The Immortal

“Hey Gee!” Frank whispered excitedly the next morning while I was sleeping. Was being the keyword.

“Mph.” I grumbled in response into my pillow.

“Gee?” He asked. Persistent little bugger isn’t he? “…WAKE UP!”

“What?” I groaned loudly as I rolled over on the bed to see him at my bedside in his wheelchair.

“Guess what I got?” He asked excitedly, but still in a whisper.

“Why are you whispering?” I asked through a yawn as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“Cause I’ll be busted if the nurses hear.” He whispered and started bouncing excitedly in the seat of the chair.

“Are you on speed?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him to look him over.

“Nope.” He said, making a loud popping sound on the end of the word. “My hyper-ness comes naturally.”

“Joy.” I grumbled sarcastically as I shifted myself to sit up in bed.

“So come on, guess!” He insisted.

“Guess what?” I asked tiredly, hoping he would get bored of this little game and just tell me.

“Guess what I’ve got!” He whispered.

“Just tell me Frank.” I said through another yawn.

“I’ve got cigarettes!” He whispered excitedly.

“What? How?” I asked, the word cigarettes immediately catching my attention. I had been dying, figuratively speaking, for one since mine were taken away. “Weren’t yours taken when you first came here?” I asked.

Frank grinned and pulled a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and a Bic lighter from his pocket. “Ray sipped them to me last night before the nurse could see.” He said.

“But we can’t smoke in here.” I said, lowering my voice slightly. “A nurse could walk in at any time, and they’ll be able to smell it.”

“Oh ye of little faith.” He said rolling his eyes at me. “We’re bustin’ out.”

His statement made me let out an uncontrollable bark of laughter. “And how do you propose we do that O fearless leader?” I mused.

“Easy.” He said, leaning back in his chair grinning knowingly. “I know this hospital like the back of my hand. All of the routes in, and out.”

“But won’t the nurses see us?” I asked.

“Not if we go through the psych ward.” He said. “That doesn’t go by the nurses’ station and the doctors are busy enough with the nutters; they won’t even notice us.”

“Rachel’s going to be livid when she finds out.” I said, but got out of my bed anyway.

“You mean if she finds out.” He corrected, grinning madly.

“Alright.” I sighed and put my good hand on one of the handles on the wheelchair. “But if we get caught, this was all your idea.”

“Yep.” He laughed. “Alright now onward!”

I rolled my eyes and started to roll the chair to the door when he motioned for me to stop. He stuck his head out the door into the hallway and a minute later gave me the thumb’s up signaling the coast was clear. I pushed the chair forward and all of the way out into the empty hall.

“Alright which way?” I asked as we came to the fork at the end of the hall.

“Left.” He instructed and I complied. I made a right at the end of this hallway when Frank directed and we were almost to two big white double doors at the end of this hall when he reached his hands down to stop the wheels.

“When we go through here, whatever you see, whatever you hear, just keep walking.” He said seriously. “Alright?”

“Okay…” I said slowly. “Should I be afraid?”

“Just keep walking.” He said, taking his hands off the wheels so I could start pushing the chair again. “I’ll explain along the way.”

I looked at the double doors in front of us uneasily but pushed through them anyway. Not two seconds after going through the doors, Frank and I were met by a strange sight. Well, it was strange to me. I had no idea if he was used to seeing things like this. A man, a fully grown red-haired man, was running up and down the hallway. He was also flapping his arms furiously.

“Uh…Frank?” I asked uneasily as the man turned at the end of the hall back towards us.

“Oh don’t mind him.” Frank said. “That’s just Peter.”

“Why is he flapping?” I asked quietly as I pushed the chair forward.

“This time, this time, this time.” I heard Peter chant as he flapped past us down the hall.

“He’s trying to fly of course.” Frank said as if my question had been obvious. “See he thinks he’s Peter Pan.”

“Peter Pan?” I asked, looking quizzically back at Peter as he made another turn to come back up the hallway.

“Yeah but it’s weird.” Frank said. “He’s usually got like four nurses after hi-”

But a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the hallway stopping Frank from finishing.

“Oh.” Frank laughed. “Well that explains where the nurses are.”

“NO!” A young woman shrieked as she ran out of a room a few doors down the hall. She was dressed the same as Peter; in a pale blue hospital gown, and her long jet black hair fanned out behind her as she ran. “Get away from me!” She yelled behind her.

“Sarah calm down!” A frazzled looking nurse called after the young woman as she ran out into the hall after her.

“It’s bath time.” Frank said, turning in his chair to meet the look of utter shock plastered across my face as I stared at the woman and nurse.

“Bath time?” I questioned, turning my wide-eyed expression to him as Sarah was chased down the hall while trying to dodge a still flapping Peter.

“Help!” Sarah cried at the top of her lungs as she ran. “Please help me they’re trying to kill me!”

“We’re just taking you for a bath Sarah.” The nurse panted, stopping to put her hands on her knees. “Not kill you.”

“That’s the same thing!” Sarah shrieked. “I’ll melt!”

“Melt?” I asked quietly as I pushed the wheelchair past Sarah and the nurse.

“She thinks she’s the Wicked Witch of the West.” Frank explained as I pushed him along.

“Oh.” I said, realizing why she wouldn’t want to bathe.

We were almost to the end of the hall when a tall brown-haired man walked out of his hospital room also dressed in one of the pale blue hospital gowns. I kept my head bowed low, not wanting to find out what he was doing in a place like this. He seemed normal enough, except for that he was muttering various obscenities under his breath as he walked past us.

“Dusty.” Frank laughed, shaking his head.

“Were those directed at me?” I asked referring to the swears.

“Oh, no.” He said reassuringly. “Well…at least I don’t think so. The poor guy I don’t think he even needs to be in here.”

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked.

“He’s schizophrenic.” Frank replied. “I swear all he needs is one of those Blue-tooth headset things and he’ll be just like any other guy on the street.”

I chuckled lightly and pushed the wheelchair through the door at the end of the hall outside. We were immediately greeted by the sounds and smells of the city as we went out. I could see the morning traffic jam over the low garden wall on the hospital grounds and I smiled as the familiar smog smell his my nose. After a few days of the sterile hospital smell this was heaven.

“Hey you want a smoke or are you just gonna stand there?” Frank laughed, holding the pack of cigarettes and the lighter out to me.

“Thanks.” I said gratefully as I took them from him.

I tossed the pack back to him after extracting a light and stuck the cigarette in my mouth as I fumbled with the lighter. Leaning against the wall of the hospital, I took a long drag and sighed gratefully. A couple days spent in a hospital and you really learn to appreciate the little things like being able to have a cigarette. I was raising it back up for another drag when the door beside me opened and Rachel walked out. Damn.

“What on earth are you two doing?!” She demanded.

Franks eyes widened when he saw who had walked out and he quickly tossed the cigarette away from him like a teenager who had been caught by his mother.

“Oh…um, hey Doc.” He said nervously.

“Don’t you hey Doc me.” She snapped, then turned to see me leaning against the side of the building. “And you, where did you get that?” She asked, spotting the cigarette still in my hand.

I immediately dropped the cigarette and stamped it out on the ground before pointing at Frank.

“Traitor.” Frank muttered.

“Give them to me.” Rachel said through clenched teeth. “Now.”

Frank grumbled something under his breath before handing her the package of cigarettes.

“These are gonna kill you.” She said, looking angrily at the box in her hands as she walked to the other side of the door where a trash bin stood.

“No don’t!” Frank said, reaching a hand out.

But she ignored his cry and tossed them away.

“Meanie.” He pouted childishly.