They stepped in front of the officer and gave their names. “Are we in some kind of trouble?” asked Michelle.
“No, no, you’re not in any trouble,” the officer said. He spoke quietly so as to not be overheard by the other students looking with great interest at the front of the room. “I’m afraid your friend Mark’s condition has turned grave. Mayor Lucas has asked as a courtesy that you be provided government transport to the hospital. I suggest we move quickly.”
Theo and his friends moved in a silence that had become all too common the past few months. Theo looked at the sad faces around him and was angry. They were too damned young to have to go through all this! It didn’t matter how tough or smart or creative any of them were. He didn’t care how much leadership quality Mayor Lucas saw in him. At that moment Theo was a scared, angry boy who just wanted his old life back. He felt his hands clench into fists as he walked. This shouldn’t be happening to any of them, but Mark? Certainly not Mark who was always joking, always playing around, always looking for a new girl to hook up with. Mark shouldn’t be “grave.”
The officer led them out a back passageway to the parking garage of the building. A black SUV was waiting for them. Theo knew how rare it was for even the government officials to travel by vehicle given the limited supply of fuel. He appreciated the gesture from the mayor, but nothing could ease the vice that was tightening around his chest.
The car pulled away from the rear door of what Theo still thought of as a casino and wound around the several floors of the parking garage. Theo and his friends hadn’t said a word. He held Kylee’s hand and wondered what was happening to Mark. He hoped that if Mark were truly dying that they would get there in time to have one last chance to see him.
There was no need for the SUV to turn on its siren or lights to clear a path. Almost nobody ever drove on the island, and at this time of day everybody was at his or her jobs, home with little children or in school. The drive was brief. The hospital approached quickly and the government car drove right up to the entrance. The officer turned back to the teens from his front passenger seat. “They know you’re here so just go right in. You know the way to your friend’s room, right?” For the first time in what seemed an eternity, they spoke to say that yes, they knew how to get to Mark’s room.
They thanked the officer and the driver and left the big car. The automatic doors to the hospital parted in front of them and they moved swiftly toward the elevators, once more embracing silence and the shelter of their own thoughts.
Theo’s brain barely registered the walk across the lobby, the ride in the elevator or the brief distance to Mark’s room. The next thing he knew, he was standing with his friends around Mark’s bed. Jamie was already in the room, tears wet on her face. The beeping of the machinery in the room had become an all-too-familiar sound in recent weeks. A doctor was standing by Mark’s head, jotting something in a folder. He looked up at the teens.
“The mayor said you are the closest thing to next of kin this young man has on the island,” the doctor said.
“What happened to him?” asked Theo. “He’s been stable all this time.”
“He was stable, yes,” said the doctor, “but his brain functionality has been minimal and his body has not been recovering the way we’d hoped. Instead it has been slowly breaking down over the past few weeks. We nearly lost him last night and performed an emergency surgery to drain some fluid and relieve swelling, but even so… I’m afraid there’s very little time left.”
“Can he hear us?” asked Bill, his voice choked with emotion.
“I’m sorry but he’s lost almost all brain function,” said the doctor. “It’s doubtful anything you say will register, but I certainly don’t want to discourage you from trying.”
“How long does he have left?” asked Ryan.
“It’s hard to say,” said the doctor. “Minutes? Maybe hours? If there’s anything you want to say to him, even if it’s only for your own benefit, you should say it.”
Kylee and Michelle walked over to Jamie and hugged her. Kylee whispered something to Jamie and the three girls began to walk toward the door. Jamie squeezed Mark’s limp hand as she passed his bed. When they were out in the hallway, the doctor said “I’ll let you have time with your friend.” He took his chart and left the room.
The three friends stood around Mark’s bed. Bill moved his mouth like he was going to say something but the words seemed to catch in his throat. Ryan put his hand on Mark’s frail arm. “Hey Mark,” he said, “We’re all here.” He looked at Theo and Bill for encouragement and they nodded. “It’s been pretty sad on this island without you man,” he continued, “I mean Bill tries to make jokes but he sucks at it. You’d really enjoy making fun of some of the crazy crap that goes on here. Damn it Mark, we aren’t going to be the same without you. Like, one day they might even bring cars back and I might actually have to drive without you to …” he trailed off, tears streaming down his face. He grasped Mark’s hand and squeezed it, thumping it against his own chest. Slowly, Ryan put Mark’s hand back down and stepped back.
Theo felt his own tears leaving wet tracks down his cheeks. He took Ryan’s place next to Mark. “Mark… I don’t know how we’ve made it this long without your crazy spirit keeping us going. I… I know you don’t want us to remember you like this. Lying here like you are, that’s not even the real you. So I’m not going to think of you like this. I’m going to remember all the good times. I’m going to remember when we were ten and you convinced all of us to go check out that creepy house that we thought was abandoned. That stray dog barked and scared Ry so much he fell over! When I think of you I’m going to remember the way you laughed that day, the way you were always laughing.”
Theo paused to compose himself. He concentrated on his breathing until he felt he could continue. “I’m also going to remember what a hero you were to save Jamie and that other woman. You were friggin’ amazingly brave and I can’t tell you enough how impressed I am. How impressed we all are. I promise you… we are going to honor your memory and what you sacrificed. The mayor said that the future is bright. Well, we’re going to make sure it is. We owe it to you. I’m never, ever going to forget you Mark.” He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes and made way for Bill.
Bill was silent a while as he composed his thoughts. Theo knew Bill had said much of what he wanted to say in the weeks he had sat at Mark’s bedside. He knew Bill was searching for something especially profound and worthy of the moment. “Mark…” Bill began, “you know you’ve always been my brother. From the day you first came to our elementary school, you’ve been the guy I could tell everything to. You knew me better than anyone. I have so many good memories of doing crazy things with you. You really knew how to have fun and I’m gonna miss that so much.” He put a hand over his face and slammed his fist on the cart next to the bed. “Damn it! It’s so goddamned unfair!” Theo and Ryan came around and each put a hand on Bill’s shoulders as he fought to control his emotions. Finally, he was calm enough to continue.
“I don’t want to end this… I don’t want to say goodbye. I’m just gonna tell you that I’m never gonna forget you… I’ll think of you in everything I do. I love you, bro.” Bill lowered his head into his hands and was eerily still. Theo and Ryan took seats. They sat in silence, revealing nothing more with their voices but telling all through their tears. Time lost all meaning in that quiet room. Theo knew that hours passed but had no real sense of when it was that Mark began to fade away. The stream of doctors and nurses and equipment seemed to be moving in another world far distant. Theo was aware of the commotion as Mark was covered with a sheet and removed from the room, but it existed in a silent void.