The Dating Game

Chapter Sixty-Two

Juliet

"That was definitely connected to your heart," said the doctor.

"Could it happen again?"

I kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep. I wanted to listen to this conversation and to what the doctor had to say. It was presumably going to be something that they wouldn't really be allowed to verbalise to me, but they could if they believed I was sleeping.

"At anytime," breathed the doctor. I recognised the voice. It belonged to Doctor Klein who treated me the last time I was in here with the combat against the excessive heat loss. "It's hard to say. I guess she's reached that stage. But... her signs now seemed to be regulating. It's almost as if they're fighting everything and her immune system, despite it being from her heart, is working together with her heart."

"You mean to say she's getting better?"

"I'd like to believe that, yes. In fact, I'd like to concur with that. I do believe she is getting better."

I had already been in the hospital nearly a week but to hear this from the doctor was good. For the first week, Dad had taken time off work to stay with me. Again, like any preceding times, his work understood the situation and let him have as much time off as he needed for me. The doctors think I should only be in for two weeks at the maximum so here I was: halfway through my ensnarement.

Figuring that this was an adequate time to open my eyes, I make my awakening seem more realistic as I sat up. Both Dad and Doctor Klein turned to me with rather shocked expressions. Dad began fussing incessantly over me and enquiring if I craved a drink or something to eat. I asked for a cup of water and a sandwich considering it was around lunch time.

Considering it was lunch time, it also meant that Justin wouldn't be visiting for another several hours. Michelle and Beth visited occasionally, but their parents were a little stricter whilst Justin's mom was more lax and laidback about the situation. She trusted him that he'd do his homework with me and he did. He even brought my homework round for me, despite persistent protesting.

"You should be getting better, not stressing about homework," he'd argue, sitting on the side of my bed and resting his feet on the chair to the side (without his shoes on). This gave him a more comfortable position to actually do his homework in.

"Exams are coming up soon, Justin. By the time I'll be let out, it'll be May and exams will be looming even more."

"I would abuse this right to say I can't do homework," he muttered, glancing down and contorting his face up at the sight of his English homework.

Glimpsing up with an amused expression on my face, I said, "Yeah, and the teachers wouldn't appreciate that."

Then he'd mutter dejectedly and begin scribbling hastily on his paper knowing he was defeated.

"Am I getting better, Doctor?" I asked once Dad had vacated the room.

"I definitely believe so, Juliet," he replied cheerily. "But like we agreed at the start of this, I want to keep you in for the full two weeks. It's not been that long since you had that funny turn with the heat loss so I just want to be on the safe side, okay?"

"Okay," I replied.

Truth be told, I just wanted to get out of the hospital. Honestly, I felt fine. Not once did I feel dizzy or like I was going to faint... again. Endeavouring to explain this to Doctor Klein, he simply shook his head adamantly as he'd declare he was keeping me in for the full two weeks for about the umpteenth time.

By the time the two weeks were over, I had followed the most tedious routine ever that it was actually driving me insane. I was let out occasionally to go walking round the gardens – which Dad had been insisting I should venture round with Justin back when he was in the hospital – but that was a rarity at that.