Haven't Had Enough → Chenry

Cast addition
Anna Akana as Ingrid Li
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There are so many things to hate about hospitals. As soon as you walk into one, you're bombarded with the nauseating sterile smell that wafts through the halls. As if that weren't enough, there's also the heart-wrenching sight of worried family members who sit restlessly in the waiting room as they wait to hear about their loved ones.

     But nothing compares to the dread you feel when it's you who's the one sitting there, and you're doing everything in your power not to break down because breaking down means assuming the worst and you just can't do that.

     Or maybe that's just me.

I sat beside Henry in absolute silence, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it was to sit still in the hard plastic chair. I focused on the eerily clean white walls and didn't say a word – not because I preferred silence, which actually seemed to make everything worse – but because I just couldn't bring myself to speak.

But nothing had to be said for me to pick up on the feeling in the air. It became very apparent to me that people handle grief in vastly different ways.

     Jasper was pacing the length of the room, paying no mind to anything or anyone else. This had been going on for multiple cycles: he would pace for a while before getting tired and sitting down. Then he could start to fidget, unable to sit still, before finally getting up and starting to pace all over again. I had tried to get Jasper to tell us what happened, but he seemed far too traumatized to talk about it, so I simply dropped the subject.

     Henry was taking it better – or so it seemed. He hadn't said very much of anything since we got to the hospital, so it was hard to tell, but I couldn't imagine that he was terribly distressed. He only flipped through a stack of magazines before tossing them aside dismissively and reverting his attention to his phone, quietly keeping to himself all the while.

     As for Jasper, he seemed to be getting more and more anxious by the second. He continued to circumnavigate the room, wringing his hands together. I could just barely register the sound of him murmuring incoherently to himself. My sights trailed after him, and I longed to call out and comfort him, but my mouth was as good as if it were bolted shut.

     After countless minutes of this madness had passed, Jasper suddenly stopped and screwed his eyes shut, placing both of his hands behind his head. I swallowed hard, wishing I could be rid of the lump in my throat. Beside me, Henry cleared his own. It was the first sound he'd made since we'd gotten there.

"You okay, man?" Henry asked tentatively. Jasper inhaled sharply as if he were breathing in Henry's question so as to analyze it properly.

"I just want to see her." He let his arms drop to his sides, and when he opened his eyes, I could see just how red they were. He shook his head pitifully. "I need to see her."

There was an awful pang in my heart when I heard the way his voice broke. My eyes filled with hot, stinging tears. I wanted nothing more than to tell him that I knew my cousin and that she was strong, and she would be okay, but I couldn't bring myself to say the words. I knew then that if I opened my mouth to speak, I'd only be able to cry.

     "The party for Lyah Bolton?"

     All three of us immediately shifted our attention to the young nurse who stood at the entrance to the waiting room. She glanced down at her clipboard and nodded. "The patient is in stable condition. She should be awake soon."

     A collective sigh of relief resounded from the three of us before Jasper took a step toward her. "Are we allowed to be with her?"

    "Family only until further notice." Despite her words, her expression was apologetic, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she felt bad about it. "Doctor's orders."