Hey, so I decided to continue this, so we will have to see how it goes.
Erik spent a restless night in the ICU after Christine had left for the night. There seemed to be no end to the people coming in and out of his room to monitor him and he did not care to have people looking at him so much. Of course, the other nurses were perfectly civil, much to Erik's surprise, but he could still feel the path their eyes took to his face. And the machines around him were always beeping or making little noises. What had seemed faint and unnoticeable at first now seemed deafening. He felt an uneasy sense of restlessness, being out of the safety of his home, and away from his compositions. He hated having nothing to do but lay there in the semi-dark.
Needless to say, he was glad when morning came and Christine's friendly face came breezing in. She quickly checked his vitals and smiled at him "Well Erik, you look like you are doing great, if you keep this up we can get you out of the ICU today, and then soon out of the hospital" she announced cheerily. "How did you sleep last night?"
"I did not" Erik responded. "I do not understand the purpose of all these machines or why I could hardly stay in my room alone for five minutes before someone came into check on me" he scowled.
Christine chuckled "That's just how it is in the ICU, but don't worry you should be out of here before tonight and you'll be much more comfortable then."
Erik only raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. Christine continued on "Oh I did want to ask you something, is there anyone we can call for you? Family, friends, someone who could help you and visit?"
Erik almost told her no, don't worry about it. He didn't have any family, and the only person he could call was Nadir. He thought unkindly that he would rather be alone than deal with the pesky presence of Nadir. But then as he thought about it he was sure Nadir could bring him a mask and he wouldn't have to have people looking at him, well at least not as much. "Well... there is an acquaintance you can call, I'm sure he would come"
"Great! Give me his number and I'll call him for you," said Christine.
Erik wrote down Nadir's number for Christine and handed it to her.
Meanwhile, Nadir was sitting in his home peacefully reading the paper, when his phone rang.
"Hello this is Greenwood Hospital, is this Nadir Khan?" asked a female voice on the other end.
"Yes, this is he... why are you calling me?" Nadir asked
"Your friend, Erik, is here. He said that you were someone we could call? If you would like to visit he is on the third floor, room 318" said the voice.
Nadir drew in a breath. What had happened to Erik? Why was he in the hospital? What was bad enough that Erik, Erik, decided to call him. "Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can. What happened?"
"I'm sorry, I can't say, you'll have to come here and I'm sure Erik can tell you" she responded.
Yeah, fat chance of that thought Nadir grimly. "Okay, well thanks anyways, I'm heading over now," said Nadir.
"Okay, goodbye" she responded before hanging up. Meanwhile, Nadir grabbed his coat and left for the hospital.
While Christine was talking to Nadir, Erik was cleared by another nurse to be moved out of the ICU. Now he was sitting in bed after the harrowing journey from his previous room. It was then that Christine came into the room. "Hey, I see you're here now, are you comfortable? If there is anything I can get you let me know. Also, your friend is on the way"
"I'm fine thank you, and he's more of an annoying acquaintance than a friend," Erik said.
Much to Erik's joy Christine laughed at this "Well you can't hate home too much or you wouldn't have had me call him" she insisted. Erik just looked at her and she continued on "But I have good news from you, you should be able to go home soon, just a few days, of course then you will still need to go to PT but you have a good prognosis"
"I will be glad to be home" Erik agreed.
"Soon you should be," said Christine "Alright, I should get going now unless you need anything?"
"Stay, please" asked Erik "I have nothing else to do and I enjoy talking to you"
"I can't be that great company," Christine said but she sat down nonetheless. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"Tell me about yourself, what made you decide to become a nurse? What else do you like to do?" Erik inquired
"Well, I used to want to be a singer, but... things change. My dad died of cancer when I was in high school and I couldn't afford lessons or anything like that, especially with all the doctor's bills. Without those, I knew I would never be good enough to make it. So I became a nurse to save up money to maybe do that in the future. I guess I could have chosen anything but I like to help people, and the nurses who helped my dad while he was sick were always so nice and helpful with everything, and I wanted to give back what they gave me" Christine explained "They gave him, and me, comfort in his last moments"
Erik was silent for a moment before speaking "I'm very sorry about your father, you truly are an amazing person to be so kind despite losing him." he said sincerely, such a kind soul did not deserve to suffer such sorrow. "You sing? I'm sure you have a beautiful voice, would you sing something for me?" Erik had no idea what possessed him to ask her this. He had no idea if she was actually good. But he still wanted to hear her sing. Perhaps he had been away from composing for too long. Perhaps he was just lonely and wanted the added company of her voice. A part of him just told him that he had to hear her sing.
"Oh, well I'm sure I'm not that good, I mean I'm not a professional or anything" Christine protested.
"Nonsense, I'm sure you have a fine voice" Erik insisted "And didn't you say you wanted to know of you could get me anything? Well I want you to sing"
Christine sighed, slightly amused "Using my own words against me are you now?" Fine, I'll sing" she said and paused to decide on a song. She decided on one, thinking of her father as she often did when she sang.
How I wish that I could tell you
It's to you that I would run
You were the place that I could always rest my head
When my world had come undone
'Cause I've been wrestling with my demons
Telling me I have no choice
How I wish that I could lean upon you now
Amidst the chaos and the noise
Your light buried the dark
A constant unwavering heart
You were the well to cool my fury
Deep and calm your waters feel
Your quiet words a salve to soothe my wayward soul
It was there I learned to heal
Your light buried the dark
A constant unwavering heart
Oh I hope that you can hear me
Through the ravages of time
You have carried me through more than you could know
I still feel your hand in mine
Your light buried the dark
A constant unwavering heart
Your light buried the dark
A constant unwavering heart
She finished with tears in her eyes that she quickly wiped away.
"You have a beautiful voice Christine" Erik spoke softly. And it was true, her voice was sublime, she had so much potential. With just a little practice and training she could bring the world to its feet.
"Thank you Erik" smiled Christine
So... tell me what you think. I hope you liked the addition. The song Christine sang is "song for my father" by Sarah Mclachlan. She wrote it about her father who she lost to cancer. If anyone has lost a loved one to cancer, my condolences. It is terrible to have someone you love taken from you. Anyways, please review, I love to hear what you think.