Chapter 5
The rest of the night passed by rather peacefully. My shouting fit had served its purpose, much to my satisfaction, and I could tell Jarell had done a great deal of thinking. Nobody made the move to speak. Instead, we both sat there in silence, and while I did break it when I had to revise out loud, Jarell ignored me easily. Since we weren't even considered acquaintances, keeping the silence fit me fine, so long as he did something and not stare off into space. Was I being too harsh on someone who had almost just died? Probably. But neither of us was happy with each other's company, so why not try to solve the mystery as soon as we could, right?
I waited, still, for his reply, but none came even as I finished showering (I made him promise he won't peep). I sat on my bed cross-legged, my thick, butterscotch brown hair hanging wet and heavy from my scalp, as I twirled the rose around, finally having the time to think...
The second petal had almost become entirely gold. Just what did this mean? I had a sudden inkling of some sort, but with no proper evidence, I thought I'd leave it until tomorrow when I got to see if another day meant another petal turned gold. But if this flower counted down the time, then...
"Hey."
Jarell's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He looked tons better than he did earlier, more determined and confident, but the conversation we had wasn't nearly enough. He still needed that one push to help him buck up. I leaned forward, curious to know what that was.
"I want to visit me."
~*
It was no longer as lonely walking to classes, along the school corridors and to the canteen for lunch, because I finally had a companion after so long – even though that companion was a ghost. The thing was, I didn't really know how to feel. I shouldn't feel lighter. What with the circumstances, it was like both of us were walking side by side because we were forced to do so. How could anyone feel happy about walking with someone not of their own free will? Yet, I did feel quite a rush. I must have yearned for this more than I'd thought. What was more, we could hardly dare to speak with one another – for me, at least, since I'd look like a complete lunatic speaking to myself all the time, so I didn't know where that feeling came from. It was strange. Jarell did try to annoy me, though, by moving in front of me, making me skid to a stop more often than not; sometimes even letting someone walk through him on purpose.
Adding on to that, I was more than happy to go through with my second day of peace. Lilla and friends were all still busy basking in the attention, looking as though they were at a funeral. Some teachers were even sympathetic enough to let them off the hook when they were caught gazing off into space, clearly not listening, but there were other stricter ones who berated them. When people from other classes asked if Jarell was doing okay in the hospital, they put up a sad smile, saying, "Yes." when I knew all too well that they hadn't been anywhere close to the hospital. They'd spoken nothing of it during breakfast this morning. Seeing them as how they were at home had made Jarell's eyebrows shoot all the way up, too, even though it was his second time seeing it. Besides that, I couldn't tell if he was affected by the twins' lack of interest towards his condition.
When school ended, I left quickly. If we were going to the hospital, it had to be fast. Although Fridays usually led to earlier dismissal times (fortunate for my class), I didn't want to have to rush through the tiring-enough house chores just so I could have time to revise tonight. I didn't think I'd have the energy to, by the time.
So off we went to Glenys Hospital. It was a forty-five minutes bus ride from school. We went straight to the ICU and asked for Jarell Anderson. Taking note of my uniform, the nurse at the counter understood who I was – a friend from school who was here to visit.
"Only you, my dear?" she asked kindly. A woman of middle-age, she was motherly and warm. A tight bun was tied behind her head, as was per custom of a nurse.
I had to blink a couple of times before I got it. I was the first person from school to have come to visit. "Yes, only me." I stole a glance at Jarell, hoping to catch something, but his expression remained indifferent.
The nurse nodded. "We'll have to wait for Mrs Anderson before we can give you permission to head on in, all right?"
I smiled and thanked her. Just as I was finally registering how grand the hospital looked, Jarell's mother appeared. The nurse introduced me to her and left us alone. I guessed whether I was allowed to go in depended on her.
Mrs Anderson was a tall, elegant lady. Her ash brown hair, similar to Jarell's colour, was long and lightly curled. Even though she was wearing only a simple t-shirt, jeans and sandals, she was beautiful, and more so when I could see how she held herself with a confident air. But worry was making her exhausted, and by looking at the bags beneath her green eyes, it was apparent she hadn't been sleeping well since her son's accident.
"Hello, Ellyn. You're a friend of Jarell's?" she asked gently with a tinge of surprise and suspicion as she looked me over.
"Yes, I am," I said as politely as I could, feeling a little self-conscious. I wasn't exactly enjoying the welcome I was given.
"Hmm. I've never heard him talk about you before. How long have both of you been friends?"
"Only recently," I said quickly, not wanting her to ask anymore, just as Jarell breathed out impatiently, "Mom." That's the truth anyway. I stopped myself from looking at Jarell just in time. What was all this about?
Her eyes searched mine for a moment. I held them, not daring to blink. At last, she grinned, and the transformation was so breathtaking, I wanted to just stop and stare unabashedly. "Come on in then."
I let out a breath I didn't know I held and followed beside her as she led us through the luxuriously decorated corridor. As we did, we passed many people with faces etched with worry, and for a moment, I thought back to the time when my father just had a cardiac arrest.
