I Picked These For You--Spanna
Hospitals had always freaked Hanna out. They smelled funny, and were full of old and sick people. She had always done her best to avoid stepping foot in them, but unfortunately getting hit by a car was beyond her control. So here she was, stuck in a smelly room with falsely cheery nurses and hallucinations of her dead best friend.
“How are you feeling today?” Spencer asked, walking into the room. Hanna frowned, surprised that Spencer was alone.
“Where are Aria and Emily?” she asked, ignoring Spencer’s question. The brunette’s face fell.
“Oh. I left school early for a doctor’s appointment, and since there was no point in going back for a half hour, I thought I’d just stop in by myself. Emily and Aria will be here later. Do you want me to leave?” she asked. Hanna shook her head and patted the space next to her.
“Of course not. I was just surprised. I don’t even know what time it is,” she explained. Spencer nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed. She dug into her purse and pulled out a couple of magazines.
“I picked these for you,” she said, handing Hanna the magazines. Hanna’s face lit up at the sight of People’s Most Beautiful. It was her favorite issue of the year. Despite her excitement, she didn’t start immediately reading it.
“Thanks, Spence. I’ve been bored to tears in here,” she complained. Spencer gave a sympathetic grimace. She could remember when she had mono a couple years ago and had been bedridden for a month.
“I’m sure. When can you go home?” she asked.
“Tomorrow,” she said. Neither girl said anything for a few minutes. Working up her courage, Hanna took a deep breath.
“Spence, can I ask you something?” she asked. Spencer nodded, concerned by her friend’s nervous tone.
“Have you ever… Have you ever thought you saw Alison?” she asked quietly. Spencer was silent for a long pause.
“For a long time, anytime I saw a blonde haired girl, I thought it was Ali. I’d see her in the mall, at school, everywhere. One time I actually ran up to a girl and grabbed her arm, thinking it was Ali. But I was just imagining things, obviously. It hasn’t happened since they found her body,” she said, sadly remembering the encounter.
“Why? Have you ever thought you saw her?” Spencer asked. Hanna nodded, deciding to jump in the deep end without warming up.
“She was here, Spence. In my room. I saw her, last night,” she said. Spencer frowned.
“Han, she’s dead. She wasn’t here,” she said. Hanna shook her head.
“She was. I swear, I saw her,” she repeated. Spencer gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand.
“You’re on pain medications. It was probably just a nurse checking in on you, and you were dreaming and thought it was Ali. It happens,” she said softly. Hanna squeezed her eyes shut.
“I know it sounds crazy. But I know what I saw, Spence. I saw Alison,” she insisted. Spencer sighed. She really didn’t want to argue with her friend right now, especially when there wasn’t a right answer. How did you convince someone they didn’t see something?
“We went to her funeral, Han,” she reminded her. Hanna pursed her lips.
“We went to a funeral. She’d been dead for a year! How could they be so sure it was her? It could have been anyone buried there!” she exclaimed. Spencer sighed again, but decided not to launch into how autopsies and forensic investigations worked. Hanna probably wouldn’t listen to her anyway.
“I have to go to field hockey practice. Will you be okay alone?” Spencer asked. Hanna nodded.
“Of course. I’ve got Julia Roberts to keep me company,” she joked, holding up the magazine. Spencer smiled softly.
“Okay. I think Aria will be here soon. I’ll see you later, okay?” she asked. Hanna nodded again.
“Okay. Thanks again for bringing these,” she said, gesturing to the magazines. Spencer leaned down and kissed her friend’s forehead before leaving Hanna alone again.
Hanna sighed and opened up the magazine, trying to erase the image behind her eyes. She’d seen Alison last night. Her dead friend had been there, and Hanna didn’t believe in ghosts. Whether or not Spencer believed her, she knew what she’d seen. She just needed to prove it.
In the meantime, though, she’d have to settle for celebrity gossip and the latest fashion blunders.