COINCIDENCE

After using some quality time to ease myself, I curiously and childishly bent over the large mirror in the restroom to see if I could see how hospitalized my ass is. The more I bend, the more I expand in pain, and I gave up.

"I will walk you to the hall." Dr. Saint offered immediately I stepped out of the restroom, handing over the bag of drugs he had prepared for me repeating for the hundredth time, the instructions and dosages to use at intervals.

"Thank you, Dr. Saint."

Just as we started walking down the hall, a nurse hurriedly met up with us and said something I didn't understand, but hearing him instructing the nurse to get one or more tools, I knew there must be a patient who needed urgent attention. The nurse raced down the corridor and disappeared into a room. Turning back to me, he said... "I am afraid I will leave you here."

"It is fine, Doctor."

"Take care of yourself, ...?"

"Greg." I took the hand he offered.

"Greg."

"Thank you, Dr. Saint."

He hurried in the same direction as the nurse at once and I walked down in search of James.

Reaching the hall, James wasn't there. It is not surprising, he would never sit in a place for a long time. He must have decided to explore the place and take some photos as souvenirs. I will find him after I get something for my throat.

I am parched. I don't know if it is from the medication I was given or from talking to that doctor so casually.

At another corner of the hall was a portable refrigerator filled with refreshing drinks, just what I needed. I dropped the bag of drugs on top of it to freely take a bottle of a mango juice. I was about to open the cork when I saw this figure walking in from the long corridor I stood with the doctor a few minutes ago.

I had never seen him in my life before, but something unexplainable struck my heart.

He walked mindlessly and sat where I was hoping to see James sitting, paying no attention to things and the people around him. There is no one here anyway, except me. He looks sad. No, angry. No, he must be sad. What is it that put him in such a low mood?

I have forgotten about my dried throat as I stare without blinking at him. If I am accurate, he should be around James' age or a bit older or even my age mate although he looks thicker and more masculine. He is young and must still be a student just like myself and James.

I needed to see his face clearly; I kept gazing, praying he lifted his face but to no luck. He took his cell phone out of his leather jacket and after a few scrolling, he put it away into his breast pocket. His expression saddened the more and gos face remained low, until James came out of nowhere and took my mango juice.

"Sorry bro, let's get out of here. I don't want any more oldies asking for entertainment."

"Huh?"

"You needed to see me singing and dancing to some oldies on their insist. Fun though but hell no, I am out of here."

James explained after gulping down my mango juice. I guess he needed it more. I turned to face him but honestly, I don't think I understood what he just said.

"Are you alright?"

James held my shoulder seeing I made no response to him. I should have laughed at his story, or do something, I know he expected some reactions but got none.

"I am alright."

"I mean with the doctor."

"Doctor?"

Everything sounds algebraic to my ears. All I want is to catch a glimpse of the boy sitting behind us.

"Your... hole..." James stretched the words for my understanding and indeed, I understood.

"James!"

I cautioned out of fear that he would say something to the hearing of the guy sitting over there. James chuckled and pinned his lips in a sort of apology. To James, he sees and notices no one else.

At once, I saw the boy stand up and walk out of the hall. Looking at him above my brother's shoulder, I felt his sad mood engulfing his aura. Whatever it is that is troubling him, I hope he finds a solution.

"Any drugs?"

"Oh! Yes." I reached up to the refrigerator to pick up the bag of drugs.

"Time to ride home bro.....we got a long drive."

"Thanks to who?"

"Me!"

James laughed and resumed his session with the hospital oldies.

*************************

POV: NICHOLAS

Rushing into her ward, Dr. Saint found the machine indicating her blood pressure was dropping.

She has been in a coma for over two years now. Left for Dr. Saint, he would have ended her suffering and laid her to rest a long time ago, but her brother has abruptly refused to give up on her. He has begged the hospital to keep his sister and watch over her that he would be paying every bill as long she is alive no matter how long she stays in a coma.

At first, Dr. Saint and his partner Ray thought he would give up after a year or so, but no matter how much the bill cost, Nicholas always finds a way to keep his sister alive. Just yesterday, he paid a huge amount of money.

They have asked him severally how he manages to make such money but Nicholas being Nicholas, shuts them out of his business.

"Your only job is to keep my sister alive and not turn to my parole officer." He cautioned Dr. Saint.

Dr. Saint tried to overlook his unknown means of acquiring money and offered him to pay as little as he could afford to prevent him from engaging in anything illegal, but he insisted on taking fully charged of his sister no matter the cost and he is keeping to it.

Elena was in an accident that took the lives of her parents and left her with little or no chance of survival. But over the years, Dr. Saint and Ray who have been taking medical care of her have started seeing her better chances of survival.

"She is fighting to live too, Nick. Have some faith." Dr. Ray encouraged Nicholas on a daily basis when he seems unsure of his sister's health.

Although lately, she has been going into cardiac arrest as often as the rain which has resurrected their worries of losing her permanently.

Nicholas, who has shown no care to any other thing except to Elena couldn't believe the shock his sister went through this afternoon. Dr. Saint intentionally allowed him to stay in the ward when he was called upon on his walkway to the hall with Greg. He wanted him to witness and prepare himself for the worst.

Thankfully, she was able to be put out of critical state today after minutes of using defibrillator on her. Nicholas, totally overwhelmed by his sister's condition, walked out of the ward into the hall devastated. He would do anything to see his sister out of a coma and hospital for good.

She showed signs of improvement months ago, whatever is happening now is breaking Nicholas.

Having lost their parents and his elder sister taking off, losing his younger sister too is the last thing he wants now.

Walking into the hospital hall, he couldn't feel his legs anymore as sadness gripped his whole bones. He sat down for a while on the seat there and kept thinking about what to do. He knows he can't afford an expensive hospital in the city.

Dr. Saint and Ray see him as a family now and he believes they're doing their best to revive his sister. Moving his sister to a bigger hospital will be a huge responsibility for him which he is willing to take but how much is it that he can earn from part-time jobs as a high school student?

Responsibility has made him stronger and more independent than his age. He knows he has to work on earning more and more until he gets his sister out of that state.

The way he earns impressive money is that only way. which he doesn't want to indulge in agony until he gets rid of the guilt he felt yesterday after raping that fragile boy.

In the past, he'd allow other guys to do that to him and have Vain watching.

Yesterday, Vain promised him more if he let him watch while he rapes someone.

He feels he will explode. The thoughts of his sister and this boy from yesterday are killing him. He needs to scoop in some peace within his spirit, and he knows how.

Quickly, he stood up and made his way to the little lake at the depth of the hospital, to sit and pray as always.