Her Eyes
she's old enough to know, and young enough not to say no
Jordan Staal was half conscious when they took him to the CT scanner. He was groggy, and nauseous, but most of all, he was confused as to who this girl was that the doctors were all talking about. He only heard bits and pieces of the conversations, but he could discern one thing: this girl was dying, and she was giving up. He knew the doctors must have assumed that he was asleep, for no doctor in their right mind would talk about a patient in front of another, but it seemed luck was on his side. They talked almost as if he weren’t there.
“Mason’s a beautiful girl, a dancer, but she’s going to have to find some way to pay for these treatments when she can’t dance.” Jordan struggled to open his eyes enough to see who was speaking. He had a feeling it was a nurse, the doctor overseeing him was male and therefore, had a deep voice, but he couldn’t see past the blinding light.
“Her mother set up a fund for her before she died.” The voice was that of his doctor. He was moved onto the sliding bed in the scanner and his IV was readjusted before both the doctor and nurse walked away. Jordan was disappointed. He wanted to know more. The bed jerked and slid into the machine. He was about to let himself slip back into sleep as the images of her brain were taken, when he heard the doctor’s voice. He strained and could only hear some of what the two were conversing about. He found that Mason O’Rear was the girl who caught him, a memory he vaguely remembered, and that she was a little bit of a hassle: sarcastic, witty, and feisty. A woman that could go places. But from what his doctor was saying, Mason decided from early on that the treatment wouldn’t help her and that her life was not worth living.
With those words, both fell silent and Jordan had to sit in silence along with them. It took nearly fifteen minutes, but the images were finished and Jordan was finally taken back to his room. The doctor followed the nurses in and pulled out a film. He spent a few minutes going over the minor injuries that Jordan had suffered and he informed Marc Staal that his brother would need constant supervision for the next few days. Jordan opened his eyes and saw that his vision had improved greatly. It was then he noticed Eric standing in the hallway, talking to his doctor. It wasn’t his brother that caught his attention, though. It was the small girl with the bandages on her arm who was standing next to him.
He stared at her until she turned and walked into his room, Eric trailing behind her. As he stared at her small body, he saw slight tremors run through her fingers, through her arms, but it never detracted from her delicate beauty, and it never detracted from the stare she was sending his way. Eric went about his business, introducing the girl to Marc and to Jared, and finally, to Jordan. But she never opened her mouth once.
Jordan Staal looked into Mason O’Rear’s eyes. A shimmering green, dulled by the pain of an unremembered past. They reflected her inner struggle to him almost as if it were printed clearly on her face. She was willing to die. She had already died, for her heart beat only to keep her body living. Not her soul.
It was then and there, in his hospital room, late at night when he made his semi-conscious decision:
He would make Mason O’Rear live. And he would make her love it.
“Mason’s a beautiful girl, a dancer, but she’s going to have to find some way to pay for these treatments when she can’t dance.” Jordan struggled to open his eyes enough to see who was speaking. He had a feeling it was a nurse, the doctor overseeing him was male and therefore, had a deep voice, but he couldn’t see past the blinding light.
“Her mother set up a fund for her before she died.” The voice was that of his doctor. He was moved onto the sliding bed in the scanner and his IV was readjusted before both the doctor and nurse walked away. Jordan was disappointed. He wanted to know more. The bed jerked and slid into the machine. He was about to let himself slip back into sleep as the images of her brain were taken, when he heard the doctor’s voice. He strained and could only hear some of what the two were conversing about. He found that Mason O’Rear was the girl who caught him, a memory he vaguely remembered, and that she was a little bit of a hassle: sarcastic, witty, and feisty. A woman that could go places. But from what his doctor was saying, Mason decided from early on that the treatment wouldn’t help her and that her life was not worth living.
With those words, both fell silent and Jordan had to sit in silence along with them. It took nearly fifteen minutes, but the images were finished and Jordan was finally taken back to his room. The doctor followed the nurses in and pulled out a film. He spent a few minutes going over the minor injuries that Jordan had suffered and he informed Marc Staal that his brother would need constant supervision for the next few days. Jordan opened his eyes and saw that his vision had improved greatly. It was then he noticed Eric standing in the hallway, talking to his doctor. It wasn’t his brother that caught his attention, though. It was the small girl with the bandages on her arm who was standing next to him.
He stared at her until she turned and walked into his room, Eric trailing behind her. As he stared at her small body, he saw slight tremors run through her fingers, through her arms, but it never detracted from her delicate beauty, and it never detracted from the stare she was sending his way. Eric went about his business, introducing the girl to Marc and to Jared, and finally, to Jordan. But she never opened her mouth once.
Jordan Staal looked into Mason O’Rear’s eyes. A shimmering green, dulled by the pain of an unremembered past. They reflected her inner struggle to him almost as if it were printed clearly on her face. She was willing to die. She had already died, for her heart beat only to keep her body living. Not her soul.
It was then and there, in his hospital room, late at night when he made his semi-conscious decision:
He would make Mason O’Rear live. And he would make her love it.
@Gigipens
now.
3/15/18