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NOVEMBER 4TH, 2017 — ❝ NO ONE LIKES THE HOSPITAL. ❞
The night had been going well.
Eloise and Tom had enjoyed their dinner, taken the leftovers back to Eloise's house, and were now enjoying a movie together--Anna Karenina. For Eloise, the literature lover, and then Tom, the history lover, this movie was fun for them to watch, pretending to be adults and like the 'adult' movies.
All was going well, until a knock came to the front door. "I'll go see who it is," Eloise said, getting up from the couch and stretching. Tom paused the movie, and another knock came from the door.
"Hold on, I'm coming!" Eloise called, going down the stairs. Another knock came to the door, this time more frantic than the last, and Eloise finally looked through the peep-hole, and saw Karen on the other side. Opening the door, she said, "Karen? Is everything alright?"
Now that she could see her close friend more clearly, she felt her heart start to pound. Karen's hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and tears still stained her cheeks. "No! Nothing is alright, it-it's," She sniffled, and then swallowed, trying to breathe. "It's your dad, Eloise. He's in the hospital. He and Robert ran into each other at the airport when your dad was coming home. He had a heart attack all of a sudden, and now-and now-"
Karen leaned over, wheezing. "The hospital tried your cell, but it didn't go through, and so they called my cell. I'm taking you to the hospital."
Throughout this, Eloise fell into shock. Her dad? Her beloved father, in the hospital? What?
"Eloise? Is everything okay?" Tom called from the top of the staircase. Karen stepped inside, and said, "Pack overnight bags. Eloise is in shock. Nikolai's in the hospital. We have to go, now."
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Eloise was silent the whole ride to the hospital.
Was silent as they walked into the hospital, and Karen asked for Nikolai Alexey, saying his two daughters, Natalie and Karoline Alexeyevna were there to see him, along with his friend, William Johnson.
The nurse gave them the room number, and the three of them made their way towards it. Eloise was in shock, still. She had no idea what to do, what was happening. She felt like she should have prepared herself better for this--her father was getting old, this is what happened when people got old, why hadn't she stuck around?
When Karen knocked on the door, Robert opened it, and Eloise fell forward, and collapsed into his arms, finally crying. Wrapping his arms around her, he led his goddaughter towards the hospital bed, where her father was sleeping.
Eloise pulled away, and silently sat down in the chair next to the bed. She reached forward, grabbing her father's right hand, and brought it to her forehead. It had been a very long time since Eloise had prayed, the last time being when she had turned ten, and prayed that her parents could work out whatever problems were plaguing them.
