Hopeless

Hopeless - 08

"Hey, Acacia," we all greeted her in the spacious hospital room. She wore a blue hospital gown and is laid down on the uncomfortable hospital bed, looking dishelved and tired. The bags under her eyes seemed darker, the veins on her arms more visible. A tube was connected to her wrist, I almost wanted to puke from the sight of it. I suddenly felt hurt by the fact that my best friend is in the hospital.

Acacia took a deep breath before giving us an exhausted smile. "Hey, guys," she said rather hoarsely. Henry and the kids can't be found, meaning that they may be at the cafeteria for some food or they left to go somewhere else.

Lacy was the first to approach Acacia, sitting by her side as she stroked her arm, squeezing her hand lightly. "How are you feeling?"

Acacia frowned with a sad look on her eyes. "I hate it here." She cried out lowly. "Take me away please."

"Acacia, you know we can't do that," Park answered as he gave her a pointed look.

"But this is the exact same room she stayed in," she whispered sadly. Parker went closer and caressed her hair, which she instantly sighed at and took a deep breath. Ever since the death of her mother, she was beyond afraid of hospitals. She hated it with her life and never wanted to experience what her mother went through.

"We'll come visit you everyday," Grey reassured her. "Look, we got you donuts," he held out a box of Krispy Kreme.

Acacia was silent as she looked at the box of doughnuts on Grey's hand. "Does it have my favorite?" She whispered lightly.

We all chuckled. "Yes, we made sure of it," Jenny answered as she smiled at her. Acacia smiled and struggled to sit up, me helping out of course as Grey handed her a donut. "Anne was sorry that she couldn't come today, they had to work on something for student council."

"It's all right, she visited me this morning," she smiled at us. "Look, she bought me my favorite flowers," she pointed to her bedside table, which contained a vase of yellow peonies and tulips.

Jenny then sat next to her, grabbing Acacia's face with both of her hands and used the pad of her thumbs to stroke her cheeks. "What happened?"

"I guess it's because of finals," she shrugged exhaustedly, managing to bite small pieces of her donut. Seeing her struggle, Parker cut the donut into small pieces for her to chew on, which Acacia thanked him gratefully. "I've been doing a lot lately."

"Never do that again, you got us all worried," Jenny frowned with furrowed brows.

"How long are you gonna stay here?" Grey asked.

"At least four days," Acacia answered. "Do you guys have my homework? I forgot to contact my teachers today."

"No, Acacia, you need to rest," Parker warned her. "This hasn't been exactly the first time you overworked herself."

I gave her a quizzical look. "What? When was this?"

"Last year," Parker answered with a sigh. "It was during physics when she suddenly passed out. I had to carry her to the clinic, but it was nothing."

I looked at Acacia in disbelief. She shook her head, giving me an exhausted look before looking down to her donut. With gritted teeth, I said, "Can I have a moment alone with Acacia, please."

The group looked at each other before slowly leaving the room. As the door shut, I gave Acacia a long hard gaze. Her eyes were more droopier, the bags under her eyes darker. Her complexion was much more paler and her posture slouching. I closed my eyes, not realizing how different Acacia looked lately, suddenly feeling guilty not noticing her behavior. What kind of a best friend am I if I wasn't able to take care of her.