"Sorry for calling so suddenly," I said, trying to bring myself back from the past.
"Oh, it's no problem. I'd been wondering when his friends would show up, you know, seeing how he's been talking about them so much, but none have come except you. Sorry for being so guarded earlier. I thought you were one of his..." She flushed. "Thank you for coming, Ellyn. It means a lot."
I chose to ignore her earlier reaction and asked, "How is he?"
She sighed. "Not very good. He's broken so many bones and there was so much bleeding. His heart did stop during surgery, you know, but they managed to bring him back, so there's the good part."
"It must have been really hard on you," I said softly.
She smiled. "Well, his family has to stay strong for him, right?"
I looked down, holding back tears. How could Jarell have thought of giving up all this? I shot him what I hoped was a condescending look, in which he responded with narrowed eyes of his own.
"This is it." Mrs Anderson pushed open the heavy, wooden door, leading to a single hospital room. I first registered the beeping sounds that seem to echo around the room, before gasping at the sight in front of me. Beside me, Jarell stilled, and I wondered how he was faring. It was only then that I realised it was extremely brave of him to talk about wanting to visit himself when the accident was still so fresh.
The real Jarell laid motionless on the white hospital bed wearing a blue hospital gown, a white fluffy blanket covering him. I could barely see his face with so many tubes protruding from him. The beeping sound I heard was from a machine indicating his heart rate, and that was only one of the many positioned beside his bed. But through all the chaos was a small table by the side of his bed, a tall vase of fresh lilies atop it. The sight of it calmed me a little, and I allowed myself to tear my eyes away from Jarell for a while and looked around. It was a beautiful suite adorned with paintings in solid frames against walls covered in beige wallpaper. Several brown, soft sofas were placed against the walls.
"I know. It's quite a lot to take in, huh?" My eyes returned to looking at Mrs Anderson, who was wearing a sympathetic smile. "Do you want to come closer?" The weight of the situation came crashing down on me again, but I nodded. Mrs Anderson held my hand, and we walked towards him together.
"How pathetic, getting stuck in this place and looking like this," Jarell whispered, laughing without mirth.
I ignored him, and sat down beside Mrs Anderson on one of the stools stationed beside the bed. I could almost imagine her sleeping here all night, worried nearly to death.
"Where's Mr Anderson?"
"Oh, he's at the company. One of us has to return to work."
"The... company?"
She looked surprise. "Jarell didn't tell you?"
"My dad owns a company," Jarell hissed quickly, in which I took as my cue to say, "Oh, yes, he did. It just slipped my mind."
We stayed seated like this for a while more in a comfortable silence, the air filled with constant beeping, whooshing from the air ventilator and the smell of antiseptic. I took the time to take in the sight of Jarell in this state. He looked so peaceful, sleeping like that, but all those tubes made him look almost alien to me. His blue eyes weren't present to stare me down. His voice wasn't around to start a quarrel with me. He wasn't appearing in front of me, as he always did in school, looking tall and intimidating beside a girl of average height. And though he was a bully, knowing a boy my age was here right now made me feel... sad. Somewhere within, I felt also pity. If Jarell had remained dead during the surgery, that was the end. There was no chance of him turning over a new leaf, and there wouldn't even be a chance for him to make real friends. Had he realised this? Was this why he was here to see the state he was in?
It must have been fifteen minutes when I decided to peep at him. He was standing on the other side of his mother, looking deep in thought. At that very moment, his attention turned to his mother, and a soft expression took over his features: the wrinkles between his brows smoothed, his blue eyes brightened, and I thought for a moment he was going to cry. But that moment ended when he realised that I was staring at him.
He cleared his throat. "Let's go. I've seen enough."
~*
When we left the hospital, I did so with overwhelming thoughts. I thought I knew all of Jarell, the jerk, but it turned out I was wrong. There were so many things I still didn't know and a part of me wanted to hear him talk about himself; I had so many questions I wanted to ask to pleasure the curious side of me, but I knew this wasn't the right time. How would I even begin? Hey, I didn't know you're rich. By the way, what happened back there with your mother? Is she just an overprotective mother by nature, or did something happen to you in the past that made her like that? Who was I to ask all that, really? So I decided to walk alongside him in silence, and he seemed happy to comply.
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Thank you for reading!
Wow, within less than two weeks, I've posted 5 chapters. ... Don't mind me, I'm just really proud of myself right now. One month ago, I won't even be able to imagine myself being capable of this anymore, but here I am now, all enthusiastic!
This is dedicated to @greenwriter because she is an amazing writer. Picking up one of her latest stories was one of the best choices I've made so far, and it's cool, because I haven't finished a Wattpad story in a while. I remember the first book I read from her was 'The Transient Wife' many, many years ago. It was one of the first few books I finished when I first started out on Wattpad, and I'm glad she's still writing. :) I hope to read more of her works soon! I might even re-read 'The Transient Wife'~