Not Afraid to Die

"Do you dye your hair?" Lolita asked once the two musicians had left.

She wasn't too sure if he dyed his hair. An odd mix of black and brown coated it. She was pretty sure it wasn't natural.

What better way was there to start a conversation?

Blaine nodded, wrapping the blood pressure cuff around Lolita's arm.

"I do, too."

"Really?" he asked, "I could have sworn you were born with pink and black hair."

"Pink's not a natural hair color, silly. Didn't they teach you anything in medical school?"

Nurses went through some form of medical training. Lolita wasn't too sure what they underwent, but she knew it was a rigorous major. It wasn't something she could see herself doing.

He smiled, scribbled down some things on her chart, and removed the cuff. "They didn't teach us about natural hair colors."

"You should look into that, so you're not confused when you see someone with brightly colored hair."

"I'll do that. Let's see, they'll get your respiration rate while you're asleep."

"Someone's going to be watching me while I sleep?"

"Only to collect a few things."

"That's creepy."

"You'll be asleep, so it won't matter."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep now that I know someone will be watching me."

"We can give you a sedative. Actually, there's a chance the doctor will prescribe one to make sure you keep a normal sleeping pattern. It's essential for you to sleep properly in order for your body to fight the infection."

"Sleep's not fun."

"You need it. You'll probably be given the sedative soon because visiting hours are almost over."

Yeah, Rian and Dante waited a long time for dinner. They wouldn't leave when she insisted they do so. To worried about her health, or something to that effect.

"I don't want a sedative," Lolita whined.

"That's up to the doctor."

"Do you think Doctor Cart will compromise with me?"

"No. Open your mouth. I need to put the thermometer under your tongue."

Lolita did as instructed. The plastic around the thermometer aggravated the underside of her tongue, but she held it in place. If she took it out, she would only have to put it back in.

The nurse grabbed her wrist, holding above her pulse. He scribbled in her chart again and took the thermometer from her mouth when it beeped. Glancing at it, he nodded to himself and copied the numbers on the paper.

"Will my brother be able to stay with me after visiting hours are over?"

She already knew the answer to that. Rian would have to leave because he wasn't family, but Dante would be able to stay overnight. The information had been engraved into her mind once Rian promised to come back the minute visiting hours were open in the morning.

Her heart almost exploded when he said that.

The point of Lolita's question was to get her brother into the conversation to gauge how much of chance he had with Blaine and push Blaine to talk to Dante.

She wanted her brother to have someone there to comfort him besides their father if she were to pass away, which was likely to happen. Her father would be so overjoyed that Dante would be dating, the sting of her death wouldn't hurt as badly.

She may have acted confident, but she knew she didn't have much of chance against this thing.

"Of course Dante can stay overnight," Blaine answered.

Lolita tilted her head to the side. "You know his name?"

A flush crept up Blaine's cheeks. "I'm a fan of RxN."

Dante totally had a chance.

"That's cool. Who's your favorite member? You're not obligated to say Dante just because he's my sibling."

"I don't have a favorite."

"That's a cop out."

"No, it's not. They all seem to be great people. They stand up for what they believe in and aim to help people with their music."

"Did you take that from their Facebook?"

"I may have."

"So, you like the band a lot."

"Yeah. They've helped me through some things during the past year."

"They would love to hear about it."

"You're not about to contact them and spill that little secret, are you?"

"No. But they'll probably come by to visit at some point. They have to run some demo stuff by Dante. You could always meet them."

"That would be cool."

Lolita knew she was probably making this guy's day by offering to allow him to meet the band. And she would continue on the subject, but it was time to bring Dante back into the conversation somehow.

"Which one do you think is the most attractive? I, personally, don't like any of them like that. But, you know, fans have celebrity crushes and stuff on them."

"Are you suggesting I have a celebrity crush on one of them?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know if you did."

He seemed to battle with himself for a moment. Lolita watched him, waiting for a response. She would pout if she had to in order to get an answer out of him.

"This doesn't meet the ears of the band," he said.

"I won't say a word, promise."

He glanced over his shoulder at the door, probably making sure the two musicians weren't about to walk through the door. When he looked back at Lolita, he said, "Don't tell the staff I said this either."

"Okay."

"Dante Anderson is the sexiest man ever."

Dante didn't even need a chance anymore. He could have this guy in a heartbeat.

"Are you gay?"

Blaine nodded.

"Oh. I wouldn't have guessed, but I don't have a good gaydar," Lolita nodded a few times. "Dante's bisexual. You probably already know that."

"Who doesn't?"

"Despite all those ridiculous myths surrounding bisexuality, Dante's a good guy. He would never cheat on anyone, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want a boyfriend and girlfriend at the same time. He's really family-oriented. I think he wants to adopt one day."

"He's sounds great."

Lolita could hear the longing quite clearly in his voice. She was doing a good job at making her brother more appealing to Blaine. It wasn't that hard, but she assumed that was because of the already forming crush.

She knew anything could cause her to like Rian more than she already did. The same concept probably applied to Blaine's crush, too.

"He is. You know, he's single. He has been for awhile."

"I've heard."

Time to snap the trap.

"I don't think he would object if you asked him to go out for coffee or something. Maybe not an immediate coffee date because he's really worried about my health, but in the near future. You could always ask him today and set a later date, give him your phone number so he can talk to you."

The smile on Blaine's face spread slowly till it looked like his cheeks would start hurting with how large it was. If offering to let him meet the band didn't make his day, this certainly did.

"You think I should?"

"Definitely."

"And you really think he would agree to going out with me?"

"I don't see why not."

Dante had been openly staring at the nurse when he walked in, possibly drooling a little.

"Are you sure? Because I don't to make a fool of myself."

"I'm sure."

Blaine bit his lip, eyes swimming with thoughts. There was no way Lolita would allow him to back out of this.

"Hey, you only live once, and who knows when you'll get the chance to meet him again? You should ask him."

"Okay," he sighed, "I'll do it."

"You could catch him in the hall before he gets back here."

"I think I will. Thanks."

"No problem."

If Lolita did die, at least she knew she had made people happy.