Take Care

• Amanda Walker, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2013

The hallway was silent. Every shuffle of bed sheets and drip of medication being infused into bloodstreams could be heard. I stood in the North wing, waiting for something to tell me I shouldn’t run; run away from this monstrosity of an institution. If I ran, I wouldn’t be running away from a building with a bulky sign on it, I would be running from my life. Hospitals these days do what they need to get money, even if that means taking me, a youthful boy, off the transplant list just to give an ancient affluent man a new kidney. I was depressed. Everything that has happened in the last few months has made every inch of me feel pain and I wanted it to end. I felt empty and as though I was on a treadmill that sped up constantly, never moving forwards, never moving backwards.

The sun was almost up but it was still dark. I hadn’t slept a minute all night and I needed rest but I started to walk down the corridor, one foot in front of the other, over and over again. Walking. The lights shut off, darkness crept slowly over the hall. I started running. It pained in my stomach and throbbed in my legs but I kept going. The light of the new day was enough to see where to go. My gown flew back as though wind had come past me, it felt good. I wasn’t on a high level so I took the stairs. It would make me feel better to keep running instead of waiting on a huge piece of metal technology to take me down two floors. I knew people would try and stop me getting out the doors but I didn’t care. This body had been through enough trauma and my life had been placed in the hands of enough doctors who plainly didn’t care whether I lived or died. I get told they try but I know they just want my parents' money.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and ran past the front desk even though the receptionist called out. The security guards were not around, it was perfect. I stepped out into the chilled and crisp air. All my senses were itching. I had not been outside in over three weeks. I could smell the roasting coffee from the café over the road. I could hear the birds chirping with jubilation. I could feel life around me. I halted and embraced everything I could.

Someone clutched me from behind. Of course I wouldn’t really be able to make it far enough to leave forever and even then I wouldn’t be physically stable enough to survive. That short few seconds, where I experienced the thrill of life would help me get through the next three weeks of blood tests and therapy because it meant I was alive and as much pain I felt, I still had hope I would one day get better.