Ryder hated the smell.

Every hospital he had ever visited, had this hideous odor. This, was what he imagined death would smell like...Stale flesh. Dried blood. Sickness.

But, no matter what, it was better than jail. The smell in jail was stifling. A smell worse than death. The smell of defeat. Hopelessness. Insomnia. Eternal boredom.

Like an institution containing the living dead.

He had dug out some old children's books, he found them in a box among some of his childhood memorabilia, which wasn't that many. A couple of books, an old baseball mitt, and a raggedy teddy bear missing one eye! Those being the only things he had taken with him from his childhood home.

It was no longer a home to him, once he closed the door in his mother's face, it stopped being his home.

He showed Dave the book, as they were going down the hall, to the room where Skylar was...Room 308. For some reason Dave just laughed, which annoyed Ryder, at least he was trying, what kid doesn't love Dr Seuss?!

When Dave opened the door to the room, Ryder instantly realized why Dave was laughing...this wasn't some little kid, this was a girl his own age??

Maybe a couple of years his junior.

There was only one bed in the room, it was empty. Skylar was sitting by the window in a large chair with a blanket over her. Ryder couldn't see her face clearly, until she turned towards them, as the door gently closed behind them.

She was almost invisible to him, he saw her, but he didn't look close enough to identify any of her characteristics. He simply did not care.

"She doesn't look that sick to me?" Ryder whispered to Dave, who quickly hushed him, and went to greet Skylar, who remained in her chair.

Dave hugged her, their friendly banter indicated they knew each oher well, but Ryder didn't bother clearing that up, he just wanted to get on with it.

"This is my friend Ryder. He'll be visiting you every day from now on, and the rest of eternity!" Dave said jokingly.

"Get him to do what ever you want, read...play board games, this jerk is at your beck and call for the next 6-8 months, and if he gives you any grief, you just report back to me, and I'll kick his sorry ass, right love?" Dave said, making Skylar laugh. Apparently she was used to his particular sarcastic way too, and it only seemed to amuse her.

Ryder wondered why she was wearing make up? Why bother if you are in the hospital, right? No one here cares what you look like anyway.

Dave left, and the silence after his departure was deafening!

Ryder threw the book on a nearby table.

"Oh" Skylar said.

"Didn't Dave tell you I wasn't some little girl?" She gave out a discrete giggling sound, which annoyed him.

"No...he left out that small detail" Ryder said, tapping his feet on the floor. Typical of his restless manor...he wasn't good at sitting still.

He got up and walked around the room. Tapping his fingers on the wall as he moved from one side to the other.

"I'd go stir crazy being locked up in a room like this 24 - 7!" He stated.

"I'm not locked up" Skylar said.

"No...I didn't mean it like that...but don't you feel the need to go outside??"

"Sure...All the time...But..." she didn't get to finish, as he cut her off.

"So what do you want me to do? I was told I had to read to you or something? Can't you read?" He said, ignoring the fact that his question was blatantly rude.

"Yes...but I just get tired" she said, but again she didn't get to finish, as he cut her off once more. Like he was driving his car, cutting her off on the highway or something, it felt like that...not just a normal occurrence of interrupting a sentence about to be finished...No, Ryder had a habit of cutting people off...in the streets...in conversations, and in life. No one ever came close to Ryder. He would rather cut them off first.

Old habits die hard.

Skylar pointed at the table next to her, there was a large stack of books, neatly arranged into two piles.

"Pick one" she said.

He got up, and looked through the books.

"But this is some old dusty s...! Don't you have anything contemporary?" He said, looking at her in disbelief.

"I love the old classics" she said.

"Just pick one". Her facial expression was clearly one of excitement.

He shook his head, but chose Tennyson.

"Nice choice!" She applauded him - as he sat down again - and started to read... :

"In Memoriam A.H.H." By Alfred, Lord Tennyson:

I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage,
The linnet born within the cage,
That never knew the summer woods:

I envy not the beast that takes
His license in the field of time,
Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,
To whom a conscience never wakes;

Nor, what may count itself as blest,
The heart that never plighted troth
But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;
Nor any want-begotten rest.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

As he looked up, he realized Skylar was sleeping. And so he just sat there...Completely still for the first time in his life! Not compelled to move...Not even an inch, for some reason.