Queen Square, Holborn, London.

“Lex? How are you still here alone?” Louisa’s sing song voice instantly captured my attention to her redhead, rocking in a newly done french braid. She was peeping through the small opening of our semi-gloss woodwork which we’d simply called the door to our dominion.

As she made her way towards me, I noticed how she struggled to correctly unfold some white woolen fabric in her hands.

“Thought I saw you out there, I must have been mistaken. The Mayor’s son is distributing special gifts to everyone. Thomas got a brand new HP laptop, and look what I just got as a gift. It’s fabulous isn’t it?” She flashed out her perfect set of silver braces in what I’d perceived to be a donkey smile, holding up a splendid white woolen night robe which seemed to be almost taller than her height.

The early sunlight filtered through the large glass window on the opposite end, showcasing multiple split lines on the fabric and the wallpaper behind her small figure.

“Certainly. It is indeed fabulous” I complemented with a kind tone. "Though I do not think that I can leave the comfort of my bed anytime soon, my dear. None of those worldly materials impress me anymore" I managed with a faint smile.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would want to make a first appearance in front of the Mayor’s son, specifically to accept his gifts.

Louisa’s smile slowly sank in “Thank you. And I understand. Its okay to feel that way” She shifted her gaze to the medication trolley standing beside my bed, her eyes lingered there for a brief moment before she returned them to me “Have you met the young man somewhere before?”

“Of course not” I replied in a haste, taking my eyes to scan the two more empty beds horizontally queuing beside mine. The one next to me had a spotless white coverlet and a monkey teddy facing the wooden clock on the opposite wall. It was Jane’s bed; my room mate who had what I had perceived to be a severe case of an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder); at least from my personal deduction after years of googling and researching about different mental health disorders. In contrast to Jane, Fouza; the seventeen year old humble Muslim girl occupied the last bed, which literally put Jane at the middle of us three.

“That young man is very handsome. He is sweet and kind too... and wow, he has a great sense of humor. I’m sure you will like him the moment you see him” Louisa showered praises that snapped my attentions back to her. I felt an admiration for the freckles adorning her pale skin and for a moment, I thought the tiny brown spots sparkled together with her brown iris when she was praising the Mayor’s son.

“Wow. I have heard quite a lot about him” I simply informed.

“Anyway, you will eventually get your gift when everyone gets theirs. I saw the list of names with him, which means he will come after anyone who is unable to show up. Bye Lex, will catch up with you at dinner. Thomas is waiting...”

We both waved our hands at one another before she exited. Something about her made me smiled that I wondered if it was because of the way she ran out like a cat with an ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or perhaps the shape of her body. The modern standard of skinny beauty would rate the nineteen year old redhead as chubby, while I’d rather call her thick to her own perfection.

I went back to staring at my phone; scrolling through the profiles of Instagram celebrities; mostly the girls at my former college who seemed to have a perfect life with their cool boyfriends while I was stuck in a hospital bed trying to hold onto dear life. I had hardly turned 21 when the unfortunate illness struck me. There was this kind of strange pain around my upper chest area like someone was inside my chest and carving out the inner walls with a pointy knife.

Something I had thought could be an ordinary cold, made my life horrible and prevented me from having a good night sleep. My condition worsened to the point that I finally agreed to follow my divorced Mother to the hospital to get a proper check. I had a CAT scan, and my new Doctor called Austen, informed my mother that he had seen thirteen blood clots in my lungs; that medically, I had a condition known as a Pulmonary Embolism.

From that day, my life changed. I was placed on intravenous blood thinning medication which often gave me slight bruises on my skin. I was admitted and confined to a slim bed for progress monitoring.