Chapter 2: The Visit

... So Tristan went to see her after he got home from the long train ride. He entered the glass doors leading inside of the hospital. He had a bouquet of flowers. He walked up to the "Help Center". "Hello." The lady behind the booth turned round. She was on the phone. "I have to go, sorry." She said. She had a sweet voice. Honey like, if you know what I mean.

She hung up the phone. "Yes? May I help you?" She said. "Yeah, can you give me the room number to Sherri White, please?" Said Tristan. "Of course." Said the lady behind the counter. Tristan looked at her name-tag, it said RoseMarie. He could see her looking it up. He Heard the keys go"Tap, tap, tap" over, and over, and over again. He was tuning into what was going on again. His mind heard every sound. He heard the screams, of a woman who had just lost her baby at birth, the moans of an old man with back problems, he could hear everything.

Then it all came back in. "Sir? Sir?" Tristan shook his head. "Are you alright?" Said RoseMarie. "Yeah." Said Tristan. "The room to Mrs.White?" She said. "Yeah." " 204." She replied. "Thanks, RoseMarie." She looked at him with big eyes, as he walked away. "Floor 5." He heard her yell as he got into the elevator.

"Yes?" He heard a voice. Tristan turned round. "Oh..ahhh..." "Floor 5?" Said the Operator, whose name was Cal' Smith, it said so on his name-tag. "Ohhh, yeah." Said tristan. "How'd you know?" He said. "I heard RoseMarie yell it at you." "Oh, yeah." Said Tristan. For some reason, that's all he kept coming up with.

Once he got out of the elevator, he thanked Cal', and walked, looking at the numbers on the doors until he stopped at room "204". He took a deep breath, and walked in. He could see his step mother looking at him. She had a breathing mask on. "H-h-hi." She said, out of breath, when she took of the mask. "Hi. I wanted to see you, I don't know why." Said Tristan. He could see Sherri look at him. "How come you never visit anymore?" She said. "You used to visit." Sherri had been in the hospital for 18 months now, and Tristan used to visit her, when he thought himself foolish, and young. "I came." Said Tristan. " I'm here now." Tristan was nervous. He had never felt so sad about it before. Now he felt quilty, now he felt the urge to run and hug her, and weirdly thank her, for taking care of him. But he didn't. He just stared. "Listen, I'm sorry, that I havn't visited in a while, you know." He said. " It's ok, sweetie." She said. "I forgive you!"

"Listen you know, I've gotta go, so soon I know." He said, when she saw her eyes look uninterested. "i'm sorry, I've got classes to teach, you know." He said. "I've got roses for you, I hope you like them." He said. "Well, any gift I am thankful for!" She said. "Good-Bye now!" "Bye." Said tristan, walking to the door, and out.