Chapter 13 - The Escape

My body feels light without the woolly blue shirt which I was instructed to wear earlier. Its dullness blue makes my mood soured when I saw it.

In fact, I insisted that wearing my school uniform wouldn’t pose much trouble for me, even though it was a rule for this hospital where every patient must look like a patient, who lay on bed lifelessly or walking around looking sick.

My arms feel flexible without the arm sling over my neck. After been bind for close to an hour, my arms now longed to be stretched as much as possible. I don’t believe that my elbow could be healed with just a mere arm sling. It’s like whether to plaster over the wound or let it be when you accidentally cut yourself. Nonetheless, plastering will slow down the natural process of healing. It’s all in the mind I believe.

“You suffered a torn ligament on your left elbow which will worsen if you keep going at this rate” This was the diagnosis given by the doctor while he examined me. It doesn’t sound serious for me though as the word “torn ligament” came up so commonly in most sport articles.

Of course, removing those slings doesn’t mean that my elbow doesn’t hurt. In fact it was painful, but that doesn’t bother me as it was overwritten by the happiness I felt now, the happiness which I felt just by grabbing onto her hand, taking her to somewhere where we are alone.

It was the second time, where I grabbed onto her soft sleek hand, which seems even softer when I hold it the first time.

It was the second time, where she wouldn’t know what to react and merely following behind me closely, as if like a little girl, holding tight to her father during festival as she do not want to get lost.

Her surprised look which shown that she is totally unsure of what in it for her. Despite that, she still followed behind me enthusically. Even though it’s contradicting, but all I can say she is the new definition of cuteness.

Off we go toward the entrance as I was hoping to get out of the hospital as fast as possible. But I’m pretty sure Sheryl would reject this idea since she really wants me to get better. Nonetheless I didn’t tell her my plan yet.

The lobby was bright with the sunlight shining through the windows, unlike those gloomy ones that you saw in movies. In fact, it was so bright that I scared that any nurses could recognize me for escaping.

It was a matter of time before they start a “search party” after discovering that one of the patients had gone missing. But still I even barely close to the entrance.

The next milestone was the Nurse Station, where it’s was close to the entrance. But it was heavily guarded by several nurses even though it was the lunch time. They were busily assisting the patients as well as the visitors, of course there isn’t easy for them to handle such troublesome patients who keep complaining.

The same corridor is so much quiet as compare to it. So much quieter that I could hear the fast footsteps behind me, as if a doctor was rushing into an intensive care unit. The same silence also allowed me to overhear the conversation between a nurse and her colleague.

“Help me inform them that there is a boy went missing in –“I overheard them as they walked passed me in hurry. Even though it was within seconds, I manage to catch a glimpse of the nurse. It was none other than the head nurse who is in charge of me back then.

No doubt I was discovered, for which I could no longer stay together with Sheryl much.

Right in my mind, I do not want this to happen, I wanted more time with Sheryl and definitely not in this hospital which filled of this sterilized smell which made me feel uncomfortable. For that to happen, I need to make a dash through the nurse station.

I prepared myself for to dash through it, hoping that no one could notice me. But it’s seems impossible as dashing through seems even more suspicious, there is also rumors that there is impossible to escape this hospital no matter what method we tried to use.

Suddenly I feel a pull on my hand, it was Sheryl. I was caught unprepared for that, totally unexpected Sheryl could pull me along. The situation got reversed, for which it’s now Sheryl is the one who led me.

Dashing across the nurse station, we manage to get ourselves a lot of attention. Everyone was looking at us, including the head nurse who saw me straight on. She was pondering but eventually she identifies me as the missing boy.

Discovered the missing boy which she trying to find, she ordered her nurse teams to come after me as if I was a fugitive who is trying to flee with the confidential documents of the hospital’s operation.

The whole lobby is chaotic, with people running around trying to stop us from running away.

Holding onto my hand was Sheryl who didn’t flustered at all in this chaotic situation. Even though we were outnumbered but I am not afraid, for which I am not alone.

I couldn’t remember how many floors we climbed but there are always footsteps behind us, each time it’s getting closer and closer. I looked at Sheryl who didn’t show any sign of fatigue despite all these running, through her eyes, she was serious.

Nonetheless, those footsteps get louder each time. It’s a matter of time before we got caught. In my mind, I was thinking of the consequence if I failed to escape.

