One Last Line

I opened my eyes and automatically knew where I was. The ugly white walls, bleach smell, and beeping noise gave it all away. I was in a hospital. And I wasn't visiting, I figured, as I looked down at the IV sticking out of my arm.

My first instinct was to get out. I did not like hospitals, and my recent encounter with the broken nose was not a good memory. I couldn't figure what exactly was wrong with me, but I know Tati will take care of me. Cause she loves me.

But she can't.

She's dead.

My throat tightened up and my eyes were wet from the thought. Tatiana was dead. My Tatiana.

"Excuse me?" A male voice said on the other side of what I realized was a curtain, and not a wall.

I automatically forced myself to clear my head of the only thing I wanted to do: squish myself into a ball, and, well, bawl. I cleared my throat to show that I was aware of whoever was on the other side of the curtain. I was afraid my voice would break.

"Well, Mrs. Lightsaber. We've gotten your results back. You do in fact, have breast cancer." There were a couple of pauses between the words, and then I heard a few snickers.

"What?" I exploded, "I cannot have breast cancer!"

The curtain snapped back and a tall man with grey hair stood with a white doctor's coat on. He glared at two kids around my age, who were still laughing.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mrotek," the doctor said after looking at my information chart. "You do not have breast cancer. This is not the oncology ward. This is a temporary hospital room."

He sneered at the boys to leave, threatening to call hospital security. They ran out of the room. "Do you remember what happened, Andrew?"

"No, sir." I mumbled.

"We found drugs in your system. You blacked-out after your plane landed at the airport." I stared over the man's shoulder and at the blank wall. I did remember everything. "Police want to know if you knew the girl who died."

"I knew her," I whispered after a few minutes. "I was in love with her. Now she's gone."

The doctor nodded, waiting while I composed myself. "She wasn't the only body found, though. Another man who was on the plane was killed; we figure he committed suicide. It was a drug overdose - the combination he took was immediately lethal."

I knew who that man was. The bastard who drugged me and helped in the killing of my girl.

"Witnesses on the plane say that you were the one that cut her, Andrew. They also say that what really killed her was when she fell, and the glass pushed itself farther into her body, because your wound wasn't deep."

"Did you hurt her on purpose?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked. "I wasn't sane. I was drugged..the last few moments she was alive. And I wasn't even sober enough to walk a straight line."

I shook my head. I wouldn't talk anymore. Not today.

Not in this horrible place.

;;

I checked out of the hospital. I walked out of the automatic doors and waited for my mom to come pick me up. I fiddled with my hospital bracelet the whole time, watching the two boys plus two others fool around by the doors.

They were laughing and joking around. A tall kid with long brown hair broke out in song every few seconds, and another with a huge white-kid afro would hum along with him, jumping around like a maniac.

I felt a little release from watching them. As of right now I didn't know if I would ever jump around and act foolish like them ever again. Maybe all I would ever have were the visions of others being entertained.

When my mom pulled up, I climbed into the car quickly. I ignored her questions and just sunk into the passenger seat, embracing the long ride back home from the hospital.