Chapter XVIII
I Am Presently In A Phone Booth At The Corner Of Walk And Don't Walk
Jane sat nervously in the waiting room outside the Operating Room, the same Operating Room she had encountered when Eddie had been hit by the car. So she knew the walls, the tension, the couch, and even the floor very well.
China was sitting quietly next to her mother, playing with her fingers and impatiently watching as doctors went in and out of the room her father was "sleeping" in. She didn't quite understand what all they were doing to him, but she hadn't liked it when they had cut off all of his hair.
"Jane?" Her friend's whispering voice calmly brought her out of introspection and she slowly turned to her, wiping the tears away from her face.
"Hey Liz," Jane wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders, sniffing back more tears as they threatened to press forward.
"How's he doing?" Liz asked, kneeling down in front of Jane and steadying herself by putting a hand on Jane's knee.
"None of the doctors have come out to vomit their grieving at me," She tried to lighten the subject. "So I suppose everything's going fine." Liz smiled at Jane's try and looked over at China, smiling wider.
"Hey there," Liz said, completely worthless at using sign language, so she depended on Jane to translate for her.
China only smiled dutifully back before looking away, her big eyes busied by staring at the door that doctors kept disappearing and reappearing in and out of.
Liz looked away unscathed and looked back to her friend's face.
Jane snorted as something incredulous popped into her mind, "guess what they told us right before Eddie went under?!" After a moment, Liz only raised her eyebrows and shook her head, not knowing the answer.
"This SDC, or SCD, or whatever the hell it is, it's going to take possibly eight days to drain it all out! Eight consecutive days!" She seemed appalled as well as amazed by the fact.
"Eight days?" Liz didn't understand.
"Yes, eight! Well, I mean, he's not going to stay in the operating room throughout it, but he'll have this shunt running out from the back of his head like a…" She couldn't finish her statement, instead she was overcome with tears and she immediately raised her hands to her face, covering her tears.
Liz got teary eyed as well and reached up to wrap her arms around her friend again, freely giving away her comfort.
After a moment, Jane recollected herself and pulled herself away, trying to be strong for China.
She sighed shakily and sat back, Liz taking a seat next to her, sort of sprawled across the back of the couch with her butt balanced on the arm rest. Liz placed her hand on Jane's shoulder, just out of comfort.
Before she knew it, China crawled silently into her mother's lap, standing up on her thighs and looking her straight in the face. Jane held out her hands so that China could hang onto them for balance as she leaned forward and gently kissed her mother on the lips.
'Daddy will be okay.' China signed as she freed her hands from her mother, sitting back down across Jane's thighs.
The thought made a tear come loose from Jane's eye and roll down her cheek. 'You shouldn't cry,' China added with an innocent smile. 'Daddy says that you cry too much.'
Jane couldn't help the rush of tears as she smiled and pulled China toward her chest, hugging her tightly. After what felt like eternity, she finally let go to see China smiling happily up at her.
They sat in silence again, Jane and Liz and China watching the doors intently, Liz stroking Jane's hair, China once again playing with her fingers, and Jane chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
Eventually, Laura came back to check up on everything and was kind enough to turn on the television up in the corner of the room, even though a crappy soap opera was on, it still eased spirit's just a little.
Despite the fact that they couldn't hear it, Jane could make out that the lead character's husband was in a coma in the hospital, and their sister has just given birth to twins, which really don't belong to her husband, but to the milk man who -
Suddenly, Jane got interrupted as a hand was laid on her shoulder, and she turned to see Laura looking down on her.
"What's wrong?" Jane suddenly didn't like the fact that Laura was standing over her, her hand on her shoulder.
"No, Jane, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to show you something…" Laura smiled as she held out her hand toward Jane, helping her up from her seat. "Your friend can come too." Laura smiled casually at Liz, who returned with a smile as she rose.
'You want to see a surprise?' Laura signed to Jane, who nodded happily, hoping with all her little heart that it was going to be her daddy.
But she was concerned when they didn't go into the room where her daddy was, instead, they made their way to an elevator.
As they entered the elevator, Laura turned to everyone with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Alright, now I want you to close your eyes."
