| Chapter 11: Emily leaned against the wall of the elevator and watched as the numbers changed. The elevator doors parted, allowing her to step out. She held the small wrapped box in her hand, a gift for Nikolas. She walked by the nurse's station to Nikolas' room and knocked on the door. Hearing no reply, she opened it. Her eyes came to rest on the hospital bed. She gave a startled gasp when she saw a boy, a little older than she, with wavy dark brown hair. His left leg was in a white cast. His dark blue eyes turned away from the television set to look at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought, I mean, my friend-" "No problem." the boy said. "I'm sorry." Emily turned to leave, but the boy stopped her. "Wait!" She turned around to face him. His face broke into a smile. "You can stay. I mean, I don't get many visitors. My parents are away and it gets kind of lonely here." Emily smiled, her first in weeks, and walked over to sit in the chair by his bed. "My name's Mark." He said, holding out his hand. "Emily." she replied, taking his. "So, how did this happen?" She gestured to the broken leg. "Skiing. I was with a bunch of friends and we were goofing off on the slopes. I hit a patch of ice and went flying." "Ouch." Emily winced. "You can say that again." Mark smiled. Emily couldn't get over how handsome he was. Mark glanced at the gift in Emily's hand. "Oh, a gift. You shouldn't have." he teased. "Oh, this was for a friend. I haven't seen him for a while." "Might this friend be a boyfriend?" he asked. Emily blushed. "No. Just a friend." "That's too bad for your friend, "Mark grinned, "but good for me." Emily's face reddened and she lowered her head to hide a smile. Emily looked around the room, trying to change the subject. "So, did you spend Christmas here?" "Yeah, I thought that it would be really crummy, but it was actually pretty cool. Some of the nurses came around with gifts and my friends came to visit." "That's nice. I'm glad that you weren't alone. It really stinks when you're alone. Especially during Christmas." Mark's grin faded as he saw the expression of sadness on Emily's face. He couldn't help but think that there was some message behind that. "Yeah, it does." Emily's smile came back as she looked at Mark. "I have to go now. It was nice meeting you, Mark." Emily stood up. "You too, Emily. I hope that you visit me again." Emily smiled. "Me too." Emily closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Meeting Mark seemed to be a turning point in her life. |