“You’re where?” Luke yelled through the phone. The hospital called, it was Justin telling him he had been shot.

“The hospital, St. Ivy’s.” Justin replied irritably.

Luke let out a sigh, “Be there in a bit.” Sticking his iPhone in his pocket, he headed outside to his motorcycle.

---

Walking over the threshold into the cold hospital, he had to shake his head clear of memories. They were memories of past visits, of long nights in the waiting room with no certainty that his companion will be leaving with him at all.

As he approached the receptionist, he spat out Justin’s name.

After typing a few keys, she looked up at him, “Room 126.”

He spun around on his heel without another word.
He opened the door to the room and started yelling, “How could you be so fucking stupid?
All you had to do was-”

He stopped short when he noticed who was lying on the bed. A beautiful girl was lying there, hooked up to oxygen and IV’s and reminding him so much of his ex-girlfriend that it hurt. Slowly, he backed up and closed the door. He went back to the receptionist, all sentimentality gone.

“You gave me the wrong room,” he stated plainly.

“I’m sorry, let me fix that,” she said with fake sweetness. She looked it up, then told him it was room 112.

With a grunt, he was off down the hall. He peeked in, making sure this was right, then yelled at Justin’s bruised up face, “Seriously, Justin?! All you had to fucking do, was go to the guy, give him the dubs and get the money. And then you fucking come back broke! And with a hole through your fucking leg!”

Justin, used to Luke’s outbursts, looked up at him. “Dude, I know. I get it, and I’m sorry.”

Luke let out an exasperated sigh, and plopped down in the hospital chair next to the bed. “So, can you tell me how this even happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Justin began. “ I was in a rush to get it to him, and I forgot where I put the bag. Instead of taking him his, I brought him my stash. When I found it, I thought it was the right one. It wasn't until he was handing me the money that he noticed there was something off about it. He got mad. He pulled his gun and shot me. Not the first time this has happened, and i'm not the only one that has done this. Stop nagging me. You're not my fucking mother.”

“Bizzle, I know it isn’t only you. But guess who does it the most often? You. This could have been a lot worse, and you’d be a goner.”

Luke stood up running his hands through his hair. “You know not to misplace things! But you still do it, and you know why? Because you don’t think! You never think, and you get us all in trouble. That guy may have been tough on you, but he isn’t near as tough as some of our other customers. If it had been anybody else, you could be dead. Just be glad he aimed for the leg."

“Okay, I get it. Calm down. I know to do better this time,” Justin said.

“Well, sure glad you finally realized how to fucking act,” Luke told him sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He sat down and put his head in his hands, only to stand back up not ten seconds later.

“I’m going for coffee, want some?”

“Sure. Make it black.”

Luke opened the door, heading to the small room meant to provide visitors with food and drink. As he walked down the hall, he noticed that the door, 126, was open. He peeked in, noticing an empty bed and a girl that was no longer there. He shrugged and walked on.

As he opened the door to the mini kitchen-like room, he let out a gasp. Standing there, struggling to get a cup of coffee, was the same beautiful girl he saw in the room. She had her hospital gown on and long blond hair flowing down her back. Her IV was next to her, her oxygen in her hand.

She turned, jumping at the sound of the door. He was stunned by her beauty; gorgeous blue eyes staring right at him. They caught your attention in a way that nothing else could. It was almost like seeing a bird fly past the window so close, but only for a moment.

Because like the bird, the beauty of this girl was shocking at first, then it flew away once you got a good look at the cancer taking over her body. You could still see the beauty, however, just like you could still remember the color of the feathers.

He stood there, taking in the sight. After a couple seconds, Luke said, “Whoa, I didn't expect anyone to be in here.”

She smiled and said, “Well, neither did I.”

“Need some help?” He asked, gesturing to her cup, which featured coffee on the sides and on the counter.

She grimaced, and said, “I think I got it.”

“Well, such a beautiful girl shouldn't have to be doing such things by herself,” Luke said.

Slowly, a smile spread across her face. “You don’t even know my name.”

“Then why don’t you tell me?”

She looked at him for a moment, thinking. She squinted and said, “Paige. My name is Paige, and now that I've told you mine, you need to tell me yours.”

“Well, Paige, my name is Luke. Luke Hemmings. Now, I would like to get our coffee and bring you back to your room. Something tells me you aren't supposed to leave,” he said, eyeing her IV.

She opened her mouth as if about to speak, then quickly closed it again. Finally, she said, “Okay, but only if I get to carry the oxygen.”

“Sure thing.” Luke helped her out the door, moving the IV along behind her. Occasionally she would pause, then keep moving.

“Are you okay?” he asked as they entered her room. She stumbled over to the bed, sitting down quickly.

She took some deep breaths and responded with, “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just the, you know, cancer… all the standing, walking, and talking…” She trailed off, laying her head down on the bed.

“Okay, well you better for a minute. I’ll be right back with the coffee.” With a wink, he was out the door.

As his heavy boots hit the floor with a thump thump thump, he couldn't help but smile. Of course, he thought about the dangers that pursuing her will bring. They worried him a little, but not much.

Her perfect smile, gorgeous eyes, and her independent attitude overridden all that. He could worry about danger at another time, but for now, he thought about ways he could get her in bed without her knowing. He knows that sounds sick, but that's just the way he is. And quite frankly he didn't care.

He headed back to her room, carrying three cups of coffee. “Hey, babe,” he said as he handed her the first styrofoam cup. She raised her eyebrows, then sat up and grabbed the steaming coffee.
“I have to get this to my friend, but I will be back.”

“Oh, you will?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. You think I would leave a pretty girl like yourself here alone?”

“I should’ve known,” she sighed.

“You’re too much,” Luke said with a laugh. He walked the hall, his heart hardening with every step. He couldn’t be like that around his friends. It was unheard of.

“Here’s your coffee, Justin.”

“Dude, finally,” Justin said. “What took so long?”

“Nothing. But hey, I gotta go.”

“Okay, whatever,” Justin said, waving him away. After drinking a little, he put the coffee down on the tray and laid back.

Luke walked back into Paige’s room with a smirk, thinking about anything and everything.

“Well, I’m back, Paige,” he said with a wink, closing the door.

She smiled, and said, “Wow, that was fast. What did you say your friend was here for?”

“Oh, uh, nothing serious,” he lied. “He was just stupid and jumped off something he shouldn’t have. He broke his ankle.”

Notes

Guys if you didn't know "dubs" is the measurement of Weed lol

Ok! So that was the first chapter! Make sure to vote, subscribe and comment. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far! x