Nepenthe: Something that makes you forget grief and suffering

Keith pov

I don't remember falling asleep.
I don't even remember talking to Amy.
When I woke up I was so hungry. My stomach was growling and that was the first thing I noticed.
I opened my eyes and Christine was there next to my bed.
"Morning" She said softly and held my hand.
"Morning" I croaked.
"I can hear your tummy rumbling. Your nurse said you didn't eat last night" She chuckled.
"Isn't hospital food all full of processed shit and carbs?" I asked.
Christine sighed.
"Don't worry about that, Seriously Keith. You need to eat" She said firmly.
"I don't "need" to eat. I could afford to skip a few meals. It'd do me some good" I mumbled.
"Don't talk like that. You can afford to eat Keith. You just have to stop the binging. Just eat your normal 3 meals and you'll be fine. Maybe even less sweets and more veggies like I tell you too" She explained.
"Hide all of the junk food. My dumb pig ass will just eat it all when I get home" I grumbled.
"Stop talking like that Keith Alavai! You need to eat" Christine barked.

My IV and bandages were getting really itchy.
Then Amy walked in.
"Ah you're awake!" She grinned.
"He needs some food. His belly is grumbling" Christine said.
"Alright. I'll get you something simple and light" Amy grinned.
She checked my vitals and my IV, All was good.
"How did everyone sleep last night?" I asked.
"Not the best but we all got much needed sleep even if we were a bit antsy" Christine said.
We just stayed there in silence for a few minutes until Amy came back with a dark green tray.
"I brought you some soup, Apple juice and some crackers. I hope that's okay" Amy said.
"That sounds great" I smiled weakly.
Christine helped me sit up and Amy put the test in my lap.
"Do you want some help? Just for your first meal" Amy asked.
"If that's okay..." I trailed off.
"I can do it or if you want your mom to" Amy said.
I looked at Christine with puppy dog eyes.
She smiled.
"I'll do it don't worry. Thank you" She said to Amy.
Christine took the plastic lid off the foam soup bowl, grabbed the spoon and fed me a small spoonful.
"I haven't fed any of you kids in so long. Well, I never had to feed you" She chuckled.
The warm soup felt nice in my empty stomach.
I ate the whole bowl and felt like a glutton afterwords.
I assured myself that I wasn't just because I ate a bowl of soup.
I was able to nibble on the sodium crackers and drink some of the juice.
"That should be good huh?" Amy asked.
I nodded. She left the juice bottle next to me and took my tray out of the room.
"Christine" I said quietly.
"What baby?" She asked and held my hand.
I squirmed then paused.
"...Am I fat? I just really want you to bd honest with me because that'll really help me. I know you said I wasn't but I just need some brutal honesty" I explained.
"Oh god no! Of course you're not. Not even close. If you want my honesty you're a bit on the chubby side but there's nothing wrong with that. I know you were told to lose some weight but if you lose even 5 pounds that's huge and you'll be at a good weight. You are at a good weight now, Amy just wants you to be safe. It's just 5 pounds. It's not a lot" Christine explained.
I nodded.
"Thank you" I said.
"What day is it? Can you call Lance and ask him to come?" I then asked.
"It's Sunday. I can call him yes. I think seeing you awake will cheer him up. Lance gave me his mother's number and Mariana and I have been texting. He's been home from school. He's in a bit of a slump" She explained.
Christine dialled Lance's number which I had memorized.
"Hi honey it's Christine" She said.
"Somebody is awake and would like to see you" She said and grinned.
I heard Lance cry out happily.
She chuckled.
"Okay, We'll see you in a bit" She smiled and hung up.
"He's ecstatic" Christine giggled.

