My Life As Sienna Brown
Part 61
Frankie's POV
I was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed, twiddling my thumbs in my lap. I couldn't sleep. This place was too different at night- it was lonely. The only noise you could hear was the sounds of silent moans and cries of the patients who were on the brink of death. It scared me to know that they could be gone at any moment- that I could easily be one of them. That any of my friends could easily be one of them...
One thing you realize when you're in a hospital is that time goes by slowly. Every second like a minute, ever minute like an hour, every hour like a day. The only thing to take up time is sleep- the only thing I couldn't do right now.
I wondered what Sienna was doing right now. Was she sleeping? Or looking though the open blinds like I was? I hoped her mother understood... I hoped she didn't get in trouble. I picked up the phone and looked up at the clock. It read 3:18 and I hesitated, putting the phone back on the receiver. Sienna wouldn't mind... would she? I concluded the thought by dialing her cell, hanging up quickly; then dialing the number again.
It wrung five or six times, but then I heard a noise. It wasn't a word... I don't think. It was like a mumble.
"Hey," I said.
"Oh- hi," Anna replied quietly.
"I'm sorry I woke you up,” I said.
"It's okay... not like I was having a good dream anyways."
"Another nightmare?"
"Yea," she replied. "Is your night going any better?"
"I haven’t even gone to sleep. I can't."
"Why?"
"I don’t know... I just can't sleep. I guess I miss you too much."
"Well... only 3 more hours until visiting hours open again."
"Well- why can't you just come now?"
"Because the visiting hours don’t start until six."
"Well come here anyways."
She giggled, "No."
"Please."
"No. Did the doctor come see you?"
"Yea," I said, rolling my eyes. "He said I should get some rest. Funny; hey?"
"Yea... I guess so," she said with a sigh.
I felt sorry for her... she didn't think this was funny at all. She just wishes this never happened. And I was starting to wish this never happened either. I played memories like tapes, trying to find a recent one of Anna's smile.
"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other though," I stated.
"Than to love and be loved by me,” and Anna quietly cited the last line.
"I remember that poem," Sienna said, "We learned it in middle school."
I smiled, "That was the year I started calling you Anna. Know why?"
"No," she said, and I pictured her smile on the other line.
"I named you after that poem. Remember; I went around for almost a week and called you Annabel? Then afterwards, I shortened it, so you wouldn’t know what it meant."
"I used to get so annoyed at you for that."
"For what?"
"Calling me Annabel."
I laughed, and felt a sharp pain in on of my ribs. "Ow."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing... it even hurts to laugh," I complained
"Poor you."
"What did you're mom say when she picked you up," I asked.
"Ha, what do you think?"
"I don’t know, I'm asking you," I said sarcastically.
"She still thinks you're a crazy perv."
"Oh well, who cares what she thinks. Do you think I'm a crazy pervert?"
“No. Well- once and a while..."
"Oh shut up, you're just trying to get me in trouble," I whined.
"Maybe," she said. "Frank, you should really try and get some sleep."
"I already told you," I whispered, "I can't sleep."
"Well, now that you talked to me can you go to sleep?"
"I don't know, maybe if you stay on the phone with me."
She laughed, "Frank, if I kept the phone on, my phone bill would be a fortune."
"I'll pay for it."
"No."
"Please..."
"No."
"Aw, common- please."
"Fine, you're paying for half my phone bill then."
"Okay."
***
We went on for over half an hour with mindless conversation, until all I could hear was her breathing, that slowly turned into my lullaby and I finally started dozing off.
I was sitting at the edge of the hospital bed, twiddling my thumbs in my lap. I couldn't sleep. This place was too different at night- it was lonely. The only noise you could hear was the sounds of silent moans and cries of the patients who were on the brink of death. It scared me to know that they could be gone at any moment- that I could easily be one of them. That any of my friends could easily be one of them...
One thing you realize when you're in a hospital is that time goes by slowly. Every second like a minute, ever minute like an hour, every hour like a day. The only thing to take up time is sleep- the only thing I couldn't do right now.
I wondered what Sienna was doing right now. Was she sleeping? Or looking though the open blinds like I was? I hoped her mother understood... I hoped she didn't get in trouble. I picked up the phone and looked up at the clock. It read 3:18 and I hesitated, putting the phone back on the receiver. Sienna wouldn't mind... would she? I concluded the thought by dialing her cell, hanging up quickly; then dialing the number again.
It wrung five or six times, but then I heard a noise. It wasn't a word... I don't think. It was like a mumble.
"Hey," I said.
"Oh- hi," Anna replied quietly.
"I'm sorry I woke you up,” I said.
"It's okay... not like I was having a good dream anyways."
"Another nightmare?"
"Yea," she replied. "Is your night going any better?"
"I haven’t even gone to sleep. I can't."
"Why?"
"I don’t know... I just can't sleep. I guess I miss you too much."
"Well... only 3 more hours until visiting hours open again."
"Well- why can't you just come now?"
"Because the visiting hours don’t start until six."
"Well come here anyways."
She giggled, "No."
"Please."
"No. Did the doctor come see you?"
"Yea," I said, rolling my eyes. "He said I should get some rest. Funny; hey?"
"Yea... I guess so," she said with a sigh.
I felt sorry for her... she didn't think this was funny at all. She just wishes this never happened. And I was starting to wish this never happened either. I played memories like tapes, trying to find a recent one of Anna's smile.
"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other though," I stated.
"Than to love and be loved by me,” and Anna quietly cited the last line.
"I remember that poem," Sienna said, "We learned it in middle school."
I smiled, "That was the year I started calling you Anna. Know why?"
"No," she said, and I pictured her smile on the other line.
"I named you after that poem. Remember; I went around for almost a week and called you Annabel? Then afterwards, I shortened it, so you wouldn’t know what it meant."
"I used to get so annoyed at you for that."
"For what?"
"Calling me Annabel."
I laughed, and felt a sharp pain in on of my ribs. "Ow."
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing... it even hurts to laugh," I complained
"Poor you."
"What did you're mom say when she picked you up," I asked.
"Ha, what do you think?"
"I don’t know, I'm asking you," I said sarcastically.
"She still thinks you're a crazy perv."
"Oh well, who cares what she thinks. Do you think I'm a crazy pervert?"
“No. Well- once and a while..."
"Oh shut up, you're just trying to get me in trouble," I whined.
"Maybe," she said. "Frank, you should really try and get some sleep."
"I already told you," I whispered, "I can't sleep."
"Well, now that you talked to me can you go to sleep?"
"I don't know, maybe if you stay on the phone with me."
She laughed, "Frank, if I kept the phone on, my phone bill would be a fortune."
"I'll pay for it."
"No."
"Please..."
"No."
"Aw, common- please."
"Fine, you're paying for half my phone bill then."
"Okay."
***
We went on for over half an hour with mindless conversation, until all I could hear was her breathing, that slowly turned into my lullaby and I finally started dozing off.