Paper Cranes

Elizabeth

Ever since Catherine wheeled me back to my room and helped me prop up in bed, I’ve been folding. It’s probably been five hours by now. My fingers had open papercuts on them, but that did not mean I would stop.

It seemed that all of my wishes came true. Micheal called earlier to tell me to turn on the TV, and he told me that him and his wife, whose name escapes me, were going to have a baby. When I had turned on the TV, there was a movie trailer for an action film. On the screen, Devin appeared and I smiled. In the mail, I received a magazine from my sister in New York. It was a fashion magazine and her face plastered the cover.

So, if all of those wishes came true, then I would try my hardest to make this one come true. This one means the world to me.

Only, I was just starting to fold my one-hundred and second one.

I had never before missed someone so much. However, I was thankful that Catherine could read me like a book. She had come in earlier only to pop a DVD into its player and press play. Since I saw her take the disc from its case, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Brendon dancing energetically across the stage.

And I folded faster.

”The IV and your hospital bed
This was no accident
This was a therapeutic chain of events”

I came to the last sheet of paper in the book before I had realized that the disc had gone back to its main menu.

One-hundred and thirty down, eight-hundred and seventy to go.

- - -

“Hey, Eliza, wake up!”

I wanted it to be Brendon telling me he was okay so bad. Of course, it wasn’t. It was Ryan with a box.

“Hey, Ryan,” I croaked. It’s rather sad if you hadn’t already noticed that I’m not too good in the morning, “What brings yo-” My words caught in my throat, causing me to cough uncontrollably. Ryan was almost out the door to yell for one of the nurses, but I managed to stop him.

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” I tried to assure him, ignoring the burning sensation in my throat and chest. “What brings you here?”

“Oh, uhm, I was feeding Brendon’s dog and I…sort of saw it on the side table in his bedroom.”

I laughed. “You were snooping!”

“No…” Ryan said, looking off awkwardly, “Okay, yeah, I kind of was. But, that’s not the point. I saw it and I know it’s yours.”

“Why would it be mine?” I questioned.

“He bought it for your birthday. I know, I was with him.” Ryan rolled his eyes and shoved the box into my lap as I protested.

I honestly didn’t need to feel any worse.

So you’ll never have to forget again. Happy birthday, Ellie.

<3 Brendon Yuri

Haha, I thought you’d get a kick out of that!

I did, actually. I laughed softly and proceeded to unwrapped the box. As soon as I saw the picture on the cover of the rectangular prism shaped container, I felt even worse.

Staring at me was the picture of a camera, glossy and lime green – my favorite color.

“I…I…”

I didn’t know what to say. My heart once again ached with guilt, but I no longer remembered why.

“El?”

“Can you give me a few moments, I’m a bit busy.” Ryan rocked on his hills for a moment. I swear I wasn’t trying to be harsh, but the look on his face told me he thought I was mad at him.

“How about you come back tomorrow? I swear I’ll have time tomorrow,” I assured, attempting to smile (which ended up being a twitch of my lips).

Ryan nodded and took his exit. I put the camera on my bedside table and looked around my bed. Finding an old, used book of origami paper, I grabbed it. There were barely ten pages inside.

I tore out the first perforated page and started to fold it. Diagonal. Unfold. Horizontal. Unfold. Vertical. Unfold. Diagonal. Keep folding. Keep folding. Keep folding.

The faster I went, the faster the paper slid against my fingers and hands, the more they left trails of velvety crimson. They weren’t that great, the birds. Some were a bit torn from abuse, others were brown in places where my blood had touched it. They weren’t like the others – perfect – and I think that’s what made them special.

They were just for him, because he wasn’t perfect.

Neither was I.

My fingers became numb and began to burn. But I wouldn’t stop.

Not until there were a thousand.