Better Now

Author’s note: Let me take you back to Laura’s state of mind 5 years ago.

5 years ago…

“Doc, she’s in cardiac arrest. What should we do?”

“Charge the defibrillator to 200 Joules.”

“It’s not working Doc.”

“Add 50.”

“Charge.”

The raucous beeping sound from the EKG filled up the whole room. The doctor and nurses were trying their best to save the patient. Non-personnel were not yet allowed inside as it may disrupt the operation.

Alert level: Code Blue (a medical emergency)

Just outside the room you can find the crying mother of the patient, lips going numb from sobbing, the little brother with his little sticks as if drum rolling on the hospital bench trying to hide his slight paranoia, and the fiancé who had just arrived trying to comfort the miserable family.

At room number 242 currently marked as Code Blue, you can find the patient named Laura Weeps.

“Doc, I think the patient is now stable.”

“Yes, but we still can’t predict when the next attack would occur.”

The door opened and they notified the family of what happened.

“Thank you, Doctor Martin”, the fiancé humbly said.

“You’re welcome Mr. Schneider and thank you all for your patience. We are trying to get our research to have significant results as soon as possible and that might actually help the patient’s condition.”

Mark Schneider, the doctor’s nephew and the fiancé of Laura, subtly threw a sign to Doctor Martin suggesting him that he wants to talk in private. On the other hand, Ophelia, Laura’s mother, took Jeremy (Laura’s little brother) inside Laura’s room. The nurses and other staff already went back to their respective stations.

“Doc, can I be frank?”, Mark started. They were walking down the stairs to the research lab.

“Yes, Mark go ahead”, Doctor Martin replied.

“I really want my girlfriend to get cured as soon as possible. And I want you to know that I’m not trying to dismiss your research. All of you have been of great help and we do appreciate all the efforts.”

Mark paused for a moment and then continued, “I’ve heard about the technology of Xion Industries wherein they try to analyze the neuro signals of a patient, trying to predict the patterns and such. I was just thinking maybe we can let Laura participate.”

“That’s kinda dangerous Mark. It might alter Laura’s sense of reality”. There was a sense of wariness in Doctor Martin’s voice and Mark could sense it. But Mark was pretty determined to take on the risk for his beloved.

“I know Doc, but I love her. And I miss her so much. No matter what happens, I will always be there for her.”

Doctor Martin just patted Mark’s shoulders as a sign of agreement. He knew that their research was not promising at all and might just delay Laura’s recovery, but their team were trying so hard to achieve the best results as possible.

Martin went back to Laura’s room. He took the turn of watching over the patient letting the family rest for a while.

Mark took a vow for Laura when her father died. He promised to stand as the family’s protector and guardian for as long as he breathes. His love for the girl is boundless and he would do anything to fulfill that promise.

He softly touched Laura’s face and a tear fell to her cheek. He dried it with a kiss and then he whispered, “I will always be there for you. In sickness and in health, my heart belongs to you. Dream of us being happy together, doing all the things we always loved to do, watching your favorite comedy shows, strolling on the seaside, watching the stars. I always loved your lame jokes and I cherished the smile you made that day. You are my sunshine sweetheart, my mind is kind of messed up lately but I know I love you better now.”

Mark held Laura’s hand and then he went outside for a refreshing walk. Luckily, he found a bench suited for his mood so he owned it. The weather outside was perfect for melancholy, the best time to be free of heavy thoughts and miseries in life.

While voiding his thoughts, a cool wind passed by. Then he remembered the day he met his first love.

Mark was searching for a rare book for his homework inside the school library when he was interrupted by a commotion. He went outside to be informed and then he heard a group of schoolboys shouting, “Catch her!” and they were desperately running after a girl with unmatched school uniform. She was wearing jogging pants underneath a skirt, her socks were unique, and her hair was… her hair was golden brown. She’s fast and she was holding the book entitled “Monsters of Man”.

Mark gasped as he saw the girl ran past her. Mark’s thoughts drifted for a moment then he remembered, “Monsters of Man, that’s the rare book and she has one.”

He never planned of reading the book for pleasure, he was not a reader himself, but he desperately needed it for his homework. After deliberating with his reasons, Mark just found himself running after them.

He thought, “Maybe those guys wanted the book too. No problem at all, I just need a picture of a page, that’s all I want.”

After so much exhaustion, Mark was determined to confirm that he got lost. He couldn’t find any traces of them. He was actually eager to follow them to the depths of the Earth just to get a picture of the book, but he failed.

He walked into a store to buy food and beverage. His body was still shaking from running. He opened the fridge, searched, and grabbed his drink. When he was closing it, he was startled to see the reflection of that girl he was running after. He slowly turned around, his eyes were bulging, and his shaking hands worsen.

The girl grabbed his hand and uttered, “You’re gonna end up dropping this can for nothing, and please quit that stare, I’m not a ghost you know.”

She irritatingly pushed Mark aside and grabbed her own drink.

When Mark recovered from the adverse effects, he initiated the conversation, “I’m Mark. I saw some boys running after you. Can I ask what happened?”

The girl stopped gulping the can of cola and she stared at Mark’s eyes blankly and said, “Oh I see, you’re the clumsy guy who’s running after us. Can I know the reason why? I’m Laura by the way.”

“Monsters of Man”, Mark replied.

“What?” Laura raised a brow to Mark’s unfounded reply.

“It’s the book you were holding. Where did you get that? No, ah never mind that question. I mean, uh do you still have it? I just need to take a picture of a specific page for homework”, Mark answered.

“I threw it away”, Laura said insensibly.

At that moment, Mark knew he should do something to release his frustration. He ran with all his might, he ran the most exhausting ran of his life, just to receive this hellish news. He felt all the blood rushing to his face and with that, he gathered all his strength to spit cursed words at the girl’s face but when he was on the verge of his anger, he heard the girl laughing.

“Pffft, hahaha you easily believed that one? I will just throw away the book? Try to think about it, why was I running away from those guys and not only that, why was I desperately holding that book as if it was my dear life?”

They stared at each other’s eyes for a moment and then Laura continued with a smirk, “I stole it from them.”

Mark definitely was mystified, his eagerness to know more about the girl only heightened with her latest reply. His thoughts were filled with questions and doubts, but most importantly he thought, “That laugh was cute.”