Hospital Scene

...And that’s where she stood, frozen in this moment of despair, reaching out for something so perfect as it was swept away on the gurney, down the cold, unforgiving halls of the hospital. The wheels made a terrible squeal as they spun faster and faster, carrying away the quiet kiss of her companion, who could only cry out to the heavens in loss and confusion as the words, “I’ll be right here,” echoed and drifted down the tile corridor.

In the still silence and apprehension of the waiting room, a thin layer of dust from all the worried souls who had treaded this wickedly anxious territory before, rose gracefully into the air, unfurling out of itself like smoke, curling and cascading all about in its graceful, vapory ascension. The warm sunlight breaking through the far window, so glorious it bordered on abrasive, spread its candid gleam throughout the room, illuminating the mockingly peaceful hues of baby blue, light sage, and steely violet that adorned every sofa, chair, and strip of wallpaper in sight. From the receptionist’s desk, she could hear the scrape and flap of paper on paper as the uncomfortably petite woman behind the computer flipped through celebrity gossip magazines, stopping occasionally to answer the phone, file ominous test results for futilely hopeful cancer victims, or return to her slow-pace game of online backgammon.