The ED Diaries

Hayden always thought hospitals were supposed to be white and uncomfortable, the lights coming through the curtainless windows would bounce off of the off-white walls and blind anyone that tried to look at it. The food would be something that no one preferred to eat and the smell of disinfectant and death would overwhelm the unfortunate people that were stuck inside. Seabrook Clinic was anything but that.

The bright sunlight shone through her golden curtains, casting long shadows on the wall next to her. The whole building looked more like a castle than a hospital, and Hayden couldn’t decide which seemed scarier. The trip to Seabrook was painfully long and horribly slow. There was a layer of silence that had settled over the whole family and she didn’t dare break it. Her mother was sitting in the passenger seat, her hand was over her mouth of the whole four hours and she constantly murmured things like “my baby” and “where did I go wrong”. Her dad’s eyes were straight ahead, concentration on the road ahead of him, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

A lady dressed in white ran out to meet them, a large smile looked like it had been forced onto her face and she looked more annoyed than happy. She introduced herself and shook Hayden’s father’s hand, only nodding at her mother whose hand was still locked into place. Neither of them exchanged any words when they hugged the girl, and their mouths stayed closed when they waved and walked back into the car. Hayden didn’t know whether they didn’t know what to say or they just didn’t want to say anything to her at all.

The nurse, whose face relaxed somewhat after Hayden’s parents had left, led her to an small but roomy examination room and told her to sit on the bed that was against the wall. She nodded to Hayden before walking out, leaving the girl by herself. Her legs were hung over the side of the small, hard bed. The room was white and bright, but the heavy air around it made it dark and dreary. The knob on the door clicked and slowly turned, revealing a young but aging lady.

The lady smiled up at Hayden, but unlike the nurse’s smile it was warm and inviting. It almost made Hayden comfortable. Almost.

“Hello dear; its Hayden right?” the lady said, taking a seat on a swivelling chair and rolling slightly towards her. Hayden nodded quickly, averting her eyes to the cracks in the tile floor.

“Well I’m Dr. Logan. I’m really glad you’re here. We’re going to do all that we can to help.”

“I don’t need help,” Hayden whispered, looking up towards the doctor. Her smile faltered just a bit, but she rolled towards the girl and grabbed a piece of paper.

“We’re just going to do a few tests, this won’t hurt a bit."