forever star

chapter 8

John Matthew

Me and David were having lunch together. I prefer to be quiet and listen to what he's saying.

"How's everything with Sophia?" I asked, since he's been distracted lately.

"Everything's fine, but when she goes to New Zealand, she's getting engaged to someone else," he said sadly.

"Oh, by the way, how long has Emma been here?"

"I don't know, maybe two weeks," I said, finishing my sandwich.

"It's strange, no one has visited her," he said. I stopped and thought about it. He was right, no one had come to check on her. Maybe I should ask her.

"Hey, where are you going, John?" he asked, but I didn't answer. I just ran to her room.

As I rushed into her room, I suddenly stopped when I heard her crying. She was sobbing. I slowly opened the door and saw her standing by the window.

"19," I called her. She turned and looked at me. I went to her and hugged her. She cried even harder against my chest.

"Hey, 19, what's wrong? Did someone upset you?" I asked. She broke the hug and stared at me.

"No one will ever love me or want to marry me!" Emma exclaimed, sounding upset. "Everyone will hate me forever! My mom hates me, my dad left, Jacob cheated on me, and..."

She suddenly collapsed. I called the nurse and helped her onto the bed, then started to take care of her.

After an hour, I sat by her side, not wanting to leave her. I held her hand, even though I couldn't understand why I was doing it. She was lying unconscious. When she opened her eyes and looked at me, she spoke.

"Why are you doing this, John? I know you hate me, so stop pitying me. I know I'm in a bad condition," she said, slowly removing her hand. But I held it tightly.

"I'm not pitying you, 19. It's just that I'm not heartless. I can't stand to see you suffering alone, and about the past, it's in the past. I need to take care of you, understand?" I said, wiping away some tears from her eyes. She went back to sleep; she needed rest.

I stood up and left the room, hoping that when she woke up, there would be a beautiful smile on her face.

The next day, Stella asked, "Dr. John, how long do I have to stay here?" as I checked her heartbeat.

"Well, if you're a good girl and take all your medicine on time, then you'll be free, little Stella," I said, gathering my things.

"Then I won't take it on time. I don't want to leave you. I love you, Dr. John," she said, hiding her face in the pillow. I chuckled at her reaction.

"Well, if you take your medicine on time, maybe we can go on a date," I suggested. She smiled and hugged me.

After checking up on her, I thought I should check on Emma too. When I opened her door, she wasn't there. I panicked and started searching for her. Then I remembered where she might be. I ran to the garden and found her sitting on a bench, admiring the sky.