Lance pov

As soon as I got the call from Christine that Keith is awake and doing well, I sprang up from my mountain of blankets and got dressed.
I'm stopping to get him some presents.
I exclaimed quickly and happily to my father what's going on as my mother was out shopping with Jana.
I rushed out the door and sped into the city and stopped at a target.
I was so happy and excited to see Keith.
I ran around the store like an idiot thinking of some stuff to get him.
I picked out a small bag of Cheetos for him and some sour patch kids.
I looked around more and found a really cute and really fat and round cat plushie with stubby little legs. It's black with big cute yellow eyes and a red ribbon around its neck.
Perfect.
I quickly bought the stuff and raced over to the hospital.
I went to the front desk and told them I was there to see Keith.
I was lead to his room by a nurse.
Keith's face lit up when he saw me.
"Hi baby!" I exclaimed when I walked in.
Keith smiled really big.
"Hi" He grinned.
I came over a gave him a soft kiss.
Keith wrapped his arms around my neck and I kissed his plump cheek.
"How are you feeling?" I asked him and held his hand.
"I'm okay" He replied.
"How are you?" He asked.
"I'm feeling amazing now that I'm here with you" I chuckled.
Christine moved her chair a bit so I had some room.
I saw that there was another nurse in the corner of the room smiling at us.
I didn't see her at first.
"You're such a cheese" Keith giggled.
"I brought you some stuff" I sang.
"You didn't!" Keith exclaimed.
He couldn't see the bag in my other hand.
I held up the plastic shopping bag.
"I don't know if you can have outside food here but you can eat it when you get out I guess" I said.
"I brought you some Cheetos and sour patch kids" I added and put the packages next to him on the bed.
"Awe Lance!" Keith gushed.
"And..." I trailed off.
I pulled the fat little plush cat from the bag.
Keith squealed happily.
I gave him the kitty.
He hugged it tight.
"I love him!" He exclaimed.
"I knew you would" I laughed.
"Thank you!" Keith giggled.
"I'll give you two some alone time" Christine said.
Keith looked at the nurse.
"This is Lance, He's my boyfriend" He explained.
The nurse waved to me.
"I'll be just outside with your mom. Just holler if you need anything" She said and left the room.
I sat in Christine's chair and moved it right next to the bed.
"I was so scared last night. I didn't like being here alone. I don't really like it here Lance. I just want to go home" Keith mumbled.
"My nurse is really nice and the food is seemingly good but I miss my bed. I just want to go back home" He added.
"You'll be able to soon Keithy don't worry baby. They just have to make sure you're all good before sending you back" I explained.
He nodded.
I stroked his knuckles with my thumb.
"I missed you" He said softly.
"I missed you too. Hunk and Pidge do too" I said.
"I'm so sorry Lance-I'm sorry I've put you through all this" Keith whimpered.
"I just can't lose you Keith. You're the reason I wake up every day, You're the reason I'm existing. I'm not gonna be a big mushy mess right now but you're here, Alive and that's all that matters. You'll be out of here soon and I can spoil you rotten" I beamed.
He smiled a small smile.

I sat there with him and softly talked to him as he stroked my hand with his thumb. I peppered his face with soft kisses and made sure he was comfy.
I stayed with Keith for hours.
Even when Christine and his nurse came back I stayed.
I didn't want to leave but visiting hours ended.
That's when the calm atmosphere got disrupted.
Visiting hours had ended and I was asked to leave but not Christine.
Keith did not like that one little bit.

"What?! No you can't leave!" He exclaimed and shot up too quickly for comfort. A nurse rushed over and laid him down.
"He's my boyfriend! You can't kick him out but not my mother!" Keith cried.
"After visitation hours only close family members are allowed to stay with staff permission. Non-family visitors aren't allowed to be here after hours" That same nurse replied.
I stood up from my seat.
"No Lance, Please don't leave!" Keith wailed and began to cry.
A piece of my heart broke just seeing my boyfriend, my angel and light of my life being held down by a nurse. Pale and all bandaged up, Tears streak in his cheeks as he reached out for me.
"I don't want to get in trouble Keith. I'll be back tomorrow after school okay? I'm sorry baby" I said. A lump formed in my throat and I started to tear up.
But I had to remain strong, For Keith.
I came back over to the bed.
The nurse let go of him and I leaned down and gave him a hug and a long kiss.
"I'll be back before you know it okay? You'll be fine angel. I believe in you" I said softly and cupped his face and kissed his now damp cheek.
He held onto my wrist once my lips left his skin.
He kissed my knuckles.
"I love you" Keith said softly.
"I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow" I promised.
I wiped his eyes and gave him one last kiss on the lips then forehand.

Keith pov

Lance waved a last hesitant time and he left.
The room felt more empty.
"You're okay" Christine said and sat in the chair.
She rubbed my shoulder.
"Don't cry Keithy" She said and brushed some hair from my eyes.
I sniffled.
"We should get you some dinner then huh?" She asked.
I nodded.
"I'll go get him something" Amy said and scurried off.
The other nurse in the room was a rather tall lady, mid 30's with long redish hair tied in a side braid.
She switched my IV bag which made me a little uncomfortable.

Amy came back with a really good looking sandwich in foam and plastic wrap and a bag of chips.
"This was the last sandwich" She said and set them down in my lap.
"You're encouraging me to lose weight but you're bringing me chips?" I chuckled weakly.
"They're low in sodium, You deserve a treat anyway" She said.
"I have a whole bag!" I exclaimed and motioned to the bag of junk food Lance brought.
I moved my cute little cat Lance brought to the other side of me.
I unwrapped the sandwich and dug in.
Everyone watching me made me feel awkward and I realized how hungry I was.

