Her Eyes

When she finally woke up, she regretted it almost immediately. The tightness in her arm was one thing, but the aching in her head was enough to make her want to cry. But Mason O’Rear didn’t cry. She lifted herself up on her elbows slowly and looked around. She was in one of the more private hospital rooms, but even so, she had a visitor. Eric Staal was slumped over, asleep, in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs by the window. Mason sat up, taking her time, and tossed her feet over the side of the bed. She was still wearing the clothes she had come in with, but that hardly mattered as she moved the gauze on her arm and saw – what looked like – a good fifteen stitches. Putting her hands on either side of her thighs, she cleared her throat.

“So what are you doing here?” She asked loudly, causing Eric to jump. He looked around, and noticing she was awake, smiled.

“You fainted. I was waiting to see if you were going to be ok.” Mason raised an eyebrow and stared at him. It took a few seconds under her scrutinizing gaze, but he broke. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to sue Jordan for ripping that IV out of your arm.”

She rolled her eyes and struggled to get up. After a stumble and near-fall, Mason was on her feet, cursing her genetics and walking into the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and grimaced. Hair was matted and tangled, eyeliner was smeared under her lids, skin was blotchy and pale, and her mouth tasted fuzzy. She walked back into the hospital room and looked around for a minute before finding what she was looking for. Her purse. She felt Eric’s eyes as she walked back into the bathroom and pulled out her toothpaste.

“Why are you so concerned about him anyways?” She asked while scrubbing her teeth with the minty blend. Mason heard some motion in the room and then Eric came to lean against the bathroom doorframe.

“He’s my brother.” It made sense. They looked alike, and they almost sounded alike. Mason nodded, not knowing what else to say. Eric stood up straight and looked at her while she combed through her curling hair.

“You don’t know who we are?” He asked, slightly surprised. She looked at him through the reflection in the mirror.

“I don’t even know your name.” Eric furrowed his eyebrows and stuck out his hand.

“I’m Eric Staal.” She grabbed it.

“Mason O’Rear.” She turned around and rubbed the liner from under her eyes. And she noticed his eyes still on her. Mason didn’t have a problem with people watching her, but she did have a problem with them staring. “Can I help you?” She snapped at him, turning around. Eric took a visible step back.

“I’m just surprised you don’t know who we are. I mean, this is Pittsburgh.” Mason widened her eyes, meaning that she had no idea what Eric meant. He sighed. “My brother is Jordan Staal. He plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. You know? The hockey team.”

“And what about you?” Mason asked him.

“Well, I play for the Caroline Hurricanes.”

“So you’re a famous hockey player, too.” Eric nodded and Mason splashed her face with cold water, doing her best to get rid of the spottiness of her skin. “Lemme guess, your entire family consists of famous hockey players.” Eric nodded once again and Mason turned around and leaned against the sink. “So why was he here? Brawl on the ice?”

He could tell that Mason was mocking his brother a little bit. Normally it would have bothered him, but there was something in her words telling him that it was all with a good heart.

“There was a guy who beat him up on the ice. Mike Komisarek. He plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

“Well that’s probably why he beat Jordan up. I wouldn’t want to be a part of a team with the name’Maple Leafs.’ That just screams ’I need to prove my manliness with violence.’” Eric chuckled a little, but decided to ignore her comment.

“Anyway, Mike beat Jordan’s head into the ground. He’s getting a CT scan right now.” Mason turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She could already start to see the twitches in her eyes and the slight involuntary turn of her head. And that scared her. But she wouldn’t let that control everything. She wanted to meet this boy. After all, it was him that made her leave without getting her treatment. And that had never happened before. She quickly ran a hand through her hair and smiled.

“CT scan, huh? Well, let’s go see Mr. Famous Hockey Player, shall we?”

Notes