3,101 Miles Apart

Chapter One ; The NICU Meeting

Touch, it's our- as humans -first form of communication and god does it mean a lot. With touch comes safety and security, whether it's a kiss or a high five. Touch connects us when we're happy, gets used when we're scared or sad, in times of great intimacy it excites us because we don't know the future or how it'll happen, we just know that the one we love is there. We need that touch from the one we love, almost as much as we need air to breathe. But I never understood the importance of his love, his aura and his safety. His touch. Until I couldn't have it anymore. 

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"I brought pizza!" I swing my head to the now open door. "Don't look at us like that, Zeph."

I fold my arms and furrow my brows, "Like what? Like this?" They nod and I do it harder. Longer. "You should learn how to knock, for all you know I could've been getting off right now and you just walked into a scene you didn't want or need to see." We all burst into laughter, by 'we all', I mean myself, and my two best friends.

"C'mon Zephyr don't make us eat this pizza alone." Chyanne mirrored my look, furrowed brows and folded arms, leaving Lexi to hold the pizza. Chyanne's eyes sparkled into the sunlight blaring through my window, they glowed like honey and yellow glitter. She was gorgeous, everything about her was perfect. Her eyes were golden brown, sunkissed in every way. Her skin was the definition of melanin, absolutely gorgeous. Her smile said warmth and home, and her voice was as soft as clean sheets. "Anyways-" They sauntered over to me, smiling wildly. I'm not able to see them often, because I get sick, like last time. "That vacation you planned? It's gonna be awesome! But we're gonna miss you mamas, it just won't be the same without our baby Zephyr." 

I picked up a pizza slice, frowning. "You gotta enjoy it for me, okay? I'm really sorry I got sick and now I'm stuck here but-"  Lexi grabbed my face, squashing my cheeks. Her eyes were blue, they looked like crystals when the sun hit them and gosh they were beautiful. Her skin was pale and her hair was dyed pink, the iconic best friend everyone wanted.

"Shut up with your damn apologies, we love you for you and we don't give a shit what comes with you." She smiled at me, letting go of my face. "Now eat your pizza, and tell us about the cute trainee nurse outside." The what? There's a new nurse. New nurses mean new training, new training means explaining my situation and oh no. "Don't look so anxious, Zeph. It'll be alright!"

Chyanne nodded in agreement, "He seems like the understanding person, and I think he's British." A British nurse. A British trainee nurse? I wonder how Darling picked out that one.

"Enough about this new nurse, tell me everything I missed." And so they did, they filled me in on every crush, every test, every boring piece of homework, the lot of it. We finished our pizza and they left smiling, once the door was closed I coughed into my arm. I hooked myself up to the oxygen tank and sighed, thinking about the new nurse outside probably working with Darling. Darling was the head of our facility, and by 'our' I mean everyone else on this floor. Darling works alongside with CPS too, making sure that those who are admitted here are safe at home. If she's recruited a new nurse, then I trust her judgement, I'm just not sure that I trust the said new nurse.

But everything that comes with being admitted into hospital, every procedure, every surgery, every nurse. It's hard to trust them. It's hard to trust anyone no matter what. "New babes in the NICU, Zeph!" Darling called out to me through the door, I smiled. I loved seeing the babies in the NICU, they're all so small and so cute. I hooked myself up to my portable tank and put on my mask before leaving my room. Time to go visit the tiny ones, I thought, smiling to myself under my mask. The mask keeps my germs in and other CFers germs out, I'm not allowed within six feet of another CFer but germs can travel.