A Memory Faded - [Twenty-Two]

Alex sat waiting for hours. The sun had set, and she was sat in the clinical glow of fluorescent tube lighting. Her hands hurt from continuous drawing to take her mind off of things. She heard the squeak of sneakers along the over-clean floor, and looked up. Elizabeth had arrived. Alex looked up and gave a weak smile.
“Fletcher’s not here?”
“He’s in theatre. He was coughing up blood.”
“Since when?”
“Four hours ago.”
“Jesus Christ, Alex, don’t you think that’s a bit long?”
“You sound like you’re supposed to be his girlfriend.”
“Sorry…was unintentional.”
Elizabeth pushed herself up onto the bed and looked down at Alex’s comic. She rolled her delicate fingers across it, the intensely detailed ink-work and vibrant color…it was near production-perfect. Elizabeth was the school’s self-proclaimed comic book authority, and she had some issues of Marvel Zombies that people would cut off an arm for. How apt it was then, that she was in a hospital.
“I never knew you liked comics,” she muttered, “This is pretty awesome.”
“Thanks…and I’ve always liked them, my dad gave me all his old ones when I was a kid…they’re probably worth a fortune now, wherever they’ve gone. I think they’re somewhere in a dresser.”
“If you find them, tell me, I’d like to see them before they become part of a museum collection.”
“Hey, my dad’s not that old.”
“I know, I’m just messing around.”
An awkward silence ensued, and Alex stared at the blank, turned-off screen of her cellphone. It was awful having divided duties like this. Dinner at home would probably seem so lonely without her. But she loved Fletcher, in all truth of the matter; he was the one guy that made her smile every time she saw him. She was the only person she felt she could be herself completely around. He meant everything to her, and it hurt to even think that he was going through pain.
A nurse wandered across to Alex, looking apologetic before she had said a word.
“I came to check up on you, and update you on proceedings. Alice’s body started rejecting the new kidney as soon as they put it in, and even with drugs, we can’t control that, so we’re going to have to take one of Fletcher’s. He had some broken ribs that were causing slight tissue damage to his lungs, which explained him coughing up blood, but that’s sorted now. We just need to get his kidney and…”
The nurse’s pager bleeped and she looked at it, her face draining.
Showing Alex and Elizabeth the screen, Alex felt an upsurge of sorrow.
‘ALICE REDFEARN - DECEASED AS OF 19:42 2/02/07’
The nurse put her arms around Alex as she burst into tears. It wasn’t even her sister, but Alice was connected to Alex in the fact it was Fletcher’s sister…and he would be devastated. He spent a good part of his time looking after Alice, making sure everything was okay…but he was under sedation and now it was too late to do anything.
Alex tried to hold back the tears. She would need to be strong this time around. Fletcher was going to need her help, as much as she could give. Elizabeth stood up and looked out of the corners of her eyes at Alex, her rival for Fletcher, or rather, ex-rival. It didn’t matter anymore. His sister had died, and all those petty things were out the window. The only thing Fletcher would need would be support.
“I’m going now,” she announced, shakily, “Tell Fletcher that I’m sorry.”
“Will do,” Alex sobbed.
Fletcher’s chest was stitched back up and bandaged shut as his sister was disconnected from all the expensive machinery and left on the operating table. There was the steady beep of Fletcher’s heart monitor contrasted with the single tone of Alice’s. The doctor who had been doing her operation collapsed against the cupboards at the side of the theatre, crying. He felt solely responsible for what happened, even if he couldn’t have done anything about it. He would have to own up as the perpetrator, the incompetent doctor that proceeded with the operation. So much for all those years in medical school. He didn’t think he’d be able to bring himself to do another operation.
Alice was dead.
And it was only a matter of time before Fletcher regained consciousness.