The Plain White Room by Oliver Phisher Read Free Book Online Page B

wearing his tattered track suit.  Maestro played as if his fingers were not his own at all, but some gift from God removed from the rest of his being. His playing  was that of an accomplished musician, with years of experience. Lepus heart started racing, his gaze fixed and unblinking. Then, in an instant, the magical song was over. There was complete silence. Dave remained motionless of a long moment. Standing, he turned. Inicially, seeing Lepus in the corner with his notebooks, Dave’s face was blank, a longing still in his eyes, as if the piano were a long lost friend. Lepus sat confused and stunned. Dave began to walk back from where he came, saying not a word. Lepus felt loneliness hanging in the air. He wasn’t sure why, because the fantastic music was gone, only having got to hear one song? Or had he sensed something in Dave he had never before. Dave had told Lepus that when he was in ‘High Dependency,' that he had been there for months. Lepus supposed that now he is finally in LD, maybe he would be leaving soon.
    ***
     
    Lepus sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the graphs he had drawn on his whiteboard.
    A light tapping at Lepus's door caused him to look up. Standing in the doorway was a short, skinny man wearing a large snow jacket.
    "I'm uh, in this room," he said with an awkward look.
    "Oh, okay" Lepus said trying to be as welcoming as he could. Until now the second bed in his room had gone unused. It hadn't occurred to him that at some point they would place someone with him. Thinking about it, it seemed silly to Lepus that it hadn't crossed his mind before.
    "My name is Tony, they said your name was Lepus at the front desk." the man said, stepping into the room.
    "Yes that’s right, " Lepus said awkwardly, trying not to stare at the man, but fascinated by how normal he seemed compared to everyone else Lepus had encountered in the hospital so far.
    The man placed his bag on the floor and sat down on the other bed in the room. Then started rifling through his bag.
    The man was wearing a puffy sports jacket and Lepus wondered if perhaps scars riddled his arms. Or even clean thin lines, scattered with snakes but are laden with years old scars and fresh wounds alike. No cuts and tears, from his constant attempts. He showed no outward signs of aggression. Or maybe he is just cold, seemed strange, but it was cold. Maybe his arms were clean, and Lepus was wrong.
    “I’d like to go to sleep now,” he said after putting away most of his clothes. Lepus nodded with a smile and turned out his light.
    Getting into bed, Lepus closed his eyes and placed headphones over his eyes. Soft music made him drift into unconsciousness. After he was asleep he rolled over and his headphones fell to the rooms floor.
    Tony tossed and turned in a deep sleeper across from Lepus. Eventually his audible snores woke Lepus, but he didn’t mind
    Eventually Tony started to drone and talk in his sleep. The sleep slowly turned to painful disturbing pleas and whimpers as Lepus continued to stare at the ceiling. Then Tony started rolling and fitting without warning. Lepus couldn’t see but could hear through the darkness of the room. Lepus sat up in bed and listened intently, trying to decide if he should call for a nurse.
    Lepus wasn’t sure but Tony seemed to contort then coughed. Making dry reaching gargling noises before quickly slipping into silence then smooth snoring returned.
    Lepus lay back and continued to listen intently. He fell asleep listening to the snores of Tony, on edge at the thought that he had had a seizure.
    In the morning, Lepus awoke to a knock at the door “Breakfast guys”, a blonde nurse that Lepus had never seen said, poking her head through the door. A student on rounds maybe, they always seemed to be rotating around.
    Lepus's feet slumped onto the floor. He raised himself up on his bed and let his body pull itself to stand above them. Then dragged each foot towards the door, noting that Tony's chest was