Ludwig spent the night at the hospital. Feliciano needed his sleep, so he didn't try to disturb him. When he woke up the next morning in the waiting room, many other sleeping individuals surrounded him. Gifts were scattered around in ribboned baskets, and apparently somebody had left some cookies for him. He smoothed down his hair and bit into a chocolate chip, savoring the sweet flavor in his mouth.
Dr. Mazzarisi didn't say a word to him, even when they passed each other. Ludwig realized it must have been hard to see that happen again... but why did he become a doctor? He hurried home with the basket to take a shower; he noticed that there was a new vase, even more beautiful than the first two. He grinned, wondering if he'd ever break another one.
After a couple of hours, a much cleaner and well-dressed man arrived at the hospital. When he told the shy girl behind the counter his business, she led him to an entirely different waiting room, one that was vacant and pure white. She explained, "In just that other room, the operation will be taking place. When certain things happen, the first outsider to know will be you." she bowed and left him to find a seat. He gladly took one.
"Things are going to go right today. He's definitely going to live."
...
For many hours, Ludwig patiently sat in that white room with no word from anyone. Nurses came and went with medicine and other drugs, but for the rest of the time, he was alone. Dr. Mazzarisi and his team were the people supposed to be operating on him. The word he had gotten when they intercommed that the operation was starting was, "Dr. Mazzarisi is absent today."
Ludwig himself was soon asked to leave to take a shower once again.
He approached the now empty streets, filled with black nothingness as night conquered day. Cars parked on the street no longer had roaring engines, the guitar players had gone home, and the sweet smells were taken in, not being able to be left out or else they would rot. He sucked in the air, which seemed reminiscent of the air from his home. 8:00, and there was still no word from Feliciano's doctors. He began to wonder what they were doing that they couldn't tell him.
As the warm water ran down his back, he wondered many things. What if... Feliciano survived? What if he's lucky, and I can get a college degree in Naples and stay here to take care of him forever? It seemed like nonsense to him, but that's what he wanted to happen. He wanted that to happen more than anything else.
He put on something a little more casual, wrapped a towel around his neck, and sat on Feliciano's back porch, his legs rocking back and forth. When he looked up in the sky, a shooting star shot by.
"Look! Ludwig!"
"What is it now, I'm trying to read!"
"It's a star! If you make a wish on it, it will come true!"
"You still believe in those childrens' tales?"
"Of course I do! Come on, make a wish!"
"Fine..." I set down my book and popped up my head. Sure enough, a brightly shining shooting star was zooming across the night sky like a lantern in a haunted house. I turned back to him, and he silently encouraged me. "I wish... that the two of us can be the best of friends for a very long time. Happy?"
"Yay! Ludwig did it!" he began cuddling his older friend, who tried yanking him off.
"I remember..." he cupped the side of his head into his right hand. "I guess I'll make another wish. I wish... that Feliciano is happy, no matter what happens."
The star diminished, revealing an ink-like sky. He sighed, picking himself up off the ground. There was more waiting he needed to do.
...
When he returned to the hospital, he was immediately approached by the counter girl. "Something's happening!" she panicked, and he quickly followed her back to the waiting room. He took a seat next to the intercom, which was crackling and wincing. He listened in to what they were saying.
"We need to stop! If this goes on any longer, he'll be overexposed!"
"If we close him up now, he'll die as well! Let's keep going!"
They argued and argued, and as the heart rate started getting slower (as he could hear through the intercom), their voices raised. Ludwig felt a lump rise in his throat. He suddenly turned to the girl from the front desk, "What's happening?"
She set a sympathetic hand on his shoulder as she replied, "If they leave his head open for much longer, he'll be overexposed to the outside and die. If they close up his head and try to continue tomorrow, he'll die as well. Their only option is to try and finish the surgery as fast as possible."
"WE NEED TO STOP!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
"HE'LL DIE!"
"HE'LL DIE!"
beeeep, beeeep, beeeep
It slowed to 3 times a minute. He put his ear against the door.
"THAT'S IT! WAKE HIM UP!"
"WHY!"
"JUST DO IT! AND GRAB HIS FRIEND!"
"WHO!"
"THE MAN IN THE WAITING ROOM!"
The door flew open, which knocked Ludwig backwards. The man dressed in white shouted, "Come with me! Quickly!" he nodded in agreement, although he wasn't sure what was going on. The men shoved a pill into Feliciano's fish-like mouth.
His eyes opened, full of fear and pain.
"Feliciano! Are you alright?"
"..."
"FELICIANO! ANSWER ME!" when he didn't get an answer, he turned to the doctors. "What's going on?"
"We've awoken him because... there's nothing else we can do."
"Y...you're kidding, right? ...Feliciano!"
"...Luth...no...Ludwig...
"th...an...k...y...ou..."
He closed his eyes, his hand being furiously squeezed by his German friend.
It was the end.
"Feliciano Vargas is dead."