Taylor stood in the hallway, rubbing his stinging eyes.
Zac walked down the hall, fists jammed deep into his pockets. "Tay?"
His older brother nodded, sighing.
"Jamie won't talk." Zac said in misery.
Taylor nodded and leaned against the wall, ignoring the stares of the young candy stripers. "Kris is the same. She's becoming more and more a shell. She was okay a few days ago, but she's so quiet now."
Zac sat down across from Tay and leaned on his hands. "I don't know what to do. I try to be happy around her, but when I see how much she's hurting I can't take it."
Taylor straightened and watched his younger brother. It had just now occured to him how much Zac had grown up these past 2 weeks.
Zac sighed and shuddered. "I can't look at her a pretend everything's a-okay."
Tay nodded. "Same."
Zac threw his arms up an stretched wearily. He sank back. "I wish I could just make them forget about it."
Taylor pushed away from the wall and shook his head, taking a place next to Zac. "It's not that easy. God knows I'd do it, but I can't."
I sat in my chair and fiddled around with the arms. Someone knocked but I ignored them.
"Kris?" a familiar voice said.
I kept my eyes locked on the arms of the chair.
The nurse came over and checked my charts. "If you don't start eating, I'll be hooking you up to the IV again." she threatened, but I didn't answer.
She left in a whirlwind and it was quiet again. The door creaked open again and Zac padded in.
"Hey Kris."
I drew my eyes from the arms to my plastered leg.
He sat down. "What's up?"
I eyed the pattern on the cast.
He sat awkwardly. "Heaps of cards, huh?" he laughed slightly. "Man, you're popular. I don't get this much brou-ha-ha."
I bit my lip and changed my eyes to the arm cast.
"Kris?" he asked.
I just focused on the cast.
He sighed and stood. "What happened to you?"
I turned my face up and looked at his pants. They looked extra baggy on him. Is he losing weight?
"You're not the Kris I know. You're some stranger. I know that you've been through something I can only imagine, but don't lock yourself away. You're stronger than that. Where's the girl who told me she shaved her armpits and taught me to dance? The one who dared me to walk down the aisle of a passenger jet? The one who saved me from a mass of screaming girls?"
I just watched the red pants in front of me.
"Kris, pull through. Don't do this. We all miss you." he said, his voice raising on a high note. He turned and left quickly.
'Miss me'? Why would anyone want to miss me? I'm no one...