Note: I own neither the companies Guess Jeans, or
Cosmopolitan. Also the song Your Song doesn't belong to me
either.
Chapter 10 - Visions of the Dead
Being alone in the hospital gave Meredith time to think. She went over some songs in her head, mainly those from her upcoming performance and went through the lines. She slumped back down in a chair and awaited her parents' arrival. Hopefully they'll bring me some better clothes, she thought to herself. She straightened her skirt out anyways though, and waited for the intern to come back.
Annoyed she picked up a newspaper from the table beside her, every now and then looking back down at her watch. 11:35, 11:40, she kept the numbers in her head for something to do. Minutes seemed like hours as she flipped through the pages of Cosmopolitan, looking at all the models and comparing their straight uncurved bodies to her pudgy, curvy, pear shaped body. She felt her self esteem go down when a Guess Jean ad came up and she threw the magazine onto the table.
She placed her hands on her lap and looked ahead of her. Children were sleeping on their parents' laps and she remembered when she was a little girl, waking up from a bad dream and running into her parents' room and hopping into bed with them, feeling her father's arms hugging her and telling her it was okay and her mother making room for her. She felt a lump come into her throat and she leaned into the wall, depressed and angry at how fast her childhodd ended. She looked at her watch again. 11:45. Her parents should be there soon. She tapped her fingers on the table to the tune of Your Song by Elton John. Ever since John had performed it in their production, she had been obssessed with it. She mouthed the words to herself, looking as if she was having a whole conversation with herself.
She silently sat there, bored out of her mind when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"He's in his room now." Trish said. "512, just over there...Do you have parents or something?"
"I just called them." Meredith said. "How is he?"
"He's breathing by himself which is an improvement. He'll be fine. In a few hours he'll wake up, hopefully not until morning." Trish said.
"Can I see him?" Meredith asked hopefully.
Trish nodded. Meredith thanked her graciously, and the intern went back to the desk. Meredith braced herself. She couldn't believe it. She walked down the hall, the numbers 512 burning into her mind, constantly reminding her that this was her chance. She walked slowly, her shoes tapping and sending echoes down the hall. She opened the door. The room was a little dark. She closed the door behind her, the dim light in the room coming from a tiny crack in the curtains looking out on the hospital. She looked down at the sleeping mass of her William, his red locks hanging down by his face. He was still a year older, with a discrete change to his perfect face. Meredith felt her heart nearly collapse on itself. She pulled the chair from the corner beside the bed. A tiny tube feeding him oxygen went from around his still perfect face and fed him oxygen through his nose. She smiled at him as she held his hand in hers.
The door opened silently, and Doggett and Reyes enterred. Meredith didn't look up from her vigil on William's body. They stayed silent, moved by the visage they saw in front of them. Meredith turned finally. She looked directly at her parents. They came to her and she began to tear up.
"Have they reached Dana and Fox?" Reyes asked her daughter.
"Yes." She said. She wiped the tears forming in her eyes. She felt the salty fluid in her hands, then looked down at them in the little light she had. She moved her hand into thye small crack of light between the curtains and saw the red liquid on them
Blood.
She stood up.
"Excuse me for a moment." She said. Her parents couldn't believe her. SHe walked out of the room and into the bathroom.
Streaks of red flowed down her cheeks. She had been crying blood. She wiped the tears of blood off and threw some water on her face, washing off the pink eye make up and mascara she had put on before going to Formal. She washed her face clean and stood up, her eyes still closed and wiped off her face with some paper towel.
When at last she did open her eyes, she kept a scream stiffled under her breath. Someone was there, watching her, looking at her. She looked behind her. The figure in the mirror was gone. She couldn't believe it. He was there and yet he wasn't. She looked back in the mirror. The figure was gone. Meredith closed her eyes and shook her head.
Man, I have got to get more sleep, she thought. She opened the door, believing it all a dream, when the world rushed at her and suddenly images of people walking around her came into her eyesight. She felt them pass through her, into her and then out of her back. She turned around, watching images that no one else could see. She pressed herself against the window of William's room. The images didn't fade. She felt her heart stop within her chest and one of the dead images looked at her through white eyes. She felt fear prickle at the hairs on the back of her neck.
