Machines hooked up to his bed. A light cover covered his sleeping self. Or is he just laying down? I take a step forward, then take it back. There's a large window on the other side of the room, outside I can see the glass of other buildings and the tops of bare trees. A rustling noise comes from the bed and Zeke is laying down still, but facing me. His eyes are open, and he mutters something that sounded like Fawn. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and I brought my hands to my chest. I walk over to him, and kneel down, to look him in the eyes. His brown eyes are dull, like the bare trees in winter. He smiles a little, and brushes a tear away softly, as if it takes all his strength. 

"Are... you.. okay?" He whispers. I smile a little, the tears rolling down faster now. I nod, and brush the hair out of his face. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and see Em kneeling down next to me. She gives Zeke a concern look, and smiles when she notices his. We all look at each other for a second before Zeke murmurs, "Does Mari know?" I nod, and Em nods slightly after. he takes a shaky breath as the nurse walks in, telling us we have to go. I brush his hair out of his face once more, and follow Em out of the room. 

-_-_-_-

I sit on my bed, listening to Em rant about the driving resctrictions around here. She paces across the white shag rug with bare feet, her hands gesturing every time her voice raised in anger. I nod every time she looks over at me and pauses, then she continues. I hear the doorbell ring, and I launch myself downstairs. I open the door, seeing Mari wrapped in a orange knit scarf and a black puffy jacket. She smiles, but from her red eyes and tear stained cheeks, I can tell she's been crying. I don't think she's seen Zeke yet, and maybe that's for the best. It was hard seeing Zeke like that yesterday. She steps in, and asks if we are going to go see Zeke today. I shrug, and Em, who is right behind me does the same. Em says, "Well, we could, I mean, we could take the train there, cause your mother isn't home, and my parents left, and I don't have a car." 

"Okay." She mutters. We all walk to the bus station, the cold air like fire against our skin. I feel a shiver run down my spine, and I pull my hat down to cover my ears better. The snow sparkled as the sunlight reflected of it, and the trees seemed small without their large crowns of leaves. The blue sky was covered in small, whispy clouds, and the sun was partly hidden. The bus was blue, and had ads covering the sides of it. The air near it smelt like exhaust, making me gag. I walked aboard, Em paying for the three of us, and we walked to the back. I leaned my head against th window watching the world go by.

-_-_-

We slowly walked through the sliding doors, and I noticed Mari's hands begin to shake. I blink, and go to the counter, the man smiles at me and asks, "What can I do for you, darling?" I beckon Em over, and she smiles.

"We are visiting Zeke Alfin." She states, and the man told us the room number again. I nod a thank you, and the three of us, pad down the hallway, our footsteps echoing in the silence.  Em mutters, "Do you want to go in by yourself to see him?"

Mari pauses before whispering in a shaky voice, "Yes."

"We'll wait for you in the waiting room." She says. I give Mari a small hug, and we go down the hall, it's white tile floors banging softly as we step. We both sit down on a small, cushiony love seat. Bored after less then a minute, Em watches the small, muted tv, and I flip through a baking magizine. It was full of Christmas ideas, reminding me Christmas was only a week away. Mari soon comes over to meet us, her nose and cheeks a pale red, and a small smile across her face. I stand and walk over, Em trailing behind, and we go outside, the cold surprising me. I give Mari's shoulder a small squeeze, and she looks over and gives me a light smile, her eyes still dull.