Just a room by Chelsie Reid

The room was filled with people going in and out. The white walls had no decorations nothing to separate them from all the other walls in this damn place. I sat in the hard-woodenchair. They did not even have the courtesy to have plastic chairs. The clock on the wall slowly ticked with no regard to how emotionally draining it is to be in one place and not moving. The table next to me on my left was covered with magazines about sewing, about the newest trend, about how to be fit but I did notcare about that not at all. There was a desk in front of me filled with papers, a phone, a computer, a tissue box, and a cup of pens. The computer hid the small and insolent woman, who despite her size managed to look down at a person as she was sitting down. I understand it was the middle of the night, but my heart was breaking with every second and every minute that I did not see anyone.

The bathroom was also located in the same room. Families entered the bathroom I believe just to get a reprieve from the same white walls that stared back at them. I saw a mother and her daughter exit the bathroom. The baby was crying at first, I thought the little girl was just cranky, but then I saw that her leg was wrapped. The mother saw me staring and answered my unasked question. 

“She was on my bed I turned around just to get the phone her dad was calling, and she managed to crawl off the bed.” Her mom said shaking. 

I nodded I understood how an accident could happen in a blink of an eye. 

I went to the water cooler at the other side of the room trying to get something to wet my throat it felt dry for some reason. When I returned someone was in my seat. Huffing with exasperation, I moved to a different seat near the water cooler. 

I thought long and hard about asking about the situation,but something told me that the secretary would snap once again. Right now, I was already in a fragile state. Also, she already had a long line of people in front of the desk asking a bunch of questions. Some questions were smart some not even worth answering. I overheard someone requesting to speak to the manager because they were here for a long time and they were not getting seen. Join the club dude.

​Another was complaining because the Wi-Fi password was private and the woman behind the desk refused to share the password. Harsh but there were more important things than getting Wi-Fi. I did not want to be mean but at this point my anxiety was raising its ugly head.

Suddenly, I saw people coming from the offices in the back. I almost breathed a sigh of relief, but then I saw an old lady in a wheelchair coming out behind them. It wasn’t my brother. I rolled my eyes. Then tears started leaking. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to keep my emotions in tacked, but they just kept on streaming down my face. I was starting to feel hot and I began to get a headache. What if something was really, really, wrong? What if I did not get the chance to say goodbye? 

I got up and I started pacing I paced for about five minutes then I stopped. I stuck my hands in my pocket and I walked over to the little desk with the magazines. I picked up one brought it to my chair and then I sat down. I looked at the cover How to Be the Most Fashionable. I rolled my eyes, but I looked at the pictures for a while. Then when I looked up and looked at the clock, I saw only fifteen minutes went by. I tapped my feet on the cold linoleum. My sneakered feet went tap, tap, tap, at this point the person next to me was giving me dirty looks. What was I supposed to do? No one was here to take my mind off this predicament and my family, my family was gone nowhere to be found. With all my heart I hoped that everything would be okay.

I put the magazine down I curled into a little ball something I always did since I was a little girl. My eyes started to droop,and I almost fell a sleep when I heard more people’s names being called. I jumped up thinking I heard my name, but I heard no such thing. The time was now about 1:00 a.m. and yet the room was just as filled if not more. 

“People quiet down or else you’re not going to hear your names.” A cranky woman said.

It was an old woman. She had a thick beard a grey hair and she looked as if the whole entire world was on her shoulders. It seemed we were all here waiting as the seconds, minutes, an hours just passed by; waiting to hear news about the people we loved. 

I felt a sudden wave of despair. I felt hopeless. How come we were all here on a Tuesday night holding out hope for people who did not deserve to be in this situation? People were on their phones talking to family members, friends, and love ones. Everyone spoke different languages. Everyone was able to hold on to someone, the mom to her little boy, the dad to someone who looked like his mom; but the old woman was the only one I did not see with a companion. My mouth turned up a little. I felt lost, I did not feel as if this was the right place or the right time to smile,  but I did feel some kind of connection with someone I never met or never spoke to before. I felt as if she might understand how I felt. 

There was a feeling of restlessness in me. So, I walked over to the window. The glass was dusty you could hardly see a thing outside. The little that I did see was dark. It felt as if it was a metaphor for my life. Dusty and dark sounded pretty fitting to me. 

I was about to return to my seat when I finally heard my name. 

“Ms. Laura James please come to the back room,” A nurse said standing in front of the double doors.

I rubbed my sweaty hands on my pants, and I followed her. When we arrived in ​the /room, I saw no sight of my brother. 

“Where is he?” I asked. I refused to sit down even though there was a seat behind me. I wanted to see my brother.

“So, the doctors wanted me to prep you for what your about to see.” The nurses soft voice tried to sound attentive and sweet. Her voice just made me feel uneasy. 

“Where is he?” I asked again my voice cracking.

“So, your brother came in after he was beat up by three men.” She said.

I was standing in front of the seat and suddenly my feet when out from under me.

Tears were running down my face.

“He’s fine now he will need to stay in the hospital for a period of time.” The nurse continued.

“Where is the doctor?” I asked quietly not able to fine my voice.

“He’s with your brother mam for a while it was touch and go but he’s fine now.” She said putting her hand on my knee. Part of me wanted to pull away and part of me longed for the contact.

“Can I see him?” I asked.

The nurse nodded.

The nurse walked me down the hall and into a room. My little brother was in a room hooked up to wires, machines, and his face looked swollen. I gasped with shock.

“Honey he’s okay now.” She said rubbing my back.

The doctor was looking at my brother giving him more medicine.

“He will be fine,” She said she kept her hand on my back and guided me to a chair. My vision was blurry at this point from allmy tears.

I reached a handout for Jacob and held his limp hand.

The doctor turned to me and said.

“He said before we put him in a medical coma that he loves you and that he would never stop fighting to feel better because you’re the light in his world, and you’re the only one who keeps out the darkness.” The doctor said. I just squeezed my brothers hand trusting him that he would come back to me.