Time flew by slower than usual. Spending the hours at work now felt like an eternity, like torture inflicted on one’s body. Ryan had a greater desire to leave work as soon as possible, but for a different reason now.

  Once the last hour clocked in and he finished all his work for the day, Ryan wasted no time rushing over to his car. He looked up the fastest time at the Angelstone Community Hospital before heading off. He made sure to drive as fast as possible without exceeding the speed limit or hitting anyone. Ryan did his best to focus on the road, but one thing was still on his mind.

  Carl, please be safe.

  His hands gripped the wheel, and he turned a corner. A car from the opposite side sped through and looked to be heading towards him. Ryan flinched as he slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side. The car swerved right past him and hit the nearest lamppost, leaving a dent in it and the ride. Ryan’s hands shook, nearly out of breath from that close encounter. He slowly turned to the wreckage and spotted the driver tumbling out of the car and running in the opposite direction.

  Ryan sighed. It didn't seem like anyone got hurt from that. Still, though, he had no idea what that was all about. Why did they act so careless? What were they running from, their responsibilities or something? Ryan didn’t have time to think about it. He had somewhere he needed to go. After checking for more oncoming onlookers and drivers, he slowly, but surely, resumed his driving.

  .-.-.-.

  Ryan eventually made it to the Angelstone Community Hospital, and before closing time, too. He approached the receptionist's desk and asked for a quick visit. While setting it up, Ryan went over to wait on the bench. It occurred to him that he was one of the last few to visit as he watched the people walking by. Soon enough, a nurse arrived to lead him to the designated room.

  He walked along the hall, noticing the many occupied rooms on the side. Everything looked clean for the most part, with pictures hanging across the white walls and faint footprints on the white tiles. High ceilings and clean floors so that people could walk across with ease. Ryan stayed respectfully quiet for the patients in their rooms. Aside from a few mumbles from each door, everything was mostly silent.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Two people walked out of one of the patient doors across the hall. One was a nurse who stood by on the side, and the other was somebody Ryan knew all too well. Daisy stared at the closed door and let out a sigh. As she rubbed her eyes, the brunette turned and made her way to the exit.

  Ryan had a hunch about why she was there, and whose room she went into. He didn’t need to ask or sour the experience any further than necessary. They locked eyes for a moment before looking away. Neither of them said a word as they went their separate ways.

  Eventually, Ryan stopped in front of the door. He had to take a moment to breathe and relax before stepping in, but also knew time was not on his side. Slowly, the nurse reached over to the doorknob and opened the door.

  Inside was a small, colorless room. On the table were flowers in a vase, along with two chairs on the side of the windowsill, and an IV stand near the bed, covered up with sheets and blankets. Carl lay there, with his eyes closed, and his body cold and still.

  Ryan still took some time to process that this was happening. There he was, someone he knew, who had to come here because of something he couldn’t control or manage on his own. He walked over to his co-worker and pulled up a chair to sit next to him.

  “Hey, Carl,” Ryan whispered, making sure he didn’t wake him up. “I wanted to check up on you, see if you were doing alright. I know you’re sleeping right now, but I couldn’t shake this feeling in my chest.” He lowered his head, gripping the pants on his knees. “Look, I'm sorry for inadvertently worsening your throat and taking your time away from what you should be doing. And I’m sorry for not being there for you. I wish I had noticed your condition worsening sooner, or at least helped you when you needed it most, instead of focusing on only me and my problems.”

  Mist formed in his eyes as he urged himself to fight back the tears. “I don’t want to be the cause of losing someone, especially some goofball like you. When you get better, let’s have a talk and laugh this incident off. Drinks will be on me.”

  After a moment of silence, the nurse checked her watch. “Visiting times are just about done. Are you finishing up?”

  “Yeah.” Ryan wiped his eyes and stood up. “I’m ready to go now.”

  Ryan slowly got up from his seat and followed the nurse outside. He stopped by the door and looked back at Carl, hoping he’d respond or even move an inch. Carl had done nothing of the sort. Ryan couldn’t tell if he was even still breathing or not. He made a breathless sigh and left the room shortly after.