TWO
This coincidence made me happy. I've been wondering about him the whole night and now seeing him right now brought me some weird stimulation. How funny it is. HAHA.
Mr. Lucas looked up to see me. He probably sensed my stare . One of his eyebrow raised, like what Rachel did earlier.
"Oh... h-hi." I said awkwardly, slowly raising my right hand to wave but it didn't wave. I felt nervous, I mean, just my hand.
It's intimidating, the way he looks at me. His coffee-like colored eyes makes me want to melt in embarrassment. He just nodded at me, deign not to make any reply, then goes back his attention to his phone.
"My name is Naomi Damaris." I introduced myself cheerfully. I don't want things to get awkward. "How about you?"
He didn't looked at me.
"I'm Naomi." I sat down on his bed casually and offered my hand.
He lifted his head, and looked straight into my eyes.
"And you are?" I asked in a cheerful way again.
He stare at me in disgusting way. Is sitting here wrong? Or maybe I made him feel uncomfortable.
Suddenly, he wiped his lips using the back of his palm. "Oh shit! You spit out your saliva!"
I covered my mouth immediately. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!"
That-was-so-embarrassing!
"Just mind your own."
He admonished and abruptly pulled the intravenous injected on the vein of his hand. He hurled the blanket to get off on the bed, and dialed someone on his phone still standing on the bedside.
"Jared, did the hospital called you?" he asked at the kickoff of the call.
"Oh Jesus Christ, bro, you're alive!" the guy on the other phone sounds happy to hear him.
"Don't come here." he glanced on me then drifted to the curtain. Squeezing the bridge of his nose using two thumb, typical movement when a person is stress.
"I'm on my way, bro." that man on the phone said. I could imagine him on hurriedly walking since he's out of breathe.
"Just don't come here." Mr. Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm going to beat you up if you do." then he threw his phone on the bed, right in front of me.
I smiled despite his rudeness. "So, the name of your friend is Jared. How about you, Mr. Lucas?" I emphasized the last word to sound sarcastic.
I heard him hissed. "Mr. Lucas? So you know my surname."
"Yeah." I replied with an enthusiasm, and fixed my glasses. "Keilah called you as Mr. Lucas."
"Shut up." he said roughly and made his way to the restroom.
Getting off, I expected to see the answer at the hospital clipboard that hooks at the end of his bed with a document sheet about him. But all I could see is Lucas. So I just threw myself on his bed in frustration.
"Naomi?"
That was Mr. Smollet's voice.
"What are you doing there?"
Slowly, I sat down with a frown and bewailed, "How can we spend the whole time in this room if that guy does not want to interact with us?"
"Well..." the grandpa slightly shook his head. "All of us do not need to treat each other like a family."
"I just want to build memories with everyone here..." I said.
"Naomi, you could ask Keilah."
It seems bulb lightened over me with the suggestion of the mother of the little girl. "Oh my! You're right, Mrs. Stenburg!"
I immediately went out from the ward room to search for Keilah. Starting from the corridor into each other room of this floor, I searched for her, believing she won't be that far. However, I couldn't see her.
I went down to the ground floor. There, I saw a familiar male nurse dressed in maroon uniform, Uriah Gallim. He's a certified nurse assistant. Some of his co-nurses called him weirdo. He was leaning on the wall, embracing the clipboard across his chest while staring on the floor. I sighed. That's why people had been calling him weirdo.
"Uriah!" I called his name in a cheerful way. He looked up so I waved my hands. He gave me a huge smile.
I run toward him with excitement.
"D-Do not run." he stammered but he reached my arm before I could fall.
"May I..." I also grip his arm to keep my balance, exhaustion made my legs weak. "May I know the name of Mr. Lucas?" I asked him out of breathe.
The space between his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't say anything. I stood up straight, and sighed. He slowly let go of me.
"You know, the new pretty boy patient..." I started, and pointing the emergency room where paramedics brought Mr. Lucas in last night so Uriah will know whom I'm referring to. "He has a thick and well-shaped eye brow, his eyes are kind of this big and has a double eyelid." I described that 'Mr. Lucas' with a gesture of my fingers on my face.
"I think I already know him." Uriah said hesitantly. "Why are you ask—"
"He's not saying his name to me."
Uriah just gave me a so-what look.
I told him desperately that I want to be close with everyone, but he just told me about the hospital regulation. Saying it's a private information. So I replied, "I'm not asking for his personal matter, it's just a name."
"Yeah, it's just a name." He nodded. "So, you can just get the answer from him."
I sighed. Can't he just tell me? I'm so desperate over just a name!
"D-Do you like him?"
"What? No way!" I faked a chuckle. "I'm just...curious."
He managed to suppress a laughter. "I'm not one of the nurses assigned on him, though."
Wait, what? He could have just tell me that earlier! "You're making me feel dizzy, Uriah..." I massaged my temple.
"I-I'm so sorry..." he bowed three times. "But..."
I stopped when he said "but". He told me how 'Mr. Lucas' got rushed yesterday, that he suddenly collapsed on the street after coughing a blood. A concerned citizen called an ambulance. Uriah added, "They asked him earlier about his personal information but he just said he's Lucas."
"Lucas is his surname." I stated out of nowhere. That was the first fact I've known about him. "Hmm... how about his schedule?"
"Schedule?"
"Yeah, you know..." I was thinking about any good reason. "I asked the same thing for Mr. Smollet before, right?"
Uriah nodded slowly. "But it is because he has no guardian."
"That guy has no guardian too, right?" I said, twinkling my eyes.
A weeks ago, Mr. Smollet admitted to the hospital due to hypertension. His only son was far from Pennsylvania, however, he could still manage to pay the medical bills of the old man through on-line. And that's fascinating. Still, his father was still alone, so I took care of him like a granddaughter would. I memorized his daily schedule since then.
