The Unknown Road

45 - Archie

WHEN I COME TO, everywhere is painful.

Pain engulfs me.

I felt like I was still in a nightmare, one where I was trapped in a never-ending battle with my dad, enduring unbearable amounts of pain for the rest of eternity.

My stomach felt like it was double the size, I couldn't move my left arm because it was in some kind of sling, with my right in a cast from the elbow down. I had strapping across most of my chest, my jaw was wired shut and I could barely see out of either of my eyes. Whenever I ran my tongue over my teeth, I could taste blood, and my head felt like my brain was hanging outside of it. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to smile, it hurts to think... Everything hurts.

As I started to come to, staying awake for longer periods of time, catching more of the snippets of people's conversations, I had no recollection of what happened. The last thing I remembered clearly was me being at Tessa's. I remembered her being angry with me about something I'd done, but then that didn't explain why I was in a hospital bed looking like one of those comedy patients, basically head to toe in cast.

But then when I started listening to more conversations, concentrating hard on what people were saying, it all started flooding back to me. Visions of Dad standing over me, kicking me again and again while I was helpless on the floor, his eyes wild and red.

Today is the first day where I feel like I actually have the strength to open my eyes. I don't know what the time is, or what day, but I do know that things are starting to make more sense.

"I still can't believe how lucky he was," a nurse says, her voice close to my right ear as she checks something on the machine beeping behind me.

"It's unbelievable... and his father as well? Wrist, nose, jaw, ribs and shoulder broken, bruising everywhere else? He'll be lucky if this doesn't scar him for life."

"Poor kid," the nurse next to me says, and I feel sick. But then she continues, and a positive light floods through my body. 

"But he's got great people around him, though. His girl has hardly left his side, if she can help it," she says, her voice sounding warm.

The pity in her voice was exactly why I hadn't wanted to tell people in the first place, because they treat me differently. But as I open my eyes, I can't see pity in her eyes, only concern. And her face looks relieved when she sees that my eyes are open.

"Archie? Archie, can you hear me?" A light hand touches my shoulder.

I try to open my mouth to respond but pain sears through me, making me flinch backwards.

"Abi, can you get the doctor? He's awake."

"Yeah, sure." The door opens and I hear some familiar voices in the hallway. When the door the closes they go silent again, but I feel the nurse's calm hands on my shoulder.

"Do you know where you are, Archie?" She asks.

I nod ever so slightly.

"Hospital," I mumble through gritted teeth.

"That's right. Do you know what happened?"

I screw my eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain, and nod. "Dad. Came after me."

She doesn't respond to that, but I know she's nodding. I remember everything now, so vividly. These scars will stay with me forever, haunting me.

The door opens again and another pair of footsteps comes towards me and plays with a clipboard at the foot of my bed. My eyesight is becoming clearer now, now that I'd had them open for a prolonged amount of time. I could make the doctor out, standing at the foot of the bed, and I could make out the beautiful girl standing at the door, looking at me, itching to get in.