I woke up at home, ecstatic upon realizing I could finally see Kevin again.
I hopped out of bed and got dressed in the same clothes I was wearing yesterday, brushed my teeth and hair, and immediately jogged out the door, heading back to the hospital. I got there rather quickly, walking straight to Kevin's room.
"Hey, Kev!"
"Hello, Sunshine!" He greeted, smiling wider than I'd seen in quite some time. His eyes were a bit glazed from the pain medication, but he seemed present.
He looked me up and down before rolling his eyes
"Again?" He scoffed
For somebody laying in a hospital bed, he sure had an attitude
"What..?"
"Your tie... You do it wrong every time.. Come on, I'll fix it"
I giggled and walked over to him, Kevin sitting up a little with another slight hiss, untying and tying it over again for me
"That's better."
"Thank you"
"You know, you're gonna need to figure out how to do that for yourself, sooner or later.."
"Nah.. I like when you fix it for me. So, how are you feeling?"
"Better. It's easier to breathe...I think I can get out in a few days"
"Really? That's awesome!"
He reached for my hand. I quickly accepted.
"So how did surgery go?"
"Well.. I was terrified it was gonna go wrong, I was so convinced I wouldn't wake up... But it went great, apparently"
"That's fantastic, Kevin."
Perhaps it was the prayer. It's unlikely, but if it was, I've got a lot to personally thank God for.
I sat down on the edge of his bed
"How'd you sleep last night, Sunshine?"
"I slept fine. You?"
"Not bad.."
"Good.. did you see that doctor in the hall?"
He shook his head, curiously
"She has the same haircut as Jim Carrey in Dumb And Dumber"
"Really?! Oh my god.. I wish I got to see that..!" He giggled
"No, be glad you didn't. I can never wipe that godawful image from my memory."
"Stop making me laugh! It hurts to laugh" He tried to quiet his chuckles
"I'm sorry" I kept giggling, despite trying to stifle it all
"Did you eat yesterday like I asked..?" His newfound smile persisted
"I did."
"Good... Were you able to keep it down?"
"Shockingly, yes."
"Good. How's everything outside of the hospital? School? Everything?"
"School is going well, life is going well, everything is going well... It'll go better once you're out with me, though"
"Well, I'll be out very soon"
I haven't seen him this happy in weeks. He's almost always content, but he was genuinely happy today. I'm so glad he's okay. I've never been so worried about a person in my life. But I don't have to worry anymore. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that he will be okay.
"When do you think you'll start going back to school?"
"As soon as I can. I miss walking there with you."
"I miss walking there with you, too. It gets very lonely to walk alone. Although, I can assume it's far lonelier to sit in a hospital, alone."
"True, but I don't have to deal with that anymore."
"Well, I guess you're right." I smiled
He pulled me closer to him, his smile still beaming. He seemed to have no care about his injuries from the accident, disregarding them so he could hug me. He's just not the type to pity himself. Or even begin to let anyone else pity him. As I looked back over at him, he was staring at me
"What're you looking at?"
"You."
"...is there something on my face?"
"No. I just like looking at you."
"I don't quite get why, but alright"
"Well, I can think of plenty of reasons I like looking at you."
"You're sweet, Kev" I smiled
He grinned before yawning again
"You tired?"
"A bit.. I've got a shit ton of medication being pumped into me, I'm a little sleepy.."
"You should go to sleep. You had a big day yesterday."
"Are you sure you won't get bored?"
"I'm certain. Get some more sleep"
He nodded and pulled me as close as possible, setting his head down on my shoulder. I pulled his sheet up over the two of us. He closed his eyes slowly, keeping his arm over me. He fell asleep after ten minutes of sitting there in silence.
He slept for a few hours, before he finally woke again with a yawn
"..What time is it?" He asked drowsily
"Five"
"You should get home and eat some dinner.."
"Meh, I'm not very hungry"
"Come on, you can come back later, but you've gotta eat something."
"Alright.. I'll go in a bit, okay?"
"Thank you."
"Sure. So what time are you out of here?"
"Not sure. I think around ten."
"Do you want me to stay tonight or come and walk you home tomorrow?"
"Whichever you want."
"Alright, how about I go home and eat, and then come back for the night?"
"Sounds good... I really do appreciate you staying here with me all week. You didn't have to, but you chose to, and that really means a lot."
"Of course, Kev. There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you, knowing you're okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too" I smiled
"Alright, get on home, I'll see you later"
"Okay" I stood off of his bed and picked up my backpack "I'll see you in an hour or so?"