I always talk to Mr. Smollet, almost every second, and his stories was actually great. His wife, Sylvia, was diagnosed with breast cancer after giving birth to their son in 1972. His wife died five years after that. Since then, he don't look into other woman, believing that the true forever has a vitality affection, it was eternal.
"I told you, I'm not even a registered nurse." Uriah insisted.
I sighed, and looked away. Suddenly, there's a nurse walking toward us. She's wearing a registered nurse uniform, dressed in navy blue.
"Nurse..." I had to look at her badge before I called her. "Nurse Hammes!"
The nurse, Bethany Hammes, stopped before me. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Are you one of the assigned nurse to the new patient yesterday?"
"A new patient?" she repeated my question.
I nodded with a smile, expecting for her to remember.
"Over twenty people had been rushed here yesterday..." She stated, also trying to comprehend who I am talking about. "Can you be more specific, ma'am?"
"I was talking about him, 'Mr. Lucas'." I hesitated when I said the last word.
Bethany paused for a little then shouted, "Ah! Yeah, yeah. I remembered him! Why? Why do you ask?"
In straightforward I asked, "Can I have his schedule?"
"You're kind of fetish today." Uriah whispered to me with a wink. "Don't fell in love to just some guy." And he gave me a meaningful smirk.
"Of course, I won't." I laughed.
***
After a not-so-long conversation to Uriah and Bethany, I went for a stroll in the main lobby. According to Bethany, Dr. Hudson wants to talk to the guardian of 'lucas-boy' and discuss his diagnosis result, but since his guardian are still not present, they have no choice but to wait for its authorized representative. The consultation time arranged at nine o'clock, less than two hours away. Mayhap his condition might not be that good. I just sighed with that thought, and focused myself on the path again.
In this spot, I could see different faces, with different struggles; a patient—who might die anytime; a guardian—who might lost a love ones anytime; a doctor—who might have lost a life on their hands; and a nurse—who might witness all of these things. And there is me—who's keep on fighting despite a battle ahead of me.
Growing up, I've been always longing for my father. It's so hard for a child to grow up without a male parent while fighting on my illness. Gomer saved our life. He looked after me as a father might do. Gomer is indeed a savior.
Anytime, I could die. This time, I want to see him, my real father, before the day I die, though I don't remember his face anymore. If ever I had a photo of him, I could recognize him no matter what but my mom won't let that happened.
I only know his name and his hometown; Benjamin Benoni, and Northwest Territories.
A sudden bumped on my shoulder made me come back to reality.
"I'm so sorry..." a guy quickly apologized and hurriedly run into the facility directory.
Sighed, it took me for more than ten minutes walking to come back to the ward room because of my deep thoughts. These eyes of mine automatically searched for him. The guy who bumped me earlier was there, talking to 'Mr. Lucas'. Then he must be Jared. He came really fast. Is he living near at this hospital?
Jared has a blond hair and like a walking caramel lollipop. He was cute though. But he was also hysterical. I must say due to his action.
I was surprised that Jared was such a friendly person, unlike his friend. I made sure to talk to him and it turns out to be a long conversation. He basically talks about his whole life; like what school he was in and what course he is; even how many girls he dated. After all, it was fun. I feel so cozy talking to him.
"It would be good for you to meet my friend, Ruth." I once said between our conversations. I don't know but Ruth's smiling face suddenly popped out on my head while talking to Jared.
Wait, why those two took so long to buy foods?
Speaking of, Ruth and Rachel excitedly strode in carrying paper bags. They bought a lot so it took them for half an hour.
"Wendy's for your breakfast!" Ruth excitedly shouted the fast food name and went closer to me, without noticing a guy beside me. "We also bought caramel macchiato, and americano cappuccino for me."
I crossed my arms across my chest and gave her an eye roll. "Are you teasing me?"
"No, I'm not." Ruth replied in sarcastic way.
"It's all her idea." Rachel said coldly, putting down the paper bags on the bedside table.
Well, they knew that I only had to eat what hospital serves to me, or what mom prepared for me. And for today's breakfast, I should eat the breakfast pack made by mom.
Ruth slowly shifted her gaze to the guy beside me.
"Hello, I'm Jared!" he greeted her buoyantly as soon as she looks at him.
Ruth just replied with an awkward smile.
"Ruth, Rachel, this is Jared." I introduced him to my friends. "And..." I cut myself off after not sighting Mr. Lucas on his bed. Where did he go again? "I need to go out for a while. I'll be back." I told them then I went out to find him.
Is he a ghost? How can he disappeared suddenly?
Looking from side to side, the corridor only filled with people without his shadow. I felt strange then I noticed something suspicious. I went closer to the huge flower vase few inches away from me.
"Hey lucas-boy."
"Aish! Why are you searching for me? Are you going to ask my name again?" he sounds entreating me, still hiding himself on the vase.
"Umm...yeah? I think so."
"Didn't you asked that from Jared?" he asked with irritation.
"Oh my! I did not! Why didn't you remind it to me, huh?" I shook the plants of the vase. He hissed as the plants tickles his face.
He get out from hiding while sipping the straw of his strawberry milk. "You seems having fun with him, though." he passes by me and walks horizontally through the hallway.
"Aren't you going back inside?" I followed him. He responded to my question with a shake of his head then said coldly, "I need to find something."
I just nodded. Looking at his back, I couldn't remove a smile on my face. He has a broad shoulder and the way he walks, it was so manly.
"Don't forget the schedule of your consultation with Dr. Hudson. It's nine o'clock, okay?" I reminded him.
"Stalker."
No, I'm not. I mean, yeah, kind of.
Published Date: December 28, 2017