Suddenly a rush of the images told her they were gone, but not for good.
Chapter 10 - Visions of the Dead
Being alone in the hospital gave Meredith time to think. She went over some songs in her head, mainly those from her upcoming performance and went through the lines. She slumped back down in a chair and awaited her parents' arrival. Hopefully they'll bring me some better clothes, she thought to herself. She straightened her skirt out anyways though, and waited for the intern to come back.
Annoyed she picked up a newspaper from the table beside her, every now and then looking back down at her watch. 11:35, 11:40, she kept the numbers in her head for something to do. Minutes seemed like hours as she flipped through the pages of Cosmopolitan, looking at all the models and comparing their straight uncurved bodies to her pudgy, curvy, pear shaped body. She felt her self esteem go down when a Guess Jean ad came up and she threw the magazine onto the table.
She placed her hands on her lap and looked ahead of her. Children were sleeping on their parents' laps and she remembered when she was a little girl, waking up from a bad dream and running into her parents' room and hopping into bed with them, feeling her father's arms hugging her and telling her it was okay and her mother making room for her. She felt a lump come into her throat and she leaned into the wall, depressed and angry at how fast her childhodd ended. She looked at her watch again. 11:45. Her parents should be there soon. She tapped her fingers on the table to the tune of Your Song by Elton John. Ever since John had performed it in their production, she had been obssessed with it. She mouthed the words to herself, looking as if she was having a whole conversation with herself.
She silently sat there, bored out of her mind when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"He's in his room now." Trish said. "512, just over there...Do you have parents or something?"
"I just called them." Meredith said. "How is he?"
"He's breathing by himself which is an improvement. He'll be fine. In a few hours he'll wake up, hopefully not until morning." Trish said.
"Can I see him?" Meredith asked hopefully.
Trish nodded. Meredith thanked her graciously, and the intern went back to the desk. Meredith braced herself. She couldn't believe it. She walked down the hall, the numbers 512 burning into her mind, constantly reminding her that this was her chance. She walked slowly, her shoes tapping and sending echoes down the hall. She opened the door. The room was a little dark. She closed the door behind her, the dim light in the room coming from a tiny crack in the curtains looking out on the hospital. She looked down at the sleeping mass of her William, his red locks hanging down by his face. He was still a year older, with a discrete change to his perfect face. Meredith felt her heart nearly collapse on itself. She pulled the chair from the corner beside the bed. A tiny tube feeding him oxygen went from around his still perfect face and fed him oxygen through his nose. She smiled at him as she held his hand in hers.
The door opened silently, and Doggett and Reyes enterred. Meredith didn't look up from her vigil on William's body. They stayed silent, moved by the visage they saw in front of them. Meredith turned finally. She looked directly at her parents. They came to her and she began to tear up.
"Have they reached Dana and Fox?" Reyes asked her daughter.
"Yes." She said. She wiped the tears forming in her eyes. She felt the salty fluid in her hands, then looked down at them in the little light she had. She moved her hand into thye small crack of light between the curtains and saw the red liquid on them
Blood.
She stood up.
"Excuse me for a moment." She said. Her parents couldn't believe her. SHe walked out of the room and into the bathroom.
Streaks of red flowed down her cheeks. She had been crying blood. She wiped the tears of blood off and threw some water on her face, washing off the pink eye make up and mascara she had put on before going to Formal. She washed her face clean and stood up, her eyes still closed and wiped off her face with some paper towel.
When at last she did open her eyes, she kept a scream stiffled under her breath. Someone was there, watching her, looking at her. She looked behind her. The figure in the mirror was gone. She couldn't believe it. He was there and yet he wasn't. She looked back in the mirror. The figure was gone. Meredith closed her eyes and shook her head.
Man, I have got to get more sleep, she thought. She opened the door, believing it all a dream, when the world rushed at her and suddenly images of people walking around her came into her eyesight. She felt them pass through her, into her and then out of her back. She turned around, watching images that no one else could see. She pressed herself against the window of William's room. The images didn't fade. She felt her heart stop within her chest and one of the dead images looked at her through white eyes. She felt fear prickle at the hairs on the back of her neck.
Suddenly a rush of the images told her they were gone, but not for good.