Page 5 of Accidentally Falling For My Best Friend
Parker doesn’t belong here. I can’t believe that I let this happen, that I didn’t know anything was wrong until he looked dead next to me on the couch.
We get to the room number they gave us downstairs and slide open the door. He looks so sick. Pale with huge bags under his eyes, and he’s wearing one of those weird hospital gowns with snap buttons up the sleeves and a pattern that looks like it belongs on a movie theater's carpet.
We were just playing video games and joking around yesterday. Now he’s in a freaking hospital bed, surrounded by monitors and wires. Bags are hanging on a pole next to him with tubes connected to his arm. Things are beeping and I want to know what they all mean. To understand what happened and knowthat he’s okay.
His parents are both there, sitting on the couch that’s on the other side of the room, and they smile as we come in.
“We’ll go grab you some more water and give you guys a minute,” his mom says, standing to leave with my mom.
His dad squeezes my shoulder as he walks past, whispering,“Kept my promise, he’s all right,” just for me to hear.
I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding and approach Parker, not sure what to do or say.
“I’m fine, Oak,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“You don’t look fine,” I grumble, moving a chair as close to the bed as I can. “I thought you were dead,” I admit even more softly, afraid to put that idea out into the universe.
I can’t imagine my life without Parker in it. I don’t even want to try.
“I’m so sorry you had to be there for that,” he responds. As ifhehas anything to be sorry for.
“Are you kidding me?” I ask, grabbing his hand and looking at him, waiting for him to look at me too before I say anything. “Parker, don’t you dare apologize for anything. I’m the one who should be saying sorry!” I tell him desperately. “I should have known something was wrong, I should have gotten helpbeforeyou were passed out next to me. I should have called 911 sooner.” I voice some of the regrets I’ve had in the last day, thinking of everything I did wrong.
“If I didn’t even know something was wrong, how could you?” he questions.
“I’m your best friend, I should have known,” I insist, and he laughs like I’m joking.
I’m not.
I don’t care what I have to do, I’m never letting whatever happened yesterday happen again. “So, what did happen?” I finally ask.
“Apparently I have Type 1 diabetes; my blood sugar wassuper high, and it made me pass out. They’ve given me a lot of fluids and medicine to bring it down, but I guess my pancreas doesn’t work, and I’ll have to give myself insulin shots now,” he explains.
“What’s a pancreas?” I ask and he laughs.
“I don’t know, but the doctor said mine doesn’t make insulin like it’s supposed to, so I’ll need to give it to myself with shots,” he says with a shrug. “And I’ll need to start paying more attention to what I eat and just be healthier so that it doesn’t get high like that again.”
“I’ll help,” I quickly add. “I can be healthier with you. Whatever you need. I promise you’ll never end up back here,” I say confidently, wrapping my pinky around his where I’m still holding his hand.
“What are we, five years old?” he says with a laugh.
“Dude, everyone knows how serious pinky promises are, don’t laugh,” I deadpan.
He twists his mouth to the side like he’s trying not to smile. “Fine, I think they said the diabetes educator nurse will be coming by soon to teach me everything. You can stay and learn it too, in case I forget anything or need help.”
“Sounds great!” I agree, relieved to finally have some direction. I drop his hand and open the backpack I brought with me to pull out the Rubik’s cube I bought back when he was trying to teach me how to solve one, and hand it to him. I got it a few times, but I always needed his help remembering how to actually do it.
“Oh awesome, thanks, Oak,” he says, his whole face lighting up as he immediately begins moving the sides around.
“Anything for you, Parker.”
I hope he understands how much I mean that.
3
PARKER
TWELVE YEARS OLD
