Page 11 of Sure, Pal

5

Evan

My hands were still shaking three hours after we’d taken Sienna to the hospital. Seeing her turning pale like that and struggling to breathe scared the shit out of me.

Sienna was okay now. Ava called and told me she just left the hospital, and Sienna was back to making dumb jokes and breathing like a champ.

Even after all of Ava’s assurances, I still wanted to see Sienna. Would she think it was weird if I showed up at the hospital? We were friends, but we’d never hung out without Ava.

The back of my car was full of Sienna’s stuff, and I was about to drop it off at her house. Maybe there was something in there that she needed. I could bring it to her at the hospital. Then it wouldn’t be weird for me to stop by alone.

I pulled up to her parents’ house and popped my trunk. I reached for the zipper on Sienna’s backpack, then hesitated. I definitely shouldn’t go through her stuff. As I stood there in her driveway, wondering what I should do, a phone started to ring.

Her phone was in her bag. Sienna would want that. I pulled it from the backpack and slid it into my pocket, then I carried her sleeping bag and backpack up to her front door.

Sienna’s dad answered the door, looking exhausted. “Who are you?” he asked.

I’d met the guy several times, but he clearly didn’t remember. According to Ava, Sienna’s parents hardly noticed their daughter existed.

“I’m Evan, Sienna’s friend. I brought her stuff from the camping trip.”

Her dad nodded. “Okay. Thanks. You can set it here.” He pointed to the entryway and turned to walk away.

“How’s Sienna doing?” I asked as I set her stuff down by the foot of the stairs.

He sighed. “Fine. She’s fine.”

What an ass. His daughter almost died. I definitely needed to visit her. “Glad to hear it. Have a good night.” I turned and headed back to my car.

Twenty minutes later, I stood in the doorway of Sienna’s hospital room and gripped her phone in my left hand. She was asleep. Her long, dark lashes fluttered against her pale cheeks, and her reddish-brown hair was a tangled mess. She looked adorable and very much alive. That was all I needed to know. I’d just leave the phone on her bedside table and slip back out.

As soon as I set the phone down, Sienna’s eyes drifted open. I grinned at her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I thought you’d probably want your phone.”

Sienna gave me a sleepy smile and said, “Hi. I’m glad you came.” Then her cheeks flushed pink, and she sat up with wide eyes. “Evan! Hey! Wow, thanks!” She frantically ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

I laughed out loud. “Did you think I was someone else?”

“Ha! No. Um, don’t look at me! I’m a mess right now.” Sienna covered her face with both hands after she failed to smooth her hair.

I shook my head with a smile. “No, you’re not. Anyway, sorry to bother you. Like I said, I figured you’d want your phone.”

“Thanks,” she said through her fingers.

I was about to leave, but I didn’t really want to. “Do you need anything? Did you already eat dinner? I know hospital food sucks, so I can go grab something for you if you want.”

“Oh my God, I’m starving!” Sienna let her hands fall from her face. “Ava stopped by earlier, and I asked her to go get me a burger and some fries, and she turned up her cute little nose and gave me a lecture about eating meat. She offered to get me a salad, or just the fries. I told her to go to hell.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’ll get you a burger, pal. What do you like on it? Bacon? Cheese?”

Sienna smiled. “And tomatoes. Oh, and pickles.” She sighed and leaned back on her pillows. “I love you.” Sienna sat up quickly and said, “Whoa! Not like that! I mean you’re awesome!”

I laughed again. I laughed a lot around Sienna. “Okay, I think there’s a fast food place across the street. I’ll be right back.”

When I returned with the food, it looked like Sienna had managed to tame her hair a little bit. I smiled to myself and wondered if she was trying to look nice for me. Of course not. Sienna didn’t think of me in that way. She never had, and she never would.

I set her burger and fries on her tray. “Extra pickles and bacon, just for you.” Then I turned to leave.

“You’re going to make me eat alone?”

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