Kehna's POV
I and Stella talked for a long time, everyone else was asleep. After a while, Stella also slept off. I still couldn't fall asleep, after turning and grumbling around, I sat down with my back facing the wall. "Kehna, you aren't asleep yet?"
"No"
"Are you hungry now?"
"No thank you, Mr. Garcia" I knew how much he was trying to make a difference out of everything, but I was kind of traumatised and nothing was going to change that anytime soon. "Mr. Garcia thank you for caring so much. Can I maybe go outside again? I think fresh air would do me some good"
"I would love to say yes, but it's already late and dark outside. The doors already closed... So you can't go out now" I understood what he was trying to say.
"But can I just walk around?"
"Kehna... I'm not so sure about, that I mean there are a lot of patients here and I don't see it as safe"
"Okay" I agreed with him, but I wasn't going to go back to sleep since I couldn't. So I went back to where I was supposed to sleep and waited a bit for Mr. Garcia to fall asleep so, I could continue with my plan. I don't think, I know what I'm doing.
Mr. Garcia was right this might not be such a great idea, I didn't realise how big this hospital was yesterday. The possibility that I might get lost here, was very high.
Being so lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice that I reached some kind of hall, it looked like a hall, but it was the cafeteria. Almost nobody was there so I walked in casually and found an empty table. I sat there took a deep breath and it smelled like, you know, a hospital. There weren't many patients, but this one patient was staring at me. I thought he wasn't staring at me so I looked behind me, but there was no one behind me.
He rolled with his wheelchair to the table where I was sitting. He looked unwell like really sick. I was becoming more nervous each second, he came closer. "Hello"
"Hi" I breathed out heavily.
"Are you new here?" I chuckled in disbelief
"You must know this place very well to be able to realise, that I've never been here before"
"Yeah, I've been here for a while now, so I'm kind of befriended with a lot of people here, and I've never seen you here before"
" Well, you're right this is my first time here"
"Why? What are you sick of?"
"Umm... it's not me I umm... I'm not here for me I'm here someone" I spat out uncomfortably, I didn't feel like talking, I mean what was it going to change? "Ahh... I see, sorry"
"What? Why did you say sorry?"
"Well, as I said before, I've been here for a long time now and I also get the chance to listen to all kinds of sad, tragic or painful stories or backgrounds"
"No offence, but do I seem like someone who has some kind of crazy background?"
"No, you seem stressed, hurt and in a lot of pain, that you want to end"
"Wow, I won't lie you're good at reading feelings"
"It's not that, it's just you look like you haven't slept or eaten for a while. If I had the opportunity to live like a normal kid, not having to struggle with a sickness like cancer. I'd always find a way to eat or sleep, after all, I'd have nothing to worry about"
"I'm sorry about that, how long have you been doing this?"
"Maybe 5 years"
"That's a long time"
"Hmm, so who are you mourning for?" I still wasn't ready to spill anything, but I just realised I was trying to keep something secret, that was going to come out anyway "You know you don't have to answer"
"No, it's fine. It's my mom"
"Oh... How did it happen?"
"To be honest, I don't know either it's like everything happened in a rush, you know when things like this happen to your loved one you'll be heartbroken and sad, right?" He nodded in response "I'm not just sad or heartbroken, but I think there's this injury in me that might never heal and I still think it's a nightmare"
"I don't know what it's like, to lose your mother forever. Before they came to store me here, I also had a mother but the moment she promised she'd come back, but never returned, she was dead to me. I know she's somewhere out there, if she ever cared about me, she wouldn't have left me here" My story was nothing, compared to his and I felt the urge to cry, but held myself from doing so.
"Ugh, don't look at me like that, it makes me feel useless every time people look at me like I'm some kind of innocent puppy that can't help itself"
"And I thought my life was complicated"
"Yeah, you'll never know till you hear worse. They say I have at least a year left, so I'm going to use that period to do all the things I love. Sorry, to cut out our very interesting conversation here, but I have to leave to take my medications "
"Wait, before you go I want to ask you something"
"Okay, what is it?" I wanted to encourage him since I felt like I needed it, but there was no one to encourage me.
"Do you have faith, that you'll survive this?"
"I don't know, what to believe and what not to. I've been here and never let my hopes down, but I'm tired I just want to give up"
"I understand, that the mouth, mind and heart all work together once you've said something with your mouth your mind will process it and whatever your mouth said is probably what you'll think, nonstop. And once your mind has processed it, it's going to try and condemn your heart and once that's done you'll believe just anything the doctors mumble. You should be able to tell them something like, 'No I won't die, I'll come out of this place alive and none of you is going to stop it' Okay?" I was so into what I was saying that I didn't realise he was starting and just smiling.
"Sorry I didn't mean to take this much of your time"
"No, it's alright I haven't had someone encourage me like this, for a long time so, I'm grateful. We should talk some other time, I guess I'll see around then"
"Yeah, sure I'm not leaving anytime soon"
"Okay, bye"
"Bye," he was just leaving when I saw Ruby come in. "Kehna!"
"Hey"
"What are you doing here? Do the others, know that you are here? I'm asking so they don't start accusing me of kidnapping you or I don't know what else they accuse me of. What do they think I'm capable of, huh?"
"I don't know Ruby, but did you come just to ask me if they're accusing you of doing something to me or why are you here?"
"Hey, get a hold of yourself okay? I'm not in a great mood either"
"You are in a better mood, than I am"
"Look I'm not here to discuss unnecessary things with you, I bought you food. Don't even think of rejecting."
"How come, I'm this scared of you?"
"It's a talent," she said in a strange voice
"I will eat. It looks delicious by the way, where did you get it from?"
"I don't know, it was some kind of shop. Miguel said the food there is amazing"
"And you didn't bother to look for a sign or board where the name of a shop or restaurant is mostly written on?"
"No, why should I? It's not like, I'm going there again. But let's put that aside, first of all, who was that guy you were talking with?"
"He's a patient, he was nice"
"I think, I got the fact that he's a patient, I mean he was sitting on a wheelchair"
"It's not that important, he was just nice and we chatted a bit. Oh,... I wanted to ask you, if by any chance you could reach my dad?"
"What do you mean? Is your phone not available?"
"It isn't, actually that's not the point. I don't have my phone and I don't know the phone number of my dad either"
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, Ruby I need to reach out for my dad. How is he going to know about my whereabouts?"
"Okay, here's what's going to happen, I'll ask Miguel to go back to Tacoma and bring your dad here, under one condition"
"And that condition would be?"
"You finish everything I bought for you"
"Really!?"
"Yes".
"Okay, whatever you say".