With some confused looks to each other, mostly by Jane and Liz - China whole-heartedly putting her trust into Laura and squeezing her big eyes shut - eventually closed their eyes as well.
"Okay, now Jane, hold onto your friend's hand, and hold onto China's, there, good." Laura took China's other hand as the elevator lurched to a stop, a small giggle of embarrassment leaking out of Liz, unable to hold it.
Like blind cattle, Laura led the sightless trio out of the elevator and down a hallway that was relatively blank, occasionally looking back to see if anyone was peaking, which no one was.
Smiling to herself and waiting until she almost couldn't take it anymore, Laura pushed open the door and pulled the blind people out quickly into an alien world.
"Okay, open your eyes!" Laura beamed, revealing to the two women that could hear her the fact that they were standing atop the roof of the hospital, the warm night air whispering and flowing around them soothingly.
Jane was a little dumbfounded, but shook China's hand gently, finally getting her to peak and return her mommy's confused looks.
China, Jane, and Liz turned to Laura as if she was crazy, her face still etched with a smile. "It's the night sky, so what?" Liz asked, breaking the awkward silence.
Suddenly, they were astonished as Laura's eyeglasses exploded with color and a soft thunder erupted behind them, and they all turned in unison to discover that the sky was alive with explosions of blue, gold, red, green, and white.
'Look at the fireworks mommy!' China signed ecstatically, her eyes wide with excitement, her little face shining. 'They're so pretty!' Immediately, she ran to the edge of the roof, Laura catching her before she was able to touch the railing.
Laura laughed at China's humorous scream and lifted her up onto her shoulders, giving her an even more grand view as fireworks exploded in the night sky.
Jane sighed shakily as she watched the excitement in China, the way she signed almost too fast for her fingers to catch up to her little mind, and the huge smile splitting her face, reminding Jane of everything.
Suddenly, Liz laid her head on Jane's shoulder, her hand snaking loosely around her shoulder as she pulled her toward her, comforting Jane. "Happy Fourth of July, Jane." Liz whispered.
Jane smiled and responded beneath her breath.
"Happy Fourth of July…Eddie…"
I Am Presently In A Phone Booth At The Corner Of Walk And Don't Walk
Jane sat nervously in the waiting room outside the Operating Room, the same Operating Room she had encountered when Eddie had been hit by the car. So she knew the walls, the tension, the couch, and even the floor very well.
China was sitting quietly next to her mother, playing with her fingers and impatiently watching as doctors went in and out of the room her father was "sleeping" in. She didn't quite understand what all they were doing to him, but she hadn't liked it when they had cut off all of his hair.
"Jane?" Her friend's whispering voice calmly brought her out of introspection and she slowly turned to her, wiping the tears away from her face.
"Hey Liz," Jane wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders, sniffing back more tears as they threatened to press forward.
"How's he doing?" Liz asked, kneeling down in front of Jane and steadying herself by putting a hand on Jane's knee.
"None of the doctors have come out to vomit their grieving at me," She tried to lighten the subject. "So I suppose everything's going fine." Liz smiled at Jane's try and looked over at China, smiling wider.
"Hey there," Liz said, completely worthless at using sign language, so she depended on Jane to translate for her.
China only smiled dutifully back before looking away, her big eyes busied by staring at the door that doctors kept disappearing and reappearing in and out of.
Liz looked away unscathed and looked back to her friend's face.
Jane snorted as something incredulous popped into her mind, "guess what they told us right before Eddie went under?!" After a moment, Liz only raised her eyebrows and shook her head, not knowing the answer.
"This SDC, or SCD, or whatever the hell it is, it's going to take possibly eight days to drain it all out! Eight consecutive days!" She seemed appalled as well as amazed by the fact.
"Eight days?" Liz didn't understand.
"Yes, eight! Well, I mean, he's not going to stay in the operating room throughout it, but he'll have this shunt running out from the back of his head like a…" She couldn't finish her statement, instead she was overcome with tears and she immediately raised her hands to her face, covering her tears.
Liz got teary eyed as well and reached up to wrap her arms around her friend again, freely giving away her comfort.
After a moment, Jane recollected herself and pulled herself away, trying to be strong for China.