"Sounds good. Have a good time, Sunshine"
"I will. Bye"
"Bye"
I made my way back to my house, shivering a bit
from the cold air when I arrived. My father still wasn't home. I have no idea where the hell he is, but quite frankly, I didn't care much. As long as he wasn't hurting me or Kevin, it didn't matter where he was. I don't need him in my life.
I shut the door behind me, dropping my bag at the door. I walked over to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. I found a can of soup. It was far too much for me to be able to eat, but I suppose I can just eat a bit of it. I poured it into a bowl and heated it in the microwave. I could only keep down about half of the bowl, but it was more than I had been able to eat at once in a while, so I'm fairly happy with myself. I washed out my dish and put it back into the cabinet. My house was honestly a lot cleaner when I was the only one here. I, unlike my father, clean. If I don't, he's not going to. My only worry about my father not being here is the bills. I'm not sure how to pay bills. I don't have a bank account, I don't have any money, and I'm not sure how much longer until the electricity will shut off. I'm sure it'll be okay. I'll figure it out. I always do. I'm an extremely independent person. I have been for a long time. You have to be independent in a situation such as this. You can't expect anyone else to support you, whether it's financially, emotionally, or what; You cannot expect any help. Of course, it becomes overwhelming at times, but after time it molds you into a far stronger person.
At last, I was finished with eating and cleaning, and was able to go back to visit Kevin. I grabbed my backpack and headed back to the hospital, looking at the stars in the now dark sky, on my way there. I got back in, making my way up to Kevin's room.
"Good evening, Handsome" I greeted as I opened the door
"Hello, Sunshine. How was your dinner?" He smiled widely
"It was good. I ate more than I have in a long time."
"And you didn't get sick?"
"No, I was able to keep it down, thank god"
"Good. I'm proud of you. Did your dad wonder where you were?"
"No.. He's still not there."
"So you're the only one living in your house? How long has he been gone?"
"A couple weeks."
"Do you know where he went?"
"Not in the slightest"
"That's not good. Soon enough your lights are gonna shut off. Your electricity. Your water. Your heat. How're you going to get the bills in? What are you gonna do?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be okay. I'll figure it out."
"Are you sure? How on earth are you going to live in that house?"
"Calm down, Kev, I'll be okay, I'll figure something out."
"How?"
"I'm not sure. But it'll be fine. Don't worry about it, it's my problem, not yours. Everything will be alright."
"If your electricity and stuff shuts off, you have to tell me."
"I will."
"Good. I'll find you a place to stay when it does"
"Kev, I can't let you do that for me."
"Why? You need a functional place to live."
"You've already done far too much for me. I'll be able to live in this house, it'll just be a bit more difficult is all. It'll be alright."
"Alright... You will tell me when it does happen, right?"
"Yes... I keep my promises."
"Good. I'm sorry, I'm just.. worried about your living situation."
"It worries me, too, but I'll figure it out. I always do."
He nodded and motioned for me to sit on his bed. He moved over, as I sat myself down next to him. He took my hand in his, squeezing it tightly and resting his head on my shoulder.
"So, I get to leave soon.." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood
"I'm so happy about that. I've missed going places with you very much. And I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried about you."
"I'm glad too. I've really really missed being out with you."
"Well, we can do that first thing tomorrow" I grinned
"Good"
"Yeah. Now, come on, get some sleep"
"Alright. I love you."
"I love you too, Kev. Goodnight."
"Goodnight" He replied, laying down, his head still resting on me as he closed his eyes.
I stayed sitting up, leaning back slightly. He kept his arm over my waist, holding me as tightly as he could without making me uncomfortable. He wasn't even making a conscious effort over it, it was just natural for him. He keeps everyone else's best interests in mind without even thinking about it. He had the appearance of a man you wouldn't want to mess with, but he's truly selfless, putting the likes of everyone else before his own. He would rather die than hurt someone.
"I can't sleep." Kevin complained after a long while of silence
"What do you think will help?"
"I dunno. Can you read me that book again?"
" 'A Pail Of Air'? Didn't you read this just a few days ago?"
"Yeah, but I really like it. It never gets old."
"Alright." I nodded, taking the book off the bedside table
"Thank you, Sunshine"
"Sure, thing."
I started reading to him, my voice getting quieter progressively so he would fall asleep easier. It worked. He fell asleep not long before the end of the book. I smirked when I saw him and set the book down, pulling the sheet over him. I gave him a light kiss on the forehead before laying down and closing my eyes. Surprisingly enough, it didn't take a long time for me to fall asleep. The hospital bed was definitively uncomfortable, but tonight was stress-free for the most part. Aside from the housing situation, I've had a beautiful day.