“Sorry, I needed that more than I knew.” I gently press a smile from my lips.
“I thought you said you were fine?” I insist. His smile quickly fades.
“I thought I was, but things have a way of creeping up on you, when you least expect it.” I give him another gentle hug and then I make my way over to my mom who is waiting by the door. I gaze back at the room and it is filled with many memories, that I would rather forget.
“Goodbye, for now,” I say to James as I push open the oak the door.
I walk rapidly down the hallway of the hospital with my mom, in complete silence. We approach the front door and I walk out into the cold. I feel like an ice block as I open the car door. I look around at the busy hospital entrance and I take in the view. There is several yellow cabs all parked in a straight line, the drivers wait outside their cabs and rub their hands together trying to fight off the frostiness of the cool air. I notice a young girl about my age, standing alone. She looks as if she is in terrible pain and there is no-one around her. I see her clench her teeth and bow down in pain. I immediately walk over to her and ask her is she okay.
“I am sorry to bother you, but are you, okay?” She looks up at me and forces out words.
“Yes… I am okay, thanks for asking.” Something in her voice tells me that she is lying. I walk closer to her and ask I again.
“Are you sure, you look as if you are in pain.” I say and the girl again buckles over in pain, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards her. I jolt forward and I try to keep my balance on the icy street.
“Maybe, I am in a little pain. Could you reach into my bag and pull out my pills?” I immediately do as she says. I reach into her brown leather backpack and take out a small bottle of pills.
“How many do you need?”
“Just one, thanks.” I hand her the pill and she quickly swallows it. I put the pills back into her bag and step back from her.
“Thanks for that, I am Summer.” She says as she smiles towards me. I smile back at her and introduce myself.
“No problem, I’m Alanna.”
“I take it you were the patient?” She says, a little too forward.
“Yes and you,” I say just as forward as she did.
“I had an op, but it’s all good now.”
“Oh,” I say shifting my eyes from her.
“Why were you in hospital?” She says and yet again, her tone is rather forward. I flinch and I look down at the ground; I look back to the girl, who is leaning against a wall as she speaks. Her hair is bright red, and her eyes are chestnut brown. She has a slender frame and she drowned in an oversized shirt and baggy jeans. Her tennis shoes are tired and her backpack looks as if it is worn out. I feel sorry for this girl, she has just told me that she had some kind of surgery and yet there is no one here with her. I wonder about her, does she have a family. If she does, then where are they? Why would they leave this girl alone in the cold?
“I was… shot.” I choke out, my mind flashes back to that, long thin faced stranger that shot me. A cool shiver climbs up my spine and I close my eyes firmly.
“Hey, are you okay?” The girl says as she moves away from the wall and walks over to my side. I open my eyes to haze; I wait until it clears, and then I focus on the girls freckle filled faced.
“Yes, I am okay, is there anyone here to collect you?” The girl fidgets and looks awkward.
“No, my Dad cannot get off work and I don’t have anyone else.” I glance at her and I feel uneasy. I look at her again and I take in her face and the tiredness of her clothes. I feel deeply sorry for this girl, so I say,
“Why don’t I give you a ride?” She smiles and then it fades.
“I do not want to trouble you?”
“Don’t be silly, where do you live?”
“It is not far from here,”
“Come on then,” I say to her and she quickly agrees and follows me to the town car. I walk over with Summer and my mom looks uneasy but,at the same time, she is welcoming of the strange girl.
“Mom, this is Summer. She needs a ride and I thought we could drop her off on our way back.” My mom pushes a slight smile from her pursed lips.
“Absolutely, nice to meet you Summer, my name is Belle.” We enter the car and I take the back seat next to my mom. Summer eases herself gently onto the side-facing seat and places her backpack on the floor. The car pulls away and the look on Summers face is glee. I cannot help but wonder about her. I would like to know more about this girl.
“Do you attend school?” I say smiling at her.
“Yes, I attend NYU.”
“What do you study?” She hesitates a little then finally says, “Creative writing, although, that wasn’t my original major.” She says tensely. “My dad wanted me to go to Law School.” Summer seems agitated when she talks about her father. I wonder if there are issues between her and her father. Possibly, I feel this way because of Adrian and Emma’s story with their father Edward.