"Hey."
"Hey," you sniffed. You tugged at the hem of your white shirt, pulling on the drawstring of your light green scrub pants.
You felt ridiculous, but your chest was still empty. It had been truly spacious, the moment Andy disappeared behind closing doors, leaving you all alone.
That was two days ago, and your third one was arriving soon.
"How's your day been?" He sounded dead, almost as dead as you felt. You chewed your bottom lip, wondering what toll your hospitalization was taking on him. You hadn't even talked with your best friend; she always chose to stay silent, dismissing Andy's offer to take the phone.
"Fine," you sighed. "How 'bout yours?"
A pause. You listened closely; this was the first time you had asked him that.
"It's been... hard."
"I'm sorry," you said, but your quiet voice was drowned by his question.
"You eaten anything today?" he said. "Grilled cheeses still good?"
You quirked out a smile, a small laugh underneath your reply.
"Yeah, they're still good."
"Good."
Another bout of silence.
"I'll talk to you later, okay? Keep me in touch."
"Sure."
I love you.
The dial tone answered your thought.
You hung the phone up, letting go of the body and staring at the head of the device. You could do this. You could live another day inside these white walls.
Time was your keeper, in here.
But even with the bleak walls, those stale colors... You were being helped here, of that, you knew.
The medication was helping, filling that hole inside your chest. Making that doom and gloom... not so gloomy.
You smiled a little, looking up from your socked feet as you stared past the nurse station.
"Hey there," Nurse Jennifer--your favorite staff member--smiled at you. "Black Veil Brides still your favorite?"
You nodded. "Andy's my boyfriend."
She just returned your nod, just as she had done so many times before.
Andy hadn't visited, hadn't popped in to live in this desolation with you. He hadn't proved his existence, and if it wasn't for a phone call every six hours, you would've imagined him to be some part of your consciousness. Some figment of your mind.
But you had your memories, some of them saved onto your phone. You had those moments--of that, you knew for sure.

---

Finally, minutes bled into hours, and hours bled into your releasal day. Your fifty-one-fifty, your official hold binding you to this place, was up.
"Hey, babe." Andy leaned on the counter of the nurse's station, Nurse Jennifer's eyes immediately sizing all six-and-a-half feet of him.
Andy signed a few papers and you two left, slipping out the doors that had separated you in the first place.
"Hey," your bestie greeted you, throwing her arms out as you neared the car. It was a sick Challenger, as black as Andy's hair and as beautiful as his eyes.
You blushed a little, just at the thought, and the rest of you found so much solace in a hug.
Even when your best friend pulled away, that warmth stayed with you.
It stayed for a long time.

Notes