Coyotes Weep – The Night Series
Part 4
Darkest Night
It's dark tonight. Inky black. Not a single star to disrupt the sky. Nothing to break up the nebulous depths of the abyss. Nothing, until you focus lower down and see the lights in the parking lot and blinking lights of the bank of monitors surrounding me. I know the stars are still there. They just can't be seen right now and everything feels opaque.
I'm surprised to see you here tonight. I didn't think you were the kind of doctor who made hospital calls. Sorry. That was rude. I… I guess I'm glad you came tonight. The gang keeps coming by. An attempt to keep my spirits up, I guess. It's hard on them. They don't like seeing me back in here. They just… they thought when I regained the use of my hands and started getting feeling back in my legs that everything was going to get back to normal. It depresses them. They see this as a failure on their part. I try to keep their spirits up. Shit happens. Usually to me. That's dark, isn't it?
The stygian depths of the soul. A place where no hope can live.
Me? This is like a home away from home. Maybe the closest thing to a home that I have left since the loft…. I've spent so much time in here, I know most of the doctors and nurses by name. Hell, I even know the names of their spouses and kids.
No, don't! No need to
bother
I'm getting really tired now. I think I'm going to take a little nap. Do you… Could you… Um, would you mind staying for just a little while? The meds sometimes trigger nightmares and it… it helps to have someone in here. Simon should be back in about twenty minutes.
Thanks. I, um… thanks. NO! Don't sit in that one. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. Please sit in the other chair. I need that one to stay empty. If someone else sits there… it's just easier if the chair is empty when I wake up. It's a depressing reality check, I guess. I still expect to see him sitting in that chair when I wake up in the hospital. Every single time. And he's never there.
Feedback is always appreciated. Cheryl