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Teenage Ghost
Three weeks had passed since Evan Sr’s stroke. He was starting to walk with the help of a walker. His speech was still a little slurred and hard to make out, but all in all he was well on his way to returning home.
Evan Jr joined the family to visit on a Saturday morning just after his breakfast tray had been taken out.
Everyone gathered around the hospital bed and joked and reminisced. After thirty minutes Evan excused himself and let the grown ups have their boring conversations.
Evan glanced at the wall clock, it was ten thirty. When he looked down from the clock he noticed the goth girl from Studemont leaning against the wall.
Her left leg was bent at the knee, assuring her boot rested flat against the wall. Her black hair looked like ruffled raven feathers. She wore a black leather jacket over a gray oversized half shirt and tight ripped black jeggins. She glanced over at him sideways through her black makeup.
Evan wondered if she was just misunderstood. She looked so sad there alone. Why was she alone in the hospital anyway, he wondered. Evan walked over to her, “Are you ok? What are doing here alone?”
Vi looked down at the clean hospital tile, “My gramma is in intensive care, she’s in a coma. She’s not going to make it. I’m the only person that comes and sees her anymore, the rest of the family has given up hope.”
She could see Evan was becoming interested in her because of her compassion. “I come here every day to read to her and brush her hair. Like she used to do to me when I was a little girl. My friends think I’m crazy spending as much time as I do with her, but I think she realizes it in some way. I think it makes her feel better, and maybe she will come back to me. Even though I know she’s not.” Vi shrugged and sighed, “It just makes me feel better. To have family, even if it is one sided.”
Vi looked in the direction of his Grandfather’s bedroom with a longing look, as if she wished his family were own. She pulled on Evan’s hoodie lightly in playfulness to lighten the mood, “So that’s your Grandpa?”
“Yeah.” Evan blushed a little and looked down.
“Can I meet him?” Vi looked at him with her best charming glance.
“No,” Evan half laughed in embarrassment. “They are all talking in there, it’s better not to go in. We can go see your grandma if you like.”
“Sure.” Vi smiled at him with her perfectly glossed ruby red lips. She hooked her arm into his and walked to the elevators.