The days passed by like the slow ticking of an ancient clock. All day and all night, sunrise after sunset, she waited, hoping that Electra was lying and that Micah would walk through that door, giving her a big smile and a hug that made all her senses and worries go away.

But he never did, and he never came.

A sigh rushed out of her lungs. She looked down at her leg and then back up at the tiled ceiling, running over its dirty spots spattered over its gray surface. Her mind rumbled like incoming thunder, clouding her mind. She was so confident that Micah would come, but no.

Maybe he didn't know she was in the hospital. But she felt still hurt because she had been lonely for the past couple of days, and at the time where she needed him the most, he wasn't here. It made her want to cry as her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't let a single drop out. She didn't want a nurse to suddenly come in and ask what was wrong.

Her fingers slowly fiddled with each other, she heard the faint click of her nails connecting and that was all she could focus on. To make matters worse, she couldn't get Electra's words out of her head. Even though she knew had no reason to be worried, those words still made her burn with anger like it was filling her up. She was angry at Micah for not showing up and at Electra for even deciding to show her face.

Suddenly, she heard the door open and a couple of footsteps sauntered in, pulling her out of her dismay.

"Miss Jones, you have some visitors," a nurse announced.

Mariana turned toward the door, a grumble vibrated around her lips. The light from the window slightly blinded her, and she just watched who it could be, not seeming to care anymore since she had been alone for long enough.

"Hi, Mariana!" Makayla exclaimed and ran to hug her, her hair was sleeked down into a little puff and edges laid down.

Mylah followed behind her, holding her guitar case, and their mother also came, with her floor-length, fur coat gliding along.

"Hey." Mariana smiled weakly, hiding her disappointment as best as she could, and sat up to hug her back. Even though it wasn't Micah, she was at least happy to see his family.

"Hello Mariana, how are you feeling?" Crystal asked, taking a seat next to her bed. Her daughters sat next to her and slid off their LV backpacks.

"I'm fine thanks."

"Sorry we came a bit late, I had to get the girls from school before coming here," Crystal said, slightly out of breath as she removed her coat.

"And we got you some gifts," Mylah said, bringing up a sparkly gift bag and placing it on Mariana's bed.

"Thank you," she said and opened it up. The first thing she pulled out was a Burberry scarf. She wrapped it up around her neck and settled back comfortably into her pillow, grinning like a child that had just gotten a present. It was very warm compared to the cold atmosphere of the hospital room.

"I also prepared some things for when you're finally discharged," Makayla said and brought out a makeup bag.

"Oh thanks," Mariana said, out of surprise, and zipped it open. There were some toiletries, makeup, lotions, and skincare. Her attention was particularly on the facial wash products, as they were exactly what she needed to replenish herself for when she was allowed to go home.

"And I got you some things to keep you entertained while you're stuck in here," Mylah said, and held up an electronic sudoku and a magazine that contained some crossword puzzles.

"It's really fun and addicting." She placed it in her lap, smiling innocently as her corkscrew curls laid languidly on the sides of her puffy cheeks.

Mariana picked it up and turned it around, examining every feature. It had a small, green screen, white on the top and orange at the bottom with some buttons to place the numbers. She found it easy to turn on and the game looked quite fun and could make time pass faster.

"Thank you guys for all the gifts." She gathered them up and cradled them in her arms. They were such a nice surprise and so lovely.

"We're glad you like them, Mariana." Crystal smiled. "So, how comes you're in the hospital?"

"I was in an accident. I was driving and then suddenly a car crashed into mine and the next thing I know, I'm in this hospital bed," Mariana exclaimed with a heavy sigh.

"Oh that sounds terrible," Makayla said.

"Yeah." Mariana pouted, looking down at the bottom of the bed. She couldn't wait to get out of here for she was starting to get agitated at constantly being stuck down in bed. It felt like she was trapped.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get better soon." Makayla patted her arm, trying to keep her hopes high.

"Yeah, I hope so."

They all looked towards Mariana and even though they tried not to show it, they all felt pity for her. She was in the spotlight, caused by the bright, yellowish light, making her face looked like she had a tan while highlighting the dark spots around her nose. They stood out way more than they used to and that made her feel uneasy since they were all looking at her. She felt that her freckles made her face look worse than it already was and that was all they could focus on.

"Can we write something on your cast?" Makayla asked, turning her attention to the boring dressing around her injured leg.

"Sure. Do you have a pen or something?"

"I think I have some markers," Mylah said and dived into her bag. She managed to find some sharpies and gave one to her sister and her mother. They all wrote some 'get well soon' messages along with flowers, cats, and other nice drawings.

Mariana smiled with joy at her newly decorated cast which was not so ugly looking now. Maybe now, she wouldn't mind looking at it that much.

Makayla got the pink sharpie and then started drawing wiggly lines on Mariana's good leg. She went in between the toes, making Mariana squirm and clench them as they tickled her.

"Stop tickling me!" Mariana laughed and tried to escape even though she was completely helpless.

Makayla smirked and drew all over her foot, making Mariana cry out in laughter. She clutched her belly and tried to kick the marker away but she failed.

Makayla made her foot into a bunch of pink scribbles and then placed the lid back on it, chuckling evilly as Mariana wheezed in her bed.

"Please don't do that again," Mariana said as she finally settled down.

Makayla just laughed and then handed the sharpie back to Mylah. "That was funny."

Mariana rolled her eyes but smirked as she admired her colorful cast.

"How about we play UNO?" Mylah suggested, bringing out the packet from her pocket.

"Oh, I love UNO!" Makayla cheered.

"Do you wanna play Mariana?" Mylah asked, taking the cards out and shuffling them in her hands.

"Sure," Mariana said and sat properly so that she would be able to play.

Crystal ended up dealing all the cards out and they played on Mariana's legs. They started playing and all was well until Makayla ended up picking multiple cards up because Mylah kept putting the +4 card.

Makayla hissed in frustration as she sucked in her lips, trying not to kiss her teeth in the presence of their mother. But they still had a good time.

"Mariana, would you like me to pick you up when you get discharged?" Crystal suddenly offered.

"Really? You don't mind?" Mariana was surprised at the sudden request.

"I don't mind. I would love to pick you up so you have someone to take you home."

"Okay, I would like you to pick me up," Mariana said finally. She was glad she now had some means to get home, especially since she hadn't actually thought about it while she's been in this room.

They continued playing UNO and keeping Mariana company to which she no longer felt lonely, but still hoped that Micah would come to visit her in the days to come.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

I might be mean but I wasn't mean enough to leave poor Mariana all alone for too long😭😂😅.