"Hey Brian," Howie said as he entered the dark hospital room.
"Hi," Brian said quietly. "Howie, how does a girl like that, a very remarkable girl, end up like this...addicted to diet pills...eating disorders...How?"
"I don't know," Howie answered.
"The doctor said that she was really suffering from malnutrition. She took like half a bottle of amphetamines today, but the reason she passed out was also due to the heat outside and exhaustion. Now here she is on the verge of dying."
"I saw this coming," a girl's voice called.
Brian and Howie turned around to see Leah's older sister, Stephanie, standing by the door. She walked towards the bed and reached out for her sister's hand. "Our mother is out talking to the doctor." She looked up at Brian. "How are you Brian?"
"Not so good," Brian said. "Considering the circumstances, you know?"
"Yeah," Stephanie nodded and looked back down at her little sister. "I spoke to Leah's boyfriend out in the hall; he said it didn't look good."
"Her boyfriend?" Brian said, sounding a bit confused.
"Nick," Stephanie answered.
"No, they're not boyfriend and girlfriend. I think they've just had a few dates. Right Howie?"
Howie said nothing. Stephanie shut her eyes tightly. She knew she had said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
"Howie!" Brian said again.
"Well, maybe their relationship is bigger than you perceive it be, but we don't need to get into that. You know, I think I better go out in the hall and check on Nick." Howie quickly walked out the door.
Brian walked over to the door and looked out. He saw Nick standing out in the hall and decided to approach him.
"I guess there's no change, huh?" Nick said quietly.
"Nicky, what are trying to pull?" Brian asked. "Are you trying to steal my woman just to spite me, or is there another reason."
"You don't own her, you know." Nick answered softly.
"I told you I wanted to marry her."
Nick took the ring box out of his pocket. "You and me both."
Brian's eyes widened. "What? How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I didn't know how you'd feel about it."
"So you decided to go behind my back. You should have told me."
"Well, maybe we would have told you, if you didn't act as if you are Leah's keeper all the time. You always act like you're the only the one who knows her and the only one who cares about her, but you're wrong. I care about her. I love her."
"I love her too," Brian said, "But I know you're right. I can't sit here and pretend that you're wrong. Leah's always said that she thought of me as a brother and nothing more. We've dated and stuff, but no big romance ever came out of it. And over the past few months, I've been wondering why Leah's been glowing with happiness, despite everything she's going through. I guess it's because of you."
For a brief moment, Brian and Nick just looked at each other. Then, suddenly a couple of nurses came running up the hall along with a doctor. Brian watched as they ran into Leah's hospital room. He suddenly felt as if his heart had stopped. Nick felt as if everything was going in slow motion. He had a strange feeling in his stomach, and his throat grew dry as he and Brian ran up the hall.
When they reached the door to the room there was nothing to see except the backs of the hospital staff as they stood over Leah's bed. Then Leah's mother and sister came running out of the room. Brian dropped to his knees in the middle of the hall and burst in tears. Nick had been trying to hold back his tears as much as possible, but now he could not hold back anymore. He turned to lean on the wall, wiping his eyes with one had and slightly pounding the wall with his other. He then ran to the elevator and went down to the ground floor. Howie, who was just standing in the hospital lobby, looking out the window, saw Nick run by and out the doors. Howie quickly ran after him.
"Nick, what is it man? What happened?" Howie asked.
"I don't know. I don't know." Nick said. All these nurses came running down the hall, and nobody's allowed to be in the room, and...ohh..." Nick sat down on the curb. "I can't take this. Look at me. I'm crying."
"It's okay to cry," Howie stated.
"But I'm supposed to be strong--for the person in the that hospital bed and for everyone else...."
"Well, why should you be the only one who doesn't break down? I guess. Do you want to go back in now?"
"Sure," Nick got up from his seat on the curb. "What were you doing anyway?"
"I was just thinking about things." Howie answered, following Nick back into the hospital.