Donnie was bored. Sure, it hurt to breathe and he was coughing a lot, but he didn't have anything to entertain himself with. No phone, no iPad, no tv. Well there was a tv, but it was almost midnight, and the ones that were lucky enough to be asleep probably wanted silence.
He had been in this hospital before, but it still wanted to freak him out at this time of night. You would think he would be used to hospitals by now, but no. They freaked him out. They smelled of sick people, and he didn't really like needles, even though he had an iv in his right arm. And after the last time he went here... he just didn't, how you say, enjoy them. Okay, he hated them. But when you are born with sickle cell disease... you go there a lot.
He started to cough, which was starting to hurt his chest a lot, but it soon subsided, leaving him worn out and tired. He rolled on his side and feel asleep.
Donnie's parents went to visit him first thing in the morning. Donnie knew they just being parents and all, but he didn't like people feeling overprotective of him. It was a bit weird.
"How are you feeling Donnie boy? You any better?" His dad was the only one to call him Donnie boy, and even though Don hated it, he still called him that.
"I guess. I'm kinda bored though."
"We though you would say that. So we brought you this." Donnie's mom pulled him iPad out of her purse and handed it to him.
"Thanks mom." Donnie broke into a coughing fit, which caused his parents to rush over to comfort him. After the coughing subsided, a doctor walked in the room.
"Excuse me, but I'm just going to check his breathing and vitals. I'm sure you don't mind."
"Oh not at all! Go on ahead." The doctor helped Donnie to sit up, and pressed his stethoscope to Don's back.
"Can you breathe in for me?" It was a bit painful, make that a lot, but he managed to take a deep breath and let it out. "Thanks. Do you need anything before I leave?"
"I think I'm good," Donnie said after looking at the fully charged iPad in his lap.
"Okay, well get some rest, and I'll check on you later. Good bye!"
"Bye." The doctor walked out of the room and his parents turned to Don.
"So Donnie, we got to bounce. We'll come by to see you this afternoon. See you later!"
"Bye mom. Bye dad." This was going to be a long couple of days at the hospital.
A few days later Donnie was let it off the hospital. He finally could return to school, and make up that math test he missed... but the math test wasn't what worried him. He was worried what the other kids were thinking when he got there.
He got to his locker and just as he was about to close it, a voice rang out in the hallway.
"Hey freak! Ya miss me?" Oh no. He was so in trouble. He turned around only to be shoved into his still open locker, which closed a second after. He could here the other kids laughing at him through the locker door, and knew that no one would help him out. He was proved wrong however, when someone opened the locker door and let him out.
"Hey, are you alright?" It was a girl, which confused him; not many girls talked to him. Then he took a good look at her. She had dark brown hair that was in a ponytail, a blue sweater, a pink pair of jeans, and blue high tops. She had a pink and blue necklace and matching headband to complete the look. But what really caught Donnie's eye was the scar on her face. It ran through her left eye, from the middle of her forehead to the middle of her cheek.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for your help."
"No problem. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Maureen."
"I'm Donatello. Donnie or Don for short."
"Well it's nice to meet you Donnie. I guess I'll see you around." She walked away, leaving a dumbfounded Donatello in her wake.
