The Shadow of Winter

Chapter 16

        Before her eyes even opened, (Name) knew where she was. How could she forget the constant revving of the heater, the bleeping of the heart monitor, and the many footsteps passing through the hall outside her door? Hospitals had always made the girl uncomfortable, especially when she was left alone. She was usually in pain when she found herself in the hospital and this time was no different.

        (Name) contorted her face with a whine when she began to feel a throbbing ache in her right leg. She opened her eyes to find it in a thick white cast propped up on a pillow. The rest of her body was covered with a thin sheet, and (Name) threw it off to release some of the heat that had accumulated underneath it. As she did so, there was a tug at her arm. Wincing at the sting it caused, she saw that an IV needle attached to a clear tube of some transparent liquid was taped to her forearm. She hated needles. Just the sight of it caused the girl's heart to race even more than the sight of her encased leg.

        Turning away from her arm, (Name) tried to focus more on the cast. It started at her ankle and went all the way up her thigh. From the pulsating pain that never went away, the girl concluded she had a high break in her leg bone. No doubt she was on painkillers at the moment—(Name) remembered the agony she had been in before waking up in the hospital. Though she was still in pain, it was hardly a pinch compared to before.

        When she poked at the hardened case around her leg, the girl noticed she was not wearing the same pants as before. Her socks and shirt were the same, but instead of the jeans she had left the hotel in, she was wearing baggy black sweatpants. The right pant leg was rolled up to make room for her cast while the other covered her left leg. (Name) grimaced, not liking the idea of her pants being removed and replaced while she had been unconscious.

        A light knocking suddenly came from the door, startling the girl despite its respectful connotation. The door opened to admit a nurse in turquoise scrubs who was holding a clipboard. Seeing (Name) was awake, the woman rushed to her side with eagerness, setting her clipboard on a nearby desk. "Hello, (Name)," said the nurse. "I'm Jane, and I will be watching over you until you're feeling better. You were in a car accident and brought here in an ambulance. How is your leg feeling?"

        (Name) eyed the alleged nurse with suspicion. Right now, the woman was concerned with her health, but later she'd be asking where (Name) came from. After all, there had been no adult with the girl when she had ventured into traffic. The nurse would find out that she had run away, and she would be sent back to Shadow. The hedgehog would not let her off easy after what she had done.

        Unfortunately, there was nothing she could really do other than to answer Nurse Jane's questions regarding her health and bide her time. It wasn't as if the girl was able to leave the hospital on her own. With that in mind, (Name) gave her truthful answer to the nurse. "It still hurts but it's not as bad as before."

        "I will give you more morphine, then," said Nurse Jane as she chose a syringe from a group lined on a metal tray. (Name)'s heart raced, however, the needle was directed away from her. As the nurse slowly injected half the syringe into the bag of liquid connected to her arm, she described the extent of the girl's injuries. "When the ambulance got to you, you were found to have a bruised hip, a broken femur, and a slight concussion. Femur breaks are very dangerous, and they can lead to victims bleeding out in minutes. But, your femoral artery wasn't completely severed, and the ambulance got to you quickly. You are very lucky, you easily could have bled out if much more time had passed."

        By the end of the explanation, (Name)'s pain had dulled, and her head had begun to cloud over in a pleasant haze. The morphine had reached her veins and done its work. After Nurse Jane set the morphine syringe back onto the tray, she told (Name) that she'd return with breakfast. "Is there anything you'd like me to get?" she asked. "We have eggs, hash browns, toast, waffles, and different juices. Would you like apple, grape, or orange juice?"