If you're thinking that Luke and Harry let me go to the hospital alone, you're wrong. They followed me in Luke's car, probably bickering the entire way.
If I could focus on anything other than my desperate need to check on my Aunt, I might have thought about how sweet it was that they were coming to the hospital. But I couldn't think about that right now.
Once I parked the car, I rushed through the emergency ward like a crazy person, leaving Luke and Harry behind. The nurse at reception calmly gave me the room number for my Aunt and I nearly ran into another nurse on the way down the long, cold corridor.
Practically falling into room 384, I finally found Aunty Peg, who gave me a small smile. I took a moment to catch my breath, my eyes never tearing away from hers.
The kind doctor that called might have been right: she did seem okay. Not that it relaxed me at all. Even though she looked tired, she had enough energy to scold me when she realised how worried I was. "It was just a little mishap," she brushed off.
"Mishap? What happened? You don't just faint for no reason!" Apparently it didn't matter that I knew she was okay. Seeing her like this, in a hospital bed and without her usual bright coloured ensembles rattled something maternal inside of me. I was supposed to take care of her. I was pacing around the small curtain room trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong. "Where's the doctor?"
"He'll be back in a moment," she said in a distant voice. There was an IV drip feeling liquid into her veins. I winced, and looked away. I'd been lucky enough not to spend much of my life visiting loved ones in hospitals. Still, it made this seem so much worse. "What until you see him," Aunty Peg continued. "He's a real looker."
Well, at least she still had enough strength to be her usual perverted self. The curtain was pulled back then, but it wasn't the doctor. Aunty Peg straightened up a little on the bed, adjusting her blue hospital gown. "Hello boys," she beamed. "What a lovely surprise."
Harry handed her a bunch of yellow flowers that looked like they'd died three days ago. "I know they're awful," he apologised profusely. "It's all the gift shop had left."
"I got you this." Luke handed her a teddy bear. For someone who was sitting in hospital in an unflattering hospital gown and an IV drip in her arm, Aunty Peg was beaming like she won the lottery.
"You didn't have to make a fuss," she said. Only her expression and tone of her voice gave away how much she was loving every moment of this.
Given that Aunt Peg seemed to be in no immediate danger, I left her with Luke and Harry and went off to find the doctor. She was right about him being a looker. He was tall with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He reminded me of a Disney prince.
"She's going to be fine," he reassured me again. "But I hope she learned from today's episode. She really shouldn't be drinking while she's on her medication. It's a dangerous combination."
"What medication?"
"Norvasc."
This was all news to me. "What's that?"
Dr Disney Prince sighed. "I really shouldn't being discussing the patient's heath problems with you, without her consent anyway but - "
"Please," I begged. "I can't help her if I don't know what's going on."
"Norvasc is used to treat high blood pressure. There's no need to worry, it's perfectly fine as long as it's not mixed with alcohol. That's when it will cause dizziness and fainting."
"High blood pressure? Why does she have high blood pressure? Is she going to be okay?" Here I was, getting all crazy and frantic again.
The doctor touched my shoulder gently. "It's okay, Stella. Things like high blood pressure are common as people get older. I've got other patients to get to. The nurse will be by your Aunt's room soon to check her obs."
Harry and Luke were still there when the nurse came by a while later. She took Aunt Peg's blood pressure and temperature and marked a bunch of things down on her chart. We still had to wait for a while, for observation the nurse said.
"You guys don't have to stay," I said into the third hour. Harry had just got back with a coffee for Luke and I, and herbal tea for him and Aunt Peg. "We're probably going to be here for a while."
"I don't mind," Luke said. Harry ignored it entirely, taking something out of the back pocket of his jeans. "I picked these up at the gift shop," he said. "Something to pass the time."
Aunty Peg looked delighted. "Do you know how to play Rummy?"
Harry nodded. "Luke?"
From his seat, Luke looked up uncomfortably. "I know how to play Go Fish?"
"We can teach you Rummy," Aunty Peg said.
"No, it's okay," Harry smiled. "I don't mind a bit of Go Fish myself." I wondered if either boy remembered they'd been about to tear each others heads off earlier.
I stared around the room for a long time while they played cards that I began to feel a bit like a fish myself; trapped inside a blue curtained fish bowl. That reminded me: had I fed Ringo and Penny Lane today?
It still seemed so surreal that this was happening. Should I call my parents? It seemed like I should, even though I knew Aunty Peg wouldn't want me too. The drip was still in her arm - a nurse had come by earlier and changed it to a fresh bag of fluid - but she did seem a lot brighter than when I'd walked in.
The plastic chair had really dug it's way into my back when another doctor came around a few hours later. He double checked Aunty Peg's chart and gave her the all-clear, discharging her with a stern warning to lay off alcohol and get some rest.
Harry and Luke waited outside while I helped her change back into her regular clothes. I half expected them to have left when we walked out of the room but of course, they hadn't.
"You sure you're feeling okay?" Harry asked, his voice all low and concerned. He gently touched her shoulder, as if anything more might snap her in half.
"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little tired from the company of you two handsome boys today. Nothing a good sleep won't fix," she winked. I groaned, and imagined myself evaporating into the floor.
"You're staying with me tonight," I told her firmly as the four of us walked out to the car park.
"We can stay with you too," Luke said suddenly. He'd been rather quiet this afternoon.
"No, it's okay. I can take care of her."
Harry opened my car door for Aunty Peg, helping her in. Luke touched my hand, "But who's going to take care of you?" he asked.
"I'm a big girl," I reminded him. "But thank you. And thanks for sticking around today." And then, because I knew we needed to talk and I could tell by the look in his blue eyes how weary he was getting, I added, "Let's have lunch tomorrow. I want to hear all about the tour."
He chewed on his lip ring. "I'd like that. You did kind of bail on our plans this afternoon."
"Hey!" I said, a little too loudly. Harry looked over at us momentarily. I lowered my voice. "It was out of my control."
"I was kidding," Luke laughed. "I still had a good afternoon, believe it or not." Throwing his head towards Harry, he added, "You know, he is kind of cool. I can see why you like him."
My first instinct was to defend myself. "I don't like him."
Luke just gave me a small smile. "See you tomorrow. I'll pick you up, okay?"
He went off to his car and I climbed into mine. When I checked the rear-view mirror, I could see Harry's tall stature was squashed into the backseat already. It was quite a funny sight, and I had to swallow down a laugh. "I'm not staying," he promised, our eyes locking in the mirror. "Just need a lift back to yours to pick up my car."
I just nodded, pulling out of the hospital carpark and letting out a deep sigh. I was thankful we were driving out of here with Aunty Peg in one piece.
Back at home, Harry hung about while I put my aunt to bed in my parents untouched room. "I'll set Netflix up on this tv in a second, okay? We can watch Vampire Diaries or something."
"Make it the Originals," she smiled sweetly. "I'm quite fond of that Klaus."
Harry kissed her cheek goodbye and I walked him out. I think I thanked him a thousand times for today. He looked at me one last time before he climbed in his car, with something I didn't think I'd ever seen from Harry before; uncertainty. "You'll call me if you need anything?" He asked.
"I will."
He nodded, and then opened his mouth like he was going to say something else. Then he nodded again. "Goodbye Stella."