Later in the evening Christine was getting tired.
"You can go home..." I trailed off.
"I don't want to leave you here" She said.
"It's okay, You go home and sleep. You've got work tomorrow" I said.
"I want to make sure you're alright. You were horribly distraught when Lance left" She replied.
"I'm alright, Promise. I've got my new little friend here anyways" I grinned and held up my fat little cat.
Christine patted it's fluffy head.
"I'll stay until you fall asleep okay?" She compromised.
I nodded.

I don't remember falling asleep again. It's something in my IV, I swear.

The next day when I woke up Amy was waiting for me with a foam plate with some eggs and toast on it.
It made my mouth water.
She watched me eat slowly.

"So how long have you and Lance been together?" She asked cheekily.
"Almost a year" I replied after a mouthful of egg.
"That's really sweet. He sure seems like he cares about you. The way he looks at you just melts my heart" She chirped dreamily and put her hand over her heart.
I chuckled.
"I really love him" I said.
"I can tell. He seems like such a sweetie" She smiled.
"He is. He's so good to me" I giggled.
"Mm you're blushing. He really makes you happy huh?" Amy asked.
I nodded.

The next few days went by.
Lance visited every day and Christine did too.
She would wait until I fell asleep every single night which I loved.
I'm to be discharged on Sunday. It's Thursday.
I think it's too long to be in the hospital for but okay people.
Amy was off for 2 days but I got to know my other nurse who's name was actually Angel which I thought was funny.
On Tuesday Lance brought Hunk and Pidge to come see me.
That just made my whole day just seeing them.
We avoided sad topics and they caught me up on school gossip and all that.

Today Amy was gonna see how well I could walk.
Sure I can walk across the hallway to go pee but she wants to take me around the building.
She also wants to weigh me and do a blood test.
"You've lost 8 pounds since you came in. It was unintentional but that's good!" She exclaimed.
8 pounds?? Seriously??
She took the blood test too.

She helped me to my feet and I was taken off of the IV today thankfully.
She held onto my arm.
My legs felt like jello at first but I was fine after a while.
I just had some lunch too so that helped.

Christine never brought the kids in just for their own well being.
We all know Meenah would of lost it at the sight of me so frail.

Soon Sunday came and I was allowed to go home finally.
I was so happy.
Before I left I put on the comfy sweats and soft old nirvana shirt Christine had brought me.
Lance was there too. Christine had taken him with her.
Amy weighed me one last time and announced that I've lost 10 pounds and that I'm at a good "healthy" weight now. Aka I'm not obese, just fat but not a concerning level of fat anymore.
She also wanted replace my bandages.
I've been dreading this for the whole time I've been here.
Amy calmly told me to sit down, I sat in a chair in the corner of my room.
Christine packed up my kitty and a few bottles of soda and juice I hadn't finished and put them in the bag too.
Amy carefully unwrapped the white gauze bandages from my arms.
Lance took one glance at one uncovered cut and bit his lip and looked away squeamishly.
Amy unwrapped both arms.
The gashes wee just mostly scabbed over now. They weren't as red and puffy as I expected.
"Let's get you cleaned up" She said eagerly.
I let my arms fall into my lap right side up.
Lance looked back over and just looked worried and uncomfortable.
Amy came back with some alcohol pads and just cleaned my arms up a bit.
It burned so bad.
I grunted and Lance rubbed my back.
Amy got some clean gauze wrap and carefully bandaged them back up snugly.
I had to take off my pants so she could do my thighs too. I had my boxers on so I was fine.
"There" Amy said and patted my leg.
I pulled my pants back up and stood.
"Thank you so much. I'll never be able to thank you enough. You made my time here way less scary" I chuckled.
"It's my job. I was happy to care for you Keith" She beamed and gave me a hug.
Christine hugged her too.
"You take care. Stay strong okay? You're such an amazing person and I hope you start to feel better soon. These bad feelings don't last forever" Amy said and cupped my cheek.
I gave her a smile.
The three of us waved goodbye to her and we were off.

Lance sat in the backseat with me and draped his jacket over my shoulders.
"Can we stop at McDonald's? I really really want french fries" I asked Christine.
She chuckled and glanced at me through the mirror.
I grinned.
"Yes we can" She smiled.
I clapped.

She got me a large thing of fries from the drive through and boy was I ever happy.
"This is the happiest I've seen you in over a week and it's over McDonald's" Christine laughed.
Lance clinked his teeth together and I shoved a fry in his mouth.
"I'm going to try and lose more weight. I'm still fat" I grumbled.
"You are not fat!" Christine hissed.
"I agree. You keep those chubby cheeks okay?" Lance said and pinched both my cheeks and squished them together.
I giggled.