Get well soon

I sat on the hospital bed while the doctor went over my results with my mom. He said that I was in tip-top shape and the greenish tinge to my skin could be because of my diet. That was strange considering that my parents were eating the same dinner I was. He told my parents there was nothing to worry about, but I should come back for a check-up. As I wandered over to the vending machine to buy a Fanta, I saw Cindy and Mel.

I walked towards them. “Hey girls! What are you doing here? Out without me, hahaha.”

Cindy looked a bit frazzled. “We went to see Khanyi.”

Mel squeezed Cindy’s hand – it looked as though she had been crying. “She’ll be fine, OK, don’t you worry.”

They turned away from me and walked off.

“I’ll see you at practice! I guess…”

They did not look back at me. My mom and the doctor were still deep in conversation so I went up to Khanyi’s room. She was lying in her hospital bed, asleep. Someone had taken the sheets off of her, perhaps in the process of bathing her. Her legs were exposed and they were…ghastly. Her dark brown skin was spotted with purple bruises all over. Her knees looked inverted as if they pointed the wrong way. Her ankles were swollen and purple too. She looked as if only her lower half had been in some grisly car accident. I noticed that the rest of her looked thinner and sickly too. Her thick, dark hair looked pale and limp. I was just about to leave the room, when her eyelids began to flutter open.

“Nancy, is that you? Oh, how nice of you to visit.”

I went to her bedside, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were being bathed, I just thought I’d come…”

“Nancy, why is it that every time I see you, you are apologising?” Even in this hospital bed Khanyi had a sense of humour.

“It’s a bad habit I suppose.”

Khanyi smiled up at me. “You’re looking good, Nancy. Even though you look like you should be the one in this bed, hahaha.” Khanyi’s personality was what truly made her attractive.

“Oh come on Khanyi, not you too! Everyone has a pun or a joke about me being green, what do you have to say? I’ve heard it all!” Khanyi’s eyes softened and teared up a bit.

“Ah Nancy, I’m the one who should be green,” Khanyi said.

I put my hand on her arm. “What do you mean?”

She looked back at me. “Well, Nancy, you’re over there standing on your two beautiful legs and I’m over here in bed for what feels like eternity. I’m the one green with envy.”

The moment seemed surreal. Me, Nancy Jane, being called beautiful by the popular, gorgeous, athletic Khanyi, and her being jealous of me!

I was basking in the moment, feeling victorious when she said, “But in all honestly I needed the new perspective. Even though I can’t dance, I’m still grateful that I’m alive and I have the best friends and the best family.” Khanyi’s humility wiped the smirk off my face.

A nurse came into the room, shooing me out. Khanyi smiled and waved at me as I left. I felt a little pang of guilt in my stomach. My guilt was instantly replaced with anger again. Why should I feel guilty? I was not the one who caused Khanyi to land in hospital. Why should I feel bad when I was finally getting the life I wanted? I left the hospital, angry once again.

Tell us: Do you think Khanyi and Nancy could make good friends?