“Come! Over here!” She said while pulling me toward.

With that, I was been pulled into one of the room.

The smell of the room is different from the hospital. It had a faint lavender smell lingering around. The marbled walls are decorated with flowers and some photos. The floors are beautifully tilted with wheat color flower-pattern. It was really a grand room until I saw the stretch of basins.

I realized the location where I am in. I am in a toilet, a female toilet.

There is no one inside except for us. It was so quiet that I could hear both of us, trying to catch our breath after all these running. I looked at Sheryl, she was panting away as if she didn’t exercise for such a long time. I guess it was probably the same for me.

She noticed me and she smiled at me, probably because she knew that it was the female toilet and yet she purposely make me came into it. Of course, I laughed back as well.

Right outside, couple of footsteps could be heard as well as the orders given around, it seems like it had become a search party.

“This place is not going to last isn’t it?” Sheryl asked me as I was looking at the door, as if trying to see anyone trying to come in.

“What can I do...?” I replied her back, stating the obvious, without thinking through my head

The next action which Sheryl did was totally unexpected from her. Using her finger, she pointed toward the small compartment of the toilet. It was the place where all the toiletries were kept as well as the resting place for the cleaners.

Looking at the exact location where she pointing, there was a cleaner uniform lay hanging around. I turned my head toward Sheryl, checking whether she really meant it.

She nodded and laughed at the same time. It’s seems like it’s a prank but I left with no choice but to take her words for it.

There I am in a cleaner uniform where Sheryl couldn’t stop laughing at me. I’m sure I looked pretty silly in it after looking at myself in the mirror earlier.

It’s seems like the cleaner uniform fitted me pretty well but I couldn’t stand the overwhelm smell of detergent which was so strong that I find it disgusting.

With the “Okay” signal given by Sheryl, we left the toilet finally.

In this disguise, we managed to pass through their security easily without anyone questioned why a cleaner is walking together with this high school girl.

However, this wasn’t the end of the problem as Sheryl became the target instead. The running continues even though we barely rest, this experience tell me that I should never doubt the credibility of the rumors, and never underestimate the nurse crews.

Again, we had lost count of how many stairs we climbed up since it’s impossible for us to go down as they are waiting down there. Time is running out for us as we might get busted when lunch time is over as that is when there will be even more people around, making it harder for us to move about.

We had reach the dead end which is the top level of the hospital, the last flight of stair would lead us to the roof but it is not possible without a key as the door was locked.

With footsteps coming below us, telling us that they are chasing up. I looked at Sheryl who got disappointed as if she did not want to end like this. Especially we managed to escape till now.

I feel the same way as well. There is no way I could like to end like this as well. Especially since I promised myself that I would makes Sheryl happy today, but right now all she got was only running around.

“Are those efforts which Sheryl putting in is futile?” I thought to myself, feeling angry at myself for all these.

With those frustrations, I removed that smelly cleaner uniform as I got no use of it anymore since it pointless if Sheryl got caught in the end, and I threw it down to the floor hard.

Sheryl was giving me a smile at what I did, but that also mean that she concealed to the defeat. But I don’t want that to happen, as long as we didn’t give up, there will still be chance.

But it’s too late to do anything now. The footsteps are getting closer and closer. Feeling the needs to vent those frustrations, I gave a final kick to the trash uniform, sending it flying down the stairs.

I could hear tingling sound as if something metallic dropped on the stairs as the uniform was flying down it.

It was none other than a key, a dull metal key.

I picked it up carefully, as if it likes a brittle crystal which might break anytime.

In front of the door, both Sheryl and I were holding onto the key together with our hands.

Inserting it through the keyhole, it fitted perfectly, but it’s still too early to tell whether it will be unlocked.

Will the brightness welcome us when we turned it or whether will the darkness continued when we failed to turned it?

With both of us looking at each other, we smiled even though the future which lies ahead of us is unknown. But we decided to give it a try. For which the first step to achieving your dream was to believing in it and give it a try.

The footsteps as well as our heartbeat were getting louder and louder as the time past by. Although we are unsure of what will happened next, but i could feel from Sheryl's hand that she had no hesitation nor fears. It reminds me again for which i am not alone as there is someone dear just right beside me.

With that in mind, we turned the key...