Lauren went home first to drop her things off before going to the hospital. She had called the coffee shop and asked for an off. A sick leave which she'd said.
Pushing the door to her brother's room, she was greeted with his nurse. She greeted her and dropped her bag on the floor beside the chair.
"Has he woken up today?" Lauren asked picking up her brother's hand to kiss on them. She didn't want to know about yesterday because no one had been here.
"Yes but he went back to sleep while waiting for you after I lied to him you were on the way"
Lauren's hand stilled and she turned to the nurse "what?"
"Yeah I told him you were coming last night—"
"And you did not call me to inform me last night about it?"
The nurses' eyes widened and she dropped the string she was holding on the table "I didn't know you'd had come. It's like you have a time to always be here and the time he wanted to see wasn't the time so I left it"
Lauren almost bit her tongue aware of what the nurse was saying. She knew she was right and didn't even know words to retort back to her.
She only came in the early mornings and came again in the night and sometimes mid-afternoon if she had some off from the restaurant but lately it was nights and mornings.
She sighed tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear "Thank you but please can you do me the favour of calling me next time he asks for me? I would appreciate it" she looked up at the nurse and stared down at her brother. "We never have time together and he's always asleep whenever I arrive. So please?"
The nurse nodded going back to what she'd been doing. The nurse changed his IV bag and checked his vitals before she bade Lauren goodbye promising to act on what she'd said.
Lauren picked her bag up from the floor and brought out the book she'd bought on the way. It was a children's book filled with pictures and stories.
Her little brother had asked for it but it was so expensive she had to cut some slacks after getting an offer which she knew deep down she would accept.
"I bought the book you asked for, baby. I know it took quite some time but I promised you either way I would get it and here it is" she opened it and flipped through the pages reading some sentences whilst she passed them to the next.
He was asleep and she didn't want to wake him up. She knew when he heard her reading it he would wake up so she did.
"Did you get all the volume or only just that one?" She heard a scruffy little voice and her head whipped up, her mouth wide open. Her lips pulled up in the biggest smile it could muster.
She stood and the chair screeched backwards almost tumbling down but she didn't care as she scrambled closer to him "How are you?" She kissed his forehead and his face crinkled.
"I thought I said you should stop kissing me on the face Lauren?" He lifted his hand to clean his forehead but it was immobilised with the needle and pulse oximeter and her heart broke at the sight.
He always warned her not to kiss him on the face and cheek or forehead that he was a big boy his friends would laugh at him.
She kissed his forehead, face and hair and cleaned them afterwards which pulled a smile to his face "All done" she pushed his rough hair to the side but then kissed his forehead again and he squealed and she laughed going to bring the book to him.
She dropped the book on his lap but wedged it with her hand underneath it. She flipped through explaining everything and he listened and never interrupted her.
He slept off while she explained, she took the book away and arranged him on the bed before leaving the room to take some fresh air and maybe get him some food if he wakes up again.
Sitting down in the garden of the hospital, she bit her nails clutching her phone so tight she thought it would snap any minute. He had told her until the weekend and today was Wednesday.
Her brother's condition was worsening and one day he could snap for the surgery to commence and the money wasn't near ready.
She opened her phone to contact him and accept the offer but remembered they never exchanged contacts and she groaned. What would she do now?
She went back inside thinking of how she could get his contact. She didn't know the way back to his house or anything. She smacked herself knowing she didn't pay attention when they were going there and instead disgraced herself.
Maybe the universe didn't want her to work for him but that was okay. She kissed her brother on the cheek when she went back and stared at him while he slept.
Even if she doesn't get the job, she won't quit working other jobs to save him. As much as it would cost a lot from her.
Even if she didn't get the job, she was still going to work hard and get her brother the health and care he deserves.