As the previous visitors, the color had abandoned the wall, leaving it bare, white, and lifeless. Only sound remained, the soft dying hum of hospital machinery and the gasp of forced breathing. Light filtered through the dimmed window panes, but even that seemed sluggish and reluctant to stick around. Someone knocked on the door, but the man in the bed didn't get up to answer it.
His eyes didn't even open to see who came through the door anyway. Two men came in, watching him breathe, silently waiting for a response. None came. The first glanced to a second, perplexed. His lips barely moved as his whispered, "Are we supposed to ask him, or..."
The second moved his lips as if to say "shh", but no sound came out. Both glanced at the man in the bed expectantly. Moments passed, and still, the room remained unchanged save for the growing tension. Shifting on his feet, the first man glanced at the man in the bed uneasily. He noticed the brace that had replaced the collar that once graced that regal neck. Even when laying down, the man stood proudly, though a hospital gown had replaced his robes.
Finally, the first man sighed softly. "When's he--"
The second glanced at him pointedly, mouthing "wait."
They waited. The moment they lingered for never came, and neither did the answer.
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