Often [COMPLETED]

Day Three

"Oh! It's here!" Jesse cheered happily, the nurse laughing at her excitement, warning her politely not to move so much.

It was around mid afternoon, the two were playing another game Jesse had come up with. Little unknown colorful character pieces stood in random spots on the table in between their beds.

Lukas just shook his head, grinning.

"What's got you so excited?" He questioned, now curious. Jesse thanked the nurse quickly and she exited with a light shut of the door.

"Can you walk over to me?" She asked, ignoring him for a moment, although it was more of a demand than a question. "And don't ask why. Just do it."

Lukas felt the edge of the bed with his hands and swung his legs over until his feet touched the floor. Then he stood up, getting used to the feeling of standing. There was a slight tingling sensation, as if his legs had fallen asleep. He made sure not to hit the table as he took a step forward towards the sound of her voice.

"Okay, stop." And so he did. He felt Jesse grab his arm and pull him towards her so that his side was hitting her mattress. "Now, turn a little to your left."

"You're not going to prank me or something, right?"

"Just move."

He obeyed, her hand still gripping his arm. His cheeks felt warm.

"Okay, bend down a bit-and stop." From what he felt, he could tell that he was about the same level as her sitting on the bed. Her hair brushed over his shoulder, and he realized just how close they were. "Now, smile."

Jesse poked him in the side, and his smile grew even wider. How did she know he was ticklish there? But before he could burst out laughing, something clicked.

A camera.

Lukas took a seat on the bed near her feet as the camera slowly ejected out the picture.

"You can't even see half of my face!" He chortled, his expression bright. He couldn't even be mad, not at her at least.

"So? You're in it, that's what counts." She exclaimed, satisfied as she flapped the image. Lukas laughed lightly and let himself fall backwards on her bed. "Hey, you're right near my feet you know."

"You wouldn't kick me. You won't."

She didn't. Instead, a small giggle sounded in his ears. The giggle turned into laughter. Something in his chest felt light, he laughed too. It seemed to echo throughout the room. And for what seemed like hours, they laughed, all problems transparent at the moment. Not a worry, not a care in the entire damn world.

And then, it slowed. Their cheer quieted down, both of them breathless. Nevertheless, smiles remained constant on both of their faces. A still, shrouding cloud of happiness.

She was the first to interrupt the silence. Of course, that was already common.

"Lukas?"

"Mhmm?" His response was a lightened murmur.

"I have to confess." At that he felt the mood change instantly. "You know, during the card game, you didn't get a single card right."

It didn't seem like that big of a deal, not at all. But it somehow felt like the biggest thing in the world.

"Oh," Lukas' voice fell, "I know."

He felt the bed creak as Jesse presumably jolted up in a sitting position.

"What? You knew? Why didn't you say anything?" She huffed, not angry, just blatantly curious.

"I appreciated it." He replied easily, the words coming to him. "And besides, you never said if I got it correct or not anyway. It was basically impossible for me to get an answer right.

"I just-I appreciated you trying to make me feel better, if that's what you were trying to do anyway."

"You-" she stopped ever so suddenly, thinking, "...why did you trust me?"

Another pause. It made him stop. Such a deep question from a light conversation.

"Why wouldn't I?" Lukas smiled, hoping she could see it. "We're friends, aren't we?"

She didn't respond. He could feel the mood sink down to the floor.

"Come on, why so glum? Tomorrow I'm getting my bandages taken off!" He exclaimed cheerfully, trying to make her feel herself again, "And then we can hang out and you can show me the pictures you took on your camera."

He could feel her hesitate before she let out a long breath.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Let's play another game." Relief flooded his chest, and he nodded. "Oh, and Lukas..."

He waited for her to finish, but instead, she just shook her head and laughed.

"Never mind, let's just play that game."