OLD Campus Crush

42

Victor Norlander as Jon
**
Lucas lowered the TV's volume as my friends all looked at me with concerned expressions. I pressed the phone to my ear, standing up and moving toward the wall. "Dani, take a breath and tell me what happened, please."

"O-okay. I... Our family came over, you know, a-and David was sitting next to me... He had a seizure, Casper!" I gasped, putting a hand over my mouth in shock. "And I didn't even know it until our brother walked in and said that David looked like he was spaced out. I freaked..."

"Oh my god, Dani. Where is he now?"

"At the hospital. The um, the doctors said it's an absence seizure. They called it petit mal and it doesn't last long, but... Casper, I should've noticed."

"I need to be there. I wanna see him. Please? I-I can't bear it if something happens... what hospital?"

I watched as Ava stood up, grabbing her car keys and nodding at me. "Okay, just send me the directions and how to find you when I'm there. I'll call you; I'm on my way." I hung up.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, standing up as well and approaching me. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"David had an absence seizure and I need to get to the hospital."

"Of course," Ava understood. "I'll drive you."

"Don't be afraid, okay?" Lucas touched my arm. "He'll be fine, especially when he sees you."

"You should go. Hurry," Jonathan said. "Keep us posted."

"Thanks for understanding, guys." I followed Ava out the door and into the elevator. She grabbed my hand, squeezing it.

"I'm sorry this is happening. It must be scary. So I won't tell you not to worry or not to be afraid. I just want you to know that you don't have to go through any of this on your own."

"Ava... I am scared." My eyes filled to the brim with tears. "I could lose him and I have no choice but to live with that." The elevator opened before she had the chance to respond. Wasting no time, she gently pulled me along, all the way outside and to her parked car. I opened the messages that Dani had sent me as I fastened my seat belt. "He's at Frankfurt Memorial Hospital. The one Lucas went to."

"Is that where he's having surgery? It's a really great hospital." She backed out of the spot she'd parked in and drove out of the lot.

"They can prove that by keeping him alive."

"It's still hard to believe. I mean, I've known Dr. Larsen--or, David--since fall of freshman year."

"What was he like then? Different?"

"He cracked a lot of jokes in class. Teased and roasted his students, made us laugh... we loved him. He was like one of us, you know?"

"Really? He seemed so serious this year."

"Well, now that I know he has a tumor... I figure he must've known before this semester started because that's when I noticed his entire mood switch. I haven't heard him crack a joke this year next thing we know he resigns. At least now I know why, and it's understandable."

"I've gotten to know him. He still makes jokes. Sometimes they're morbid, but... He still laughs and smiles, I promise."

Ava chuckled softly. "That's good to know."

She started to talk to me about other things, probably in an effort to get my mind off of everything going on. It didn't work but I kept my mouth shut for at least twenty minutes.

"I'm gonna call his sister. I just need to know what's going on."

"Yeah, of course."

I dialed Dani's number and held the phone to my ear. It rang for a long time before she picked up, and spoke to me in a whisper. "Hey, Casper. Sorry, I had to step out the room."