Chasing Possibility

Eli Wesley - T W E N T Y S I X

© an affiniteas 2012-2013 ink on Wattpad

Eli Wesley - T W E N T Y S I X

"Hello? Elliot Wesley? I'm sorry, but Mr. Liam Clarke told us to tell you when something has happened. Please come to the hospital as soon as you can." 

It was the kind of moment where your mind exiles everything around it and specifically focuses on this particular goal.  

As much as I was being a reckless driver at the time, I had to get to the hospital. Growing frustrated by the traffic and red lights, I already cut off a bunch of people which resulted into getting honked at, cursed at, and all of the above.  

Yet miraculously, there were no traces of police sirens.

Rushing into the hospital, I probably showed symptoms of a person running for his life from something as I repeatedly pushed the elevator door button constantly. Maybe I thought the elevator would actually go down faster if I damaged the overused button. Once the elevator doors finally slid open, I hurried in and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

I couldn't stop myself from pacing back and forth in the elevator. Thinking and thinking. This sensation of fear emerged, and for some reason, my gut was telling me this wasn't good.

Ever since my first visit to Mr. Clarke, I had been visiting Lana's dad whenever she was working. I could say we grew closer through that window of time, but as time passed, Mr. Clarke's condition had gradually worsened. 

Mr. Clarke would usually set up a time for me to stop by. Today was supposed to be at 5 in the afternoon. It was a quarter until five, but I wasn't expecting a phone call like this from the hospital. The last time I got a phone call from the desk was when Mr. Clarke first requested me to come. 

Positive that Lana was at a party, bringing joy to the hearts of young kids and their love for Disney, it worried me that the hospital called me so urgently. I still haven't seen nor spoken to Lana since that night — the night I unfortunately couldn't stop thinking about. 

It has been three weeks. 

As the days rolled by, each day grew more difficult. 

Shaking my head side to side, I tried to persuade myself to dismiss this anxious feeling. My attempt to do so failed miserably.  

Once the elevator signaled that I was on the fourth floor with a loud ding and the doors slid open, I wasn't anticipating the floor to be chaos. A bunch of nurses and the main doctor were rushing into the room which almost looked like Mr. Clarke's room from my point of view.

No.

Making myself snap out of it, I literally lunged across the hallway to the room. All of this was real. They were occupying Mr. Clarke's room. Hesitate to walk in, my entire body nearly froze, and I couldn't believe it what I saw.

There was no explanation to this shattered feeling once I saw her.

Lana.

As Lana stood a good distance from the crowd of nurses, she was in complete distraught. Even though she tried to hide it, I could easily see her falling apart. Lana Clarke wasn't the same girl. The girl who walked into her work with a cheerful yet curious expression the first time my friends and I saw her this summer. The girl who I was in love with.  

She was breaking. 

The words of Landon Clarke crossed my mind: "She's already gone through so much. I'm always worried that one day she'll break, and I won't be able to help her."