The CONquest of Nellie Bly

We arrived at the hospital about ten minutes later, completely out of breath. Conor ran to the front desk, dinging the bell over and over even though the receptionist was right in front of him. She looked up and grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asked, peering over her square glasses at him.

"Yes. I'm looking for Molly Halloran," He dinged the bell a couple more times anxiously.

The woman got up calmly and led us down the long, clean hallways of the hospital. I skipped up to Conor and held his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He looked at me, giving me a quick but worried smile. We finally reached a waiting room, where Conor's parents, Mark and Corinne, sat with their heads down. He raced over and sat next to them, wrapping his arms around them. Corinne looked up, sobbing, They clung to each other for a while as Violet and I stood there, unsure of what to say or do.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Conor inquired, looking at his parents.

"We don't know," Mark said, choking on a few tears. "But she's not doing so well. The odds aren't in our favor at the moment."

Violet and I exchanged a look. This was pretty serious. Conor sat down next to his mother and held her hand, wiping a tear away from her cheek. We sat there, worried, confused... Conor's eyes were wide with fear and anticipation, and Violet and I could only guess what was happening.

We sat in silence for about two hours, holding hands and praying everything would be okay. Finally, I gulped and looked at Conor, who was fidgeting like mad and sweating profusely.

"Conor," I asked timidly, "What exactly... happened?"

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "We're not sure... she just... passed out and..." His voice cracked and he looked away, not wanting Violet to see him get emotional. But even Violet was near tears as well. I massaged his knee reassuringly, hoping Molly would be okay. Mark and Corinne kept quiet, rocking back and forth in their seats.

A doctor emerged and glanced at us before looking at the ground again. He gulped and asked, "Would you like to say your goodbyes?" Conor let out a loud sob and buried his face in his hands. We all began to cry like we would never stop. To Mark and Corinne, their lives were over... Even Violet was crying.

For once, she was at a loss for words.

We got up and entered the hospital room, where Molly lay there completely still. Her eyes were closed, and her heartbeat was slowing by the second. Conor sat next to her and held her hand, giving it a squeeze. I stood by him, drying my eyes on my sleeve. Molly's skin was cold and gray, almost transparent. We stood there together, all silent, hearing the long beep that signified the end of her life. He kissed his sister's cheek, stood up, and quickly walked out of the room. Violet and I ran after him, leaving his parents.

Once we had reached the waiting room, he lost all control, crying hysterically. I threw my arms around him and let his tears soak my hair. Seeing him this upset killed me. Violet stood behind us quietly, waiting until he had calmed down.

Then Violet just had to open her mouth. "So, Conor... what was that you said about Molly while we were eating ice cream?" She asked coyly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. I looked at her, pissed she was going to start this now.

"Don't you fucking dare." I sneered through clenched teeth.

Conor blinked and stared at her. "What? What did I say?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, something about Molly being 'no sister of yours' or something along the lines of that. Refresh my memory?"

I turned to her. "Violet, shut up."

"Well, you know..." She began. "Maybe if you knew how to drive, Conor, you could have gotten her to the hospital quicker. She'd still be alive." I walked closer to her, looking her straight in the eye. I didn't think it was possible, but Conor began to cry even harder. He stood there, weeping uncontrollably.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I screamed. I glanced into the hospital room. Mark and Corinne stood there, watching us fight. They obviously heard all the yelling and knew something was up.

"I'm just saying that this could have been avoided if Conor was there for his sister more, that's all."

"Conor has nothing to do with it! There was nothing he could do! Are you trying to say this is his fault?" I shrieked.

"Pretty much!" She snapped.

That was it. I lifted my arm and slapped her across the face with all the power I had in me. She staggered back and her hand flew to her cheek. I braced myself for her retaliation, but to my surprise, she calmly walked back into the hospital room. I sighed and turned back to Conor, who was still bawling.

"She's right." He whispered. With that, he ran down the hallway, out of my sight. I thought maybe I should go after him, but decided damage control with Violet was more important. I walked into the small, whitewashed room and sat next to Violet.

"Hey," I muttered awkwardly. She was still rubbing her cheek.

"Hey." She replied shortly.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"No, I deserved it."

"Yeah. Yeah you did. What the hell was that? You know how stupid that was to say. Why don't you ever keep your mouth shut?" I felt all my anger return.

"I don't know. I'll work on it, fine. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

"Oh yeah, well that's a great way to make everyone laugh. 'Hey, your sister just died. It must be your fault.' That's real fuckin' sweet, Violet." I didn't even bother to watch my mouth, even if Conor's parents were right across from me.

"I know that. Don't you think I know that?" She yelled, turning to me. I bit my lip, knowing I would hit her again.

We looked away and remained quiet for a few minutes before I spoke again. "You know we're in a hospital. They could get you some ice for your cheek."

"I don't want ice. Ice doesn't help."

"Neither do you," I responded without thinking. I gasped. "I'm really sorry."

"It's true though. Don't be sorry. I've never helped with anything." She said quietly, avoiding eye contact. I sighed and stared at the tile floors. An hour of silence passed. Finally, I lifted my head.

"I'm going to go find Conor." I said, getting up and leaving the room. At least Violet had the sense to not follow me. Conor was not ready to forgive her, that was just a fact. I walked down the halls to the restrooms, where I walked into the men's, not caring. A male doctor stood there, washing his hands.

"I think you're in the wrong room." He winked at me, shaking his hands dry.

I ignored him and called Conor's name. No reply. I peeked under stall doors, but his shoes never showed up. At this point, I was getting worried.

"Looking for someone?" The doctor guy leaned up against the wall.

"Yeah," I replied shortly, exiting the bathrooms. I walked outside and shivered. For a summer night, it was cold. I walked around to the side of the hospital into a garden type place. After looking around cautiously, I continued down the paved walkways. Softly, I called for Conor. There was no answer.