HappyFace | Ashton Irwin

Chapter Six: Honesty

Death is a part of life and it happens to everyone. It affects the friends and family of those still living greatly. So, of course, the news that Annie wasn't dead was quite a relief.

But what wasn't a relief was knowing that Annie was very sick. Now, when I say sick, I mean sick as in not leaving the hospital bed sick. There was a chance that Annie could die at any minute, but isn't it that way for all of us?

We could die in our sleep, be hit by a car, or experience a heart attack at any given moment and there would be no time ask for forgiveness, no time to tell your significant other you love them, no time to do all the things you want to do.

People too often take for granted how lucky they are to even be alive or to be in the position they're in. Annie never really realized this until now.

When Annie woke up in the plain colored hospital bed to say the was utterly confused would be an understatement. She had a panic attack. Her breathing sped up and she felt completely disconnected from the doctors trying to speak to her and calm her down. Tears sprang from her eyes as she curled up
into a ball, wrapping herself in the gray hospital sheets that were on her bed.

"Annie can you hear me?" Someone asked, Annie couldn't tell who it was, she only nodded.

"Why are you crying?" The voice cooed.

"I-I don't k-know why I'm in t-the hospital," Annie stuttered nervously.

"Breathe for me, Annie," They said. Annie obeyed, taking deep breathes, soothing her anxiety.

"T-thank you," Annie said once she had calmed down.

"You're welcome," They replied. Annie's vision cleared and she realized it was Ashton.

"A-Ashton?" She asked.

Blushing, he nodded timidly before being rushed out of the room by a nurse. Annie embarrassingly laid back down on the bed. She couldn't believe she has just done that in front of Ashton.

"So, Annie, right?" A doctor who's name tag read 'Marty' asked.

"Yeah?" Annie confirmed, picking at her nails.

The doctor walked around the bed to a computer on a tall rolling cart, "You're probably wondering why you're here," He said and Annie nodded. "You're sick."

"No shit," Annie mumbled under he breath. Marty heard, but ignored it.

Pressing a few buttons on the computer he explained, "You have phenomena. Do you know what that is?"

"Yeah, of course I know what that is," Annie replied bluntly, "So, I can go home?"

"Annie, you're phenomena is very severe, if we were to send you home you suffocate to death," Marty gestured to the clear, plastic cannula that was helping Annie breathe.

Annie shifted uncomfortably in the bed, "So, I can't breathe without this thing?" She motioned her hand to the machine which the cannula was hooked up to and Marty nodded, "When will I be able to leave?"

"Once you're better," Marty stated, wrapping blue cuff around Annie's left arm to check her blood pressure.

"How long is that gonna take?" She groaned, obviously irritated.

Marty took off the cuff around Annie's arm and placed it in the basket attached to the sphygmomanometer, "A two weeks, maybe?"

Annie's eyes practically popped out of her head, "Two weeks?!? I can't be gone for two weeks! This is my senior year! I have to keep my grades up so I can get into a good collage, plus there's a pep rally next week and as cheer captain it's my responsibility to come up with what we're going to be doing and not to mention Paramore is going to be here on Friday and already have tickets and what if-"