A clouded figure appeared over Pandora's bed. She slowly opened both her eyes and sat up. She squinted her eyes as the sunshine from the window beamed into her room, lighting up the place.
"G'morning, Granny..." She turned to her broken clock and looked outside, "What time is it?"
"It's past 10. You should get more sleep and eat more often to wake up earlier in the morning and lead a healthy life, and you know that."
"Oh no!..." She yeld out.
"Relax... let me look at your foot to see if it's better." Her warm welcoming smile made Pandora not want to disagree with anything she said. "Oh, look at that! The swelling has improved quite alot and it's not as colorful as yesturday." She smiled. Pandora smiled a small smile back. Her grandmother always knew how to heal various injuries because she always got herself hurt when she was young and reckless, and she had to take care of herself. Now she had to start passing on her knowledge to her grandchild. "You're lucky i'ts healing so fast." Pandora squinted a bit. "Yeah... but it still hurts."
"Don't worry Panny, it'll heal before you know it."
Pan's grandmother left the room and soon came back with a breakfast plate. "Here, i made you something..."
"Oh, pancakes! I'm starving!" She took the fork and stuffed half a big pancake in her mouth. "Thanks granny but i have to leave soon. I have to see Vinny."
"I hope he's ok. He's a very good boy."
"You talk as tho he's 12 years old."
"I know, i know... You two got along extremely well, didn't you? It's a shame you didnt' stay together... tell me... what happened?" Pan looked at her plate and stopped chewing. She looked at her grandmother, swallowed and started to explain in a sad mood."
"We... i dunno... I was too reserved... and we just let the days go by... I didn't-- we didn't spill out everything that was hidden inside... and i never knew what to say and when....."
"Well maybe this is your big chance of getting back together. You can start off by taking great care of him."
"I know... now, more than ever, i want to tell him... but i messed it up! I messed it all up!"
"Don't worry, Panny, You're a nice person. And don't beat yourself because of this. Mistakes are a part of life, and you can fix them. Saying negative things and blocking yourself from everything else won't help at all. I know you can do it."
"Thanks granny..." She sincerly said.
"I know i shoudln't let you leave with a foot like that... but i know how you can't let this just limit things you need to do. Can you walk?"
"Yeah, a bit. It's hard and takes time... but i'm able."
"I'll tell you what-" Pan looked at her right away with eyes wide open. "-I'll call Yvan and ask him if he can drive you there." Pandora hugged her grandmother. "Oh, thanks so much!" She stretched over and got the phone.
"Wait.... didn't you say Daniel was coming by to pick you up?"
"Yeah... but he doesn't know where exactly i live- where You live, now that i think of it, and he would've been here by now." Her grandmother looked at her oddly and said "Oh darn..." She took the phone and dialed a long number. While she talked to Yvan, Pandora finished her plate rapidly. "Alright. He's coming to pick you up."
On the porch outside, the grandmother hugged Pan and said goodbye. Right before she left, she leaned in on Pan's ear and whispered something surprising.
"Your friend Daniel... i've seen the way he looks at you... You're more popular than you think otherwise." Pan just stared at her, "Be careful."
"I will, don't worry."
"Yvan helped Pan into the car and drove off. She tried not to think of Daniel and what her grandmother had just said. Other things were already complicated enough. Thinking about that wouldn't make her sleep for days.
* * *
"Excuse me, sir?" Pan asked a man in white and turquoise clothes. He started talking to another person, obviously not hearing her. She looked around the hallway. There were more people than she thought. A little girl in a wheelchair pushed around by a nurse looked at her and smiled. Pan was flattered and smiled back with a little wave of the hand. She nervously glanced over at the main counter where a secretary was telling the caller to calm down, she turned away to the man again.
"Excuse me, Doctor-..." she read his tag "-Johnson?" The man looked at her. "Can i help you, miss?'
"I'm looking for a severly injured person,-"
"What's their name?"
"...Cotroni" She looked at him coldly, "He came in yesturday morning." He looked qat his list of papers attached to a board very rapidly. "Cotroni,, you said?"
"Yeah..."
He shook his head as he read something, then looked into a certain room not too far away and said, "I'm sorry, miss. You came too late,, he didn'tmake it... I'm very sorry" Her eyes shot wide open and watered, and she grabbed the man's arm. "No... no you're lying!"
"I'm sorry miss... he passed away very early this morning. There was nothing we could do, we tried our best."
The doctor stared at her for a second, and knowing there was nothing left to be said, he slowly walked away to another patient.
<Bastard! How does he dare talk like that about Vinny as though he's nothing!>
But she knew that it would sound offensive out of anyone's mouth.
"No no no no no; this can't be!!" She yelled out to no one. She became hysterical; her blood pressure rose, her eyes flowed with tears and she felt this incredible adrenaline making her want to break everything including herself. The little girl from before didn't seem happy anymore and backed away with the wheelchair. Pan grabbed her bagand went to find a less popular place to sit down and cry as many eyes followed her.
<Vinny.. my God, i'm soo so so sorry...> She sobbed as she buried her head in the embracement of her arms holding her body. <I should have gone... why didn't i go?? <sob> I'll never see him again...>
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