She sighed shakily and sat back, Liz taking a seat next to her, sort of sprawled across the back of the couch with her butt balanced on the arm rest. Liz placed her hand on Jane's shoulder, just out of comfort.
Before she knew it, China crawled silently into her mother's lap, standing up on her thighs and looking her straight in the face. Jane held out her hands so that China could hang onto them for balance as she leaned forward and gently kissed her mother on the lips.
'Daddy will be okay.' China signed as she freed her hands from her mother, sitting back down across Jane's thighs.
The thought made a tear come loose from Jane's eye and roll down her cheek. 'You shouldn't cry,' China added with an innocent smile. 'Daddy says that you cry too much.'
Jane couldn't help the rush of tears as she smiled and pulled China toward her chest, hugging her tightly. After what felt like eternity, she finally let go to see China smiling happily up at her.
They sat in silence again, Jane and Liz and China watching the doors intently, Liz stroking Jane's hair, China once again playing with her fingers, and Jane chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
Eventually, Laura came back to check up on everything and was kind enough to turn on the television up in the corner of the room, even though a crappy soap opera was on, it still eased spirit's just a little.
Despite the fact that they couldn't hear it, Jane could make out that the lead character's husband was in a coma in the hospital, and their sister has just given birth to twins, which really don't belong to her husband, but to the milk man who -
Suddenly, Jane got interrupted as a hand was laid on her shoulder, and she turned to see Laura looking down on her.
"What's wrong?" Jane suddenly didn't like the fact that Laura was standing over her, her hand on her shoulder.
"No, Jane, nothing's wrong, I just wanted to show you something…" Laura smiled as she held out her hand toward Jane, helping her up from her seat. "Your friend can come too." Laura smiled casually at Liz, who returned with a smile as she rose.
'You want to see a surprise?' Laura signed to Jane, who nodded happily, hoping with all her little heart that it was going to be her daddy.
But she was concerned when they didn't go into the room where her daddy was, instead, they made their way to an elevator.
As they entered the elevator, Laura turned to everyone with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Alright, now I want you to close your eyes."
With some confused looks to each other, mostly by Jane and Liz - China whole-heartedly putting her trust into Laura and squeezing her big eyes shut - eventually closed their eyes as well.
"Okay, now Jane, hold onto your friend's hand, and hold onto China's, there, good." Laura took China's other hand as the elevator lurched to a stop, a small giggle of embarrassment leaking out of Liz, unable to hold it.
Like blind cattle, Laura led the sightless trio out of the elevator and down a hallway that was relatively blank, occasionally looking back to see if anyone was peaking, which no one was.
Smiling to herself and waiting until she almost couldn't take it anymore, Laura pushed open the door and pulled the blind people out quickly into an alien world.
"Okay, open your eyes!" Laura beamed, revealing to the two women that could hear her the fact that they were standing atop the roof of the hospital, the warm night air whispering and flowing around them soothingly.
Jane was a little dumbfounded, but shook China's hand gently, finally getting her to peak and return her mommy's confused looks.
China, Jane, and Liz turned to Laura as if she was crazy, her face still etched with a smile. "It's the night sky, so what?" Liz asked, breaking the awkward silence.
Suddenly, they were astonished as Laura's eyeglasses exploded with color and a soft thunder erupted behind them, and they all turned in unison to discover that the sky was alive with explosions of blue, gold, red, green, and white.
'Look at the fireworks mommy!' China signed ecstatically, her eyes wide with excitement, her little face shining. 'They're so pretty!' Immediately, she ran to the edge of the roof, Laura catching her before she was able to touch the railing.
Laura laughed at China's humorous scream and lifted her up onto her shoulders, giving her an even more grand view as fireworks exploded in the night sky.
Jane sighed shakily as she watched the excitement in China, the way she signed almost too fast for her fingers to catch up to her little mind, and the huge smile splitting her face, reminding Jane of everything.
Suddenly, Liz laid her head on Jane's shoulder, her hand snaking loosely around her shoulder as she pulled her toward her, comforting Jane. "Happy Fourth of July, Jane." Liz whispered.
Jane smiled and responded beneath her breath.
"Happy Fourth of July…Eddie…"