Hide Your Fires

12: Hospital

“Jude Rhodes,” I say to the receptionist inside of the hospital that has a sterile stench that makes me sick to my stomach. I hate hospitals. I hate them so much. The smell, the whiteness, the clinical precision, the sound of sobbing from a death mixed with the sound of laughter from a new child or a close call.

“I need to see identification,” The lady tells me and I basically throw my ID at her.

“I’m his legal guardian, please just let me see him,” I plead with her as she checks my ID and then hands it back to me.

“The doctor should still be with him in the back. Room 810,” She informs me just before I start hurrying down the hallway as I look for 810. It skips the odd numbers so once I see 808, I barge into the next room.

Jude is sitting on the hospital bed and I become dizzy- not because of Jude but because of the flashbacks that I’m suddenly smacked in the face with- and when Jude sees me, he grins.

“Hallie!” He cheers.

The first thing that I notice about him is the blue plaster cast on his left arm and then I notice the small white bandage on the side of his forehead. The doctor to his left is writing something down on a clipboard as he glances up at me.

“Oh my God, Jude,” I sigh, rushing over to him and gingerly wrapping my arms around him, trying my best not to hurt him since I don’t know what actually happened. “What happened to you?”

“I just fell,” He tells me as if that’s not a big deal at all.

“He has a broken arm,” The doctor informs me, stretching his hand out to meet mine. His hand is warm but clammy and after a quick shake, I pull my hand away, feeling those flashbacks buzzing in the back of my head as I try to push them away. “I’m his doctor, Dr. Morose. We thought he might have a concussion but we ran the tests and it was just a bump on the head. We just need to make sure the cast is set right and you’ll be able to take him home in about an hour.”

“Thank you,” I breathe. He nods before scurrying out of the room with his white doctor coat floating after him like a cape. When he’s completely gone, I look at Jude. “What happened? Where’s Matt?”

Jude just shrugs with his right arm. “He just told me that I had to stay by myself for a little while and then he left.”

“He left you at the house by yourself?” I try to clarify in disbelief. I knew that Matt was trying to be all rebellious and everything but I never thought that he’d stoop to a level so incredibly low as to leaving his six year old brother home alone.

He nods, looking down at the bed that he’s sitting in. “Yes. Does that make me in trouble?”

“No, of course not,” I shake my head at him. “Tell me what happened to your arm.”

“I fell,” He sighs.

“Were you trying to run again?” I ask him, remembering how much he loves to run down the hallway but how easy it is for him to slip and fall while he’s doing so.

“Yes,” He mumbles, looking down again as if he’s preparing for me to yell at him. “But it was an accident, I swear. I didn’t mean to fall.”

“I know that, but-“ I stop talking when I hear the door open and turn around to see Brie walk through the door. The sophomore who lives across the street who sometimes babysits Jude.

“Oh, hey,” She smiles at me. “They finally let me come back here. How’s he doing?”

“He’s fine, I guess. Just a broken arm,” I reply slowly. “What are you doing here?”