and walk towards the door.

When I turn the corner to head in the direction of the vending machines, I see Annie's parents getting off the elevator. They spend the majority of their days with lawyers and doctors, and then their nights waiting by Annie's side. In the past two days I've gotten to know them both pretty well.

"Ian, how are you?" Annie's mom, Hope, pulls me into a hug, which I retirn before turning and shaking her dad, Tom's, hand.

"I'm doing okay, just going to get some snacks." I gesture towards the direction of the vending machines.

"How is she?" Tom asks, even though I know he called the hospital only an hour ago to ask the same question.

"Same. Nothing has changed." We all frown, even more so than we already were.

"Have you been here all day, Ian?" Hope asks, her voice and face full of sadness. She can tell by the way I look that I have, "Honey, you need to get some rest. You know we'll call you if anything changes."

I know she's telling the truth, but I can't go home when Annie is here. If something happens, it would take me thirty minutes to get here. "I'm fine."

After a couple more minutes of small talk, we part ways and they go to join Fieldan in Annie's room while I go to the vending machines.

I get all of Fieldan's favorites, and then a bag of chips and a drink for myself. As I walk back down the halls towards Annie's room, I hear a lot of commotion. A nurse runs past me and almost causes me to drop everything, she shouts an apology over her shoulder but keeps going.

The closer I get to her room, the more shouting and beeping I hear. I round the last corner and I drop everything.

Fieldan is standing off to the side of Annie's door, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide and filled with tears. Tom is holding Hope as she mirrors Fieldan, his own fear evident on his face.

I run towards them, disregarding the armful of food I had just dropped. When I reach Fieldan, Annie is being wheeled out of her room by a team of nurses as one of the shouts, "Page Dr. Clark!" Everyone is in a frenzy and it all happened so fast and they were in the elevator and out of site before anyone noticed I was back.

Fieldan turns and wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my shirt.

"What happened?" I finally manage to ask. My heart is pounding and breaking all at once. It was like I was paralyzed with fear, I had no idea what happened in the few short moments that I was gone.

"I...I saw blood in the catheter bag, so I told a nurse, and then...I don't know, they kicked me out of the room and took her away."