Sugar // Marliza

23

- Maria -

I was expecting Eliza to be back in bed with me by the time my phone started ringing, but the other side felt empty and lacked her warmth, so I knew she was still gone.

I already missed her presence, with her just being gone a few hours. She had gone to Alex's in a rush, not really explaining why, but it seemed like she didn't know either. I just accepted her kiss and mumbled a sleepy goodbye before quickly falling back into dreamland. Which, of course, was rudely interrupted a little over an hour later by my phone blaring some ringtone.

I fumbled around, half asleep, trying to answer the call. I didn't really check who was calling as I didn't have the time, but was confused when I heard John's voice.

"Maria? Is this you?" He asked, sounding like he'd been crying. I rubbed at my eyes and sat up.

"Yes, John, is that you? What's the matter?" I said, the words slurred with sleep. He took a deep breath before answering me.

"Alex, um, is in the hospital. He attempted, Eliza's here with me, she's the one who found him, I just thought you should know and maybe come? She's really not taking it well and we... we don't know if Alex is really gonna make it. They haven't told us hardly anything." He said in a rush, choked up. I sat straight up in bed the second the words 'hospital' and 'attempted' left John's lips.

"What? What? Are you serious?" I said, tugging out of the tangled sheets. I was wearing a t-shirt and some old leggings, good enough. I needed to leave, now.

"Yes. Please hurry, if you can. Eliza's sleeping right now, thank God, she's been through enough tonight. But I think it would be good if you were here when she woke up." He said, turning the conversation to Eliza, probably to distract himself from the distress he had to be feeling.

"I'm leaving now. I'm putting my shoes on, I'll be there soon. If she wakes up, tell her I'll be there soon." I said, shoving a pair of flip flops on and grabbing my purse.

I rushed out of the dorm building and down to the street, wondering if Eliza felt this panicked when she had left a few hours ago. God, finding Alex like that... I couldn't even imagine. I felt so awful for her, awful for John, that they could possibly lose someone so close and dear to them.

I recalled my miscarriage in the hospital, Alex coming to visit me with Eliza despite not knowing me at all. Of course I had to come right now. I needed to be there for him, and for everyone else.

I thought of the gifts he had brought for us, the box with a perfectly tied ribbon still sitting unopened, untouched, on the coffee table in my apartment. I felt more guilty than ever for forgetting to open it.

I arrived at the hospital, staring blankly out the window as I prepared myself for what I was about to endure. The last time I was here, I was suffering through the worst pain and heartbreak of my life. Was I really ready to go through all that again, and lose a friend who I had just began to really connect with?

I rushed inside, ignoring the discomfort in my feet from my too-small flip flops as I continued to speed-walk. I found myself in the ER waiting room, spotting John and Eliza from across the room.

John had his arms wrapped around himself, staring at the floor in a daze, not noticing me walking into the room. My eyes quickly moved to Eliza, who was slumped over in the chair next to him, a blanket wrapped around the top half of her body and an empty paper cup sitting on the floor next to her feet. She was still sleeping.

John looked up as I walked over to them, settling myself in the chair next to him so I could talk to him before Eliza woke up. He gave me a weak smile and I pulled him into a hug, skipping a greeting because at this point, there was no point in pretending like things were normal.