Day In, day out, a young man laid in a hospital bed. Every day began to blur, even as the lights turned dark, his heart monitor beeped. Every second of the day was agonizing, yet he couldn't do anything.
His sunken cheeks, sullen eyes foretold of his condition. Furthermore, his health worsened by the hour. For a few years, he has been stuck, rotting in his bed till he couldn't move.
No one, even the doctors who did bi-daily check ups knew about his condition. All that was known, he would only make it to his twentieth birthday. He barely turned eighteen, since then, his health worsened.
His own family gave up, and rarely came to see him.
'I want to die.' He wished, his skeletal lips followed. For months, his wish never came true. Only death could yank him out of his living hell.
'I just want to die, I don't want to be a burden…'
Tears began to well in his eyes. Then, running down his cheeks. Was he cursed? Why did this happen to him? These questions popped in his mind.
He mourned over his condition. Until sleep took over his body.
"How long do you think this Kid has?" a sweet, yet cold voice entered his ears. It was the voice of one of his nurses. She was a beauty, with a sweet looking face.
Long brown hair, and blue eyes with a beauty mark above her lip. Even in his decrepit state, he couldn't help but be in awe.
In her interior, she was cold and hysterical. Always, he could hear her wishes of his demise. Be that as of may, he wished too, but hearing it caused a knife to dig into his stomach.
"You shouldn't be talking about a patient like that…" Another voice called her out, she sounded young. Similar to his age, a new voice.
"Once you see him, you'll understand."
"What do you mean…?" There was confusion riddled in her voice. As the footsteps came close, and shadows appeared in the curtains in front, he felt a terrible guilt enter his heart.
"Please… don't come in."
"That's why."
A pen dropped against the tiled floor. The young voice belonged to a pretty young woman. She wore nurse garbs, her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Her hazel eyes were wide, staring at the state of the young man.
"Ah, right, I should've kept my mouth shut." The older nurse mumbled, picking at her ears before turning around. "Don't be here too long, you'll be talking to a statue."
She turned tail, leaving them alone.
"Um, I already read your files…I'm sorry, I didn't believe it till I came here." The young nurse bent down, grabbing her pen and slid it into her clipboard. "Braun, eighteen…"
Long dark brown hair, accompanying the same colored eyes that looked soulless. He was akin to a skeleton, his arms were devoid of fat and muscle. His legs were too thin and sickly to actually move. He was essentially, a living and breathing skeleton.
'Just look away…'
"Um, it says you can speak, right?" The pretty young nurse asked, shuffling her feet towards him. "Let's get to know each other, I'll be your main caretaker, okay?"
"For… your own good… Leave me alone."
"It's my job, okay? I can see you're uhm
… a bit sensitive about your condition."
The young man fell silent, staring at her. Although his body could not listen to him, he could turn his head in all directions. He lowered his head, trying to change her attention.
"Either way… I'm your caretaker from now on. The other nurses already told me about you. As a matter of fact, they warned me not to." The young lady explained, her free hand extending an index finger. "Yet, I want to, your condition got me curious. A disease even professionals cannot solve."
"Don't blame… me if you get nowhere."
"So be it!"
"..."
"By the way, my name is Alma, I already know your name, let's get acquainted, mkay?"
"...Alright."
Alma tossed her clipboard to the ground. Grabbing a nearby rolling chair, and placing it near the bed. For many hours, she talked, pestering him with many questions.
By the second day, Braun felt a massive nerve strike his forehead. Conversely, a warmth coursed through his entire body. Unknowingly, his lips curled into a smile.
"I saw that! You finally smiled!" Alma exclaimed whilst pointing at his face. "Took a day and I got you smiling!"
"I… did not…"
"You sure did! C'mon give me a bigger one!"
******
After two weeks, they grew acquainted. Braun's voice became strained from conversing, but he pushed through with a warm smile.
His condition finally became stable at the end of the first week, both mentally and physically. His wishes of death that jabbed at his mind stopped, everyday looking forward to her presence.
And on this day, he heard hurried steps. They pushed the door open with a loud bang. The clacking of footsteps didn't stop until his curtains sprang open.
"Braun Braun SOMETHING WAS JUST RELEASED!"
"W-What… is it?"
"A new game came out! Remember how I kept telling you about virtual reality games?!"
'How could I forget?' Braun gave her a nod, smiling. By the third day of their meeting, he had learned of her habits of playing games. Normally, she ran home after work and spent the rest of the day playing games.
She rushed to his side, holding out a cell phone in front of his face. The screen glowed, holding a vibrant picture of two swords crossing. "New life." displayed above it.
"There's this game that just came out, it's another virtual reality game – However! Even people with disabilities can play!"
"Ah-"
"Not that you fall into that category, but that means we can play together."
"But… I don't have-"
"Doesn't matter!" Alma exclaimed.
'Eh? It should though…' Braun commented, giving her a puzzled look. He doesn't have the money, nor funds, what is she talking about? Increasingly growing, as she stuck her chest out with a smug expression.
"First of all, don't underestimate a nurse's salary! It's higher than you think it is, second of all I got more news!"
"W-What is it..?"
"I already bought you a virtual reality headset, I just need to grab it from my desk…" Alma explained, her smile ever so increasing. Furthermore, sending his body into shock. "That's the look I wanted to see! Anyways, the head nurse gave me permission to play with you! He mentioned something about it being therapeutic for you."
Braun's mouth was left hanging, watching her sprint out. Only a few minutes later dashing back in with a visor in her hands.
"W-What's… that?"
"The headset, the game, requires this."
Connected to the visor, were cords that were tangled. He only watched as she bent down, plugging a cord into a socket. Then placing it onto his head, from then the suction cups were connected to his skull.
"It'll feel odd for a bit, it essentially puts your brain into REM sleep." She explained, pushing him back onto his pillows. "Trust me, I've played it for a bit already."
"O-Okay…"
"Close your eyes, and I'll get it started."