Sequel: Tragedy Strikes ›
Hospital
Hospital
I wake up, it seems to be morning because sun is blasting through the window of the hospital room where I now lie.
"Hey, you're awake." My dad's voice says from the corner.
"Yeah." I say weakly.
"Sorry I can't stay longer but I have to go to work." He says as he places a rather small duffle bag next to me.
"What's this?" I ask.
"Your pajamas, mp3 and some must reads." He says as he kisses my forehead.
"Thanks." I say as I press the button to make the bed go up, so I can sit.
"Do you want me to bring you anything in particular when I come this evening?"
"My guitar."
"It's kind of a lot of noise for a hospital."
"I'll use headphones." I say pleadingly.
"Okay. Bye kid-o."
"Bye." He leaves the room and take a good look around.
The bed beside me was empty, which is pretty good. I remember when my grandmother was in the hospital she said her roommate snored like crazy and his family kept bringing him nasty smelling food. I reach over to the duffle bag and open it to see what books my dad brought me. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. These books have sat on the bookshelf in the hall for as long as I can remember, now's a good a time as any to read them. Firstly though, and with much pain from the slash on my side I put on my pajamas because this hospital gown was disturbing the living hell out of me. I start reading Catcher in the Rye it's pretty good, I mean I'd usually pass up a book about a rich kid but this was so enticing. I got halfway through the book when a nurse or something walked in with my lunch tray.
"Bon appetite." She says smiling.
"Thanks." I say hoping it's decent.
"Just to let you know you're going to get a new roommate today."
"Oh, what's he or she in for?" I ask as I lift the plate lid to see it's just a sandwich, thank god.
"He's in for liver stones." Oh great a geezer who'll talk about how he has to shake before he can expect any piss.
"Oh okay." I mumble as she leaves the room. I open all the lids to my food, I got lucky today with the hospital food, ham and cheese sandwich, tomato noodle soup and jell-o. I commence on eating this semi-decent food when a stretcher is wheeled into the room and an unconscious man is moved from the stretcher to the bed. After the buff stretcher guys leave I look over at my roommate. He looked really young to have liver stones; he had orangey-blond hair and was probably in his late thirties.
I go back to reading and about half an hour later a brown haired woman in tight jeans and black heels walks into the room.
"Excuse me." she says to me quietly.
"Yeah." I say taking one of the earpieces from my mp3 player out of my ear.
"Do you know if he's woken up at all?"
"He's been asleep since they brought him in here." I say as she nods and goes to sit down. She pulls a book out of her purse and starts reading, I put the earpiece back in my ear and blast some Sex Pistols in my ears as I go back to reading.
By the time I finish my book the dinner trolley appears at the door. The nurse goes up to the man first.
"Mr. Wright." She says as she shakes his arm, "Your supper in here."
"Wha? Okay." The man says in a raspy voice. The nurse takes two trays out of the trolley places one on his table and the other on mine. As I take out the plate lids I realize I'm not as lucky as I was at lunch time. The meal is nasty roast beef and nuclear looking mash potato, the soup was green probably cream of celery and of course JELL-O! How pathetic I felt, the highlight of my day was jell-o. The man in the next bed is having a quiet conversation with the brown haired woman. I'm so BORED!
As I finish up the last of the strawberry jell-o my dad walks in with my guitar and my small practice amp.
"Hey kid-o, how's it going?"
"Blah, boring." I say as he places my guitar in between the bed and the nightstand. "I finished reading Catcher in the Rye."
"And?"
"It's pretty good."
"I knew you'd like it."
"So I see they don't give a damn about co-ed rooms."
"Blah it doesn't matter, the guy only woke up to eat." I say shrugging. My dad stays with me and we watch crap TV for most of the evening until the nurse announces that visiting hours are over.
"Hey, you're awake." My dad's voice says from the corner.
"Yeah." I say weakly.
"Sorry I can't stay longer but I have to go to work." He says as he places a rather small duffle bag next to me.
"What's this?" I ask.
"Your pajamas, mp3 and some must reads." He says as he kisses my forehead.
"Thanks." I say as I press the button to make the bed go up, so I can sit.
"Do you want me to bring you anything in particular when I come this evening?"
"My guitar."
"It's kind of a lot of noise for a hospital."
"I'll use headphones." I say pleadingly.
"Okay. Bye kid-o."
"Bye." He leaves the room and take a good look around.
The bed beside me was empty, which is pretty good. I remember when my grandmother was in the hospital she said her roommate snored like crazy and his family kept bringing him nasty smelling food. I reach over to the duffle bag and open it to see what books my dad brought me. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. These books have sat on the bookshelf in the hall for as long as I can remember, now's a good a time as any to read them. Firstly though, and with much pain from the slash on my side I put on my pajamas because this hospital gown was disturbing the living hell out of me. I start reading Catcher in the Rye it's pretty good, I mean I'd usually pass up a book about a rich kid but this was so enticing. I got halfway through the book when a nurse or something walked in with my lunch tray.
"Bon appetite." She says smiling.
"Thanks." I say hoping it's decent.
"Just to let you know you're going to get a new roommate today."
"Oh, what's he or she in for?" I ask as I lift the plate lid to see it's just a sandwich, thank god.
"He's in for liver stones." Oh great a geezer who'll talk about how he has to shake before he can expect any piss.
"Oh okay." I mumble as she leaves the room. I open all the lids to my food, I got lucky today with the hospital food, ham and cheese sandwich, tomato noodle soup and jell-o. I commence on eating this semi-decent food when a stretcher is wheeled into the room and an unconscious man is moved from the stretcher to the bed. After the buff stretcher guys leave I look over at my roommate. He looked really young to have liver stones; he had orangey-blond hair and was probably in his late thirties.
I go back to reading and about half an hour later a brown haired woman in tight jeans and black heels walks into the room.
"Excuse me." she says to me quietly.
"Yeah." I say taking one of the earpieces from my mp3 player out of my ear.
"Do you know if he's woken up at all?"
"He's been asleep since they brought him in here." I say as she nods and goes to sit down. She pulls a book out of her purse and starts reading, I put the earpiece back in my ear and blast some Sex Pistols in my ears as I go back to reading.
By the time I finish my book the dinner trolley appears at the door. The nurse goes up to the man first.
"Mr. Wright." She says as she shakes his arm, "Your supper in here."
"Wha? Okay." The man says in a raspy voice. The nurse takes two trays out of the trolley places one on his table and the other on mine. As I take out the plate lids I realize I'm not as lucky as I was at lunch time. The meal is nasty roast beef and nuclear looking mash potato, the soup was green probably cream of celery and of course JELL-O! How pathetic I felt, the highlight of my day was jell-o. The man in the next bed is having a quiet conversation with the brown haired woman. I'm so BORED!
As I finish up the last of the strawberry jell-o my dad walks in with my guitar and my small practice amp.
"Hey kid-o, how's it going?"
"Blah, boring." I say as he places my guitar in between the bed and the nightstand. "I finished reading Catcher in the Rye."
"And?"
"It's pretty good."
"I knew you'd like it."
"So I see they don't give a damn about co-ed rooms."
"Blah it doesn't matter, the guy only woke up to eat." I say shrugging. My dad stays with me and we watch crap TV for most of the evening until the nurse announces that visiting hours are over.