Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 29

I woke up in a daze to find myself in a white bed with crisp sheets, in a dimly lit room. The blankets weren't nearly as comfortable as mine as home. They were paper-thin and the bed was barely wide enough to let me sprawl out. I shifted my limbs uncomfortably and tried to remember what I had seen last. Charlotte's face peering over me with a worried expression came to mind.

I sat up in a rush as I realized I was in a hospital. There were tiled floors with alternating blue and white squares, and machines beeping and active all around me. The bed creaked under me as I struggled to sit up and adjust myself. It seemed to wake up an exhausted-looking Charlotte from a chair in the corner. I was surprised to see that the boys weren't here but figured that was for the best. I couldn't bear to see all their faces right now.

"What happened?" I asked in a surprisingly croaky voice as she stood and ran to the side of my bed. And although seconds before I had felt fine, my head began pounding and my vision became blurry. I watched as two Charlottes walked over to me before they merged into one.

"You had a terrible panic attack honey, and you fainted. You hit your head very hard on the way down. I brought you here when you weren't waking up. They gave you an EKG, took blood, checked your vitals. I made them try everything. They believe it was a severe panic attack, probably caused by anxiety or fear, and that your fall gave you a concussion..." she said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. Her hands were warm and mine felt like ice. She rubbed them absently as she decided if she should ask the question on her mind. I gave her space to do so, knowing that she deserved an answer, even if it was an answer that I wasn't ready to give. 

"Do you know what you were so afraid of?" she asked finally, looking immediately regretful. I knew she didn't want to pry but felt a duty to protect me. My head still spun but I tried to grab a hold of the situation so I could respond rationally.

I contemplated my answer. I was afraid because I'm pretty sure I caused the death of your daughter, I thought. I wished I was strong enough to tell her what I had done. Instead, I tried hard to believe that the next words were true, so she wouldn't be able to tell that I was lying. I said a silent apology to Bella.

"I thought I saw my uncle," I said, which wasn't entirely a lie. It had looked like him through my blurred vision, although this was probably a product of the concussion. It might've even been a flashback. I had seen him laugh at my pain a million times before.

"Oh, Maya," she whispered, pulling me in for a hug. I made room on the bed, and she got in, lying beside me, and wrapping her arms around me. I curled up next to her and leaned against her chest, listening to her heartbeat. Despite the uncertainty I felt about lying to the woman I called my mother, I fell asleep in seconds.

 When I woke up, she was gone. Damon was sitting on the chair in the corner and smiled up at me. It was a half-hearted smile, more for my sake than his.

"Hey!" he said, staying seated in his chair. The last time I had seen him, I was running out of his room. I wanted to smile, but I was frozen. Had he somehow figured out what I had done?

He sighed and rose from his chair before walking over and taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

"I scared you, didn't I?" he asked in a dark tone. "I shouldn't have told you that story," he mumbled to himself.

"No, it wasn't that!" I argued immediately.

"They said it was a severe panic attack," he said, giving me a look. He placed emphasis on the word "severe", fully taking the blame.

 "It was, but it wasn't because of that. I thought I saw my uncle when I was out with Charlotte," I reassured him. I wanted to reach out and comfort him but thought my icy hands might only worry him. I brushed my hair back out of my face and prayed he believed me.

He looked confused, not expecting that answer.

"He really scares you, doesn't he?" he asked,giving me a sympathetic nod.

"Worse than you know," I replied honestly, letting myself be weak. I had to show them my weakness, so they couldn't see what I was hiding.

"I'm so sorry, My," Damon said in a hoarse voice. A tinge of hope touched his voice as he informed me, "The others will be back in a second, they just went to get you foo-"

Before he could finish his statement, the door flew open, and the rest of my family ran inside.