Unexpected Hospitalization

She woke the next morning and her back and chest hurt. The wings bent as she sat up and pulled on her shoulder blades. Standing, she stood next to her bed for several minutes. She wasn't feeling well. Opening her laptop, she emailed her professors to let them know she would not be coming to class then worked on her homework. As evening fell, Lotus decided to go for a walk. Pulling on her coat to hide her wings, she left the house and walked slowly around the block then turned towards campus. She was beginning to feel better when she turned down Puget Sound Avenue from Union Avenue. She walked past the President's house and noticed that Kevin's car was parked on the side of the road.

She walked around to see Kevin sitting with his eyes closed in the driver's seat. She knocked on the window and he turned glassy eyes toward her. She waved. He brought his hand up, revealing bloody and still bleeding gauze and tape wrapped haphazardly around his wrist. Lotus grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door was locked. Kevin turned his head away.

"Kevin," she yelled, banging on the window. "Kevin, what are you doing?!"

"I will not betray The Cause!" his muffled yell replied.

"What?… Kevin, open the door. Let me help you."

"Like you let me help you?" he glared.

"Kevin, please. This is wrong and you know it."

Tears slid down Kevin's face, but he unlocked the door. Lotus opened the door and pulled him into a tight embrace. She called for help while maintaining her firm hold. Kevin cried on her shoulder.

"I'm not strong enough," he said quietly.

"Have I done something to create these thoughts in your head?" Lotus asked, not really understanding this extreme flip in Kevin's behavior.

"You're selfless in everything you do. I cannot seem to look past my own wants. I shouldn't burden others anymore."

Lotus leaned back to look in his eyes, but didn't let go. "You can look past your own wants, Kevin. To believe the world would be a better place without you is wrong and false. You have been very unselfish these last few days. And you've helped more than me."

Kevin's face scrunched with more tears. "I've helped no one. Go away!" He yelled, trying to push her away.

But Lotus remained firm. Her own eyes filled with tears. "If that is what you really want," she said softly. She released her hold and stepped away.

Kevin watched her pass behind the back of his car and sit on the park strip. Her hands covered her face and her shoulders shook. Now he felt bad for making her cry. He stumbled out of his car. He staggered toward the back of his car. He barely registered the squeal of tires, or the intense pain in his legs and low back, before darkness swallowed his surroundings.

When he woke up his back hurt and he couldn't feel his legs. Lotus was sitting in the chair beside the bed, her head turned to look out the window.

"Lotus?" he croaked.

She turned to him.

"Where am I?"

"In the hospital. You were pinned between your car and another."

His face scrunched in pain as he shifted to get a better look at her.

"Don't try to move. Part of your back and the bones in your legs have been broken."

"If my back is broken, then how come I'm not dead?"

"You must have a guardian angel looking out for you."

"Some angel," he replied sarcastically.

Lotus said nothing and stood by the bed. Her hands warmed with energy and she ran them over his legs. Kevin watched curiously before shutting his eyes tightly and groaning in pain. Pieces of bone ground against each other as they shifted. He heard some popping as her hands moved. The energy coming from her hands cooled and the pain lessened. He lay there for several minutes, not understanding what had just happened as Lotus lowered her hands. The feelings he felt and the motions of her hands seemed… unnatural.

What had just…? How had she…? When did she…? How long has she been able to…? He slowly turned his head to look at her as she sat in the chair once more. Her arms rested on her legs, hands folded, and her head down. Sunlight glinted through her tears as they fell.

"...Lotus, are you all right?"

"Yes and no."

"What isn't all right?"

"Do you still want to kill yourself?"

"No. I…" he stopped. Seeing Lotus crying was enough to make him change his mind.

Her phone rang. "Hi Dad, how are you?…I know I missed it, I was…," she sighed. "Mama's funeral…Yes.… I can only say sorry so many times, Dad… I love you." Then she hung up.

"You missed your mother's funeral?" Kevin asked, shocked.

"I was needed up here." She stood. "I have a few things I need to do, but I'll come back later, okay?"

"Okay. …Lotus?" he asked as she reached the doorway. "What was more important than your mom's funeral?"

"You," she replied then she was gone.

While she was gone, the doctor came in and took a few more x-rays of his legs and back. The doctor was very puzzled by the sudden healing of his legs. They wouldn't need to put pins in. All that needed to happen now was to let the bones heal completely over the next six weeks. Then they would send him to see a P.T. for an evaluation. There was still a chance he would walk again since the break in his back was near the end of the spinal column and he hadn't indicated a loss of sensation for/in his legs.

Kevin slept a lot, but was glad when Lotus returned the evening of the next day. She spent a good portion of the time catching him up on lectures and helping him with homework. When Kevin was tired of homework he asked Lotus what she had done while she was gone.

"Going to classes and talking with your teachers for the most part."

Lotus left out that she spent several hours with the children in the hospital. One little girl wanted to be held, but her skin was easily scratched with certain clothes. The coat Lotus wore was one of those fabrics. So, in order to provide the comfort she felt compelled to give, Lotus removed her coat and let her wing hang freely. She was glad none of the medical staff walked by while she was holding the little girl. She was a bit surprised as well that the little girl had said nothing about Lotus' wings, nor did her eyes widen in awe.

"What did they say?" Kevin asked, drawing her attention back to him.

"One of the professors was understanding but the others were unwilling to ignore their grading policy and will only let you miss two weeks before they start lowering your grade."

"Are they blind?! There is no way that I can make that." Kevin's fists pressed against his face. "Lotus, what am I going to do?"

"Do you believe in miracles?"

"Yes."

"Do you have the faith to be healed?"

"I don't know." Tears filled his eyes as he thought about failing his classes. "It's impossible."

"With God, all things are possible. Do you believe that?"

"Yes."

"All right."

Lotus slid her hand under his back. He felt a warmth in his back and in his heart. It made him sleepy. Kevin fought to stay awake. He wanted to understand where Lotus had gained her healing touch. It wasn't something she had before. But as the warmth continued to spread throughout his torso, he could not resist for long and soon slept. Lotus stayed a little while longer while he slept. From talking with the professors, Lotus had the impression that the week that was ending was one of the two weeks that the professors had specified. If Kevin's faith was strong enough, he would be able to return to school before the deadline.