Then It Hits Me

Chapter 18: Three Letters

"The swelling has gone down ma'am and she's breathing just fine. No need to worry, your daughter is in perfectly good hands."

I open my mouth to tell mom that I'm awake, but my air mask says otherwise. I try to sit up so that she can see me, but the tubes threaten to pull out and I have no idea what kind of pain it'll be to put them back in.

What the frigg happened?

The nurse sees that I'm awake, so she gets a needle and sticks it into my arm. She counts to 3 in her thick British accent and smiles at me as I begin to fall asleep.

I remember the chocolate bar in my dreams. I wonder how Miller got it printed on. Must of cost him a fortune just to get a chocolate bar for me. It's not the first time I've seen it happen. Mom got one for her birthday when I was 10 from dad, with which she spilled her tears all over. There must be a company that can make it. 

What would it even be like to have a boyfriend? People get so attached to each other sometimes, which is usually the cause of heartbreaks. I've been that I should wait until university, but I'm not  sure that's possible anymore.

When I wake again, I feel mom stroking my hair, her wedding ring hitting my ear every few strokes. My eyes open slightly and see that dad is looking at me very closely on mom's other side. Completely contrary to my parents, Carter sits on a hospital chair texting someone and by someone I mean Ella. 

I don't know if it's the medicine they put me on or the thought of Ella, I begin to feel dizzy. 

"How are you feeling?" Dad takes my hand and presses it to his lips. Did Miller do that to me? I honestly can't remember.

"Well, I'm in a hospital, but besides that I'm feeling quite dandy," I surprise myself with my good attitude. All of the bright lights are really getting to me.

Hey, I'm not wearing an air mask anymore.

Mom pushes a button that aids me in sitting up by pushing the top of the bed up. She looks at me sadly and begins to explain, "The doctor said that you rubbed some oil that had milk in it. Do you remember that? Mrs. Woods was crying when she heard the news, but anyways, we've found out that you're a little more than just lactose intolerant, you now are diagnosed with a milk allergy. What a great way to find out, eh?"

Something inside of me cracks. Most people grow out of their lactose intolerance, but I seemed to have grown into it. Never can I ever have a regular cake or milk chocolate in my life.

"It's a roadblock, but we'll all cross over." Dad cheerfully fusses with my hair and I giggle like I would do as a child. "Hey, now I have an excuse to not eat that gross cupcake thing that mom makes every Christmas!"

Carter snorts from the chair, not bothering to look up from his phone. The phone that showed me the drunk version of myself. Great. Another problem.

We(not including Carter) talk about the new episode of The Big Bang Theory, which has always been a family show for us, even though I think it's stupid. Hey Sheldon Cooper is pretty darn funny, am I not right?

Mom tells me that I'll be out of the hospital tomorrow. Soon later, they go home to eat, promising to visit me later in the evening.

I finally get some time alone to think things over. I need to tell Miller the answer to his question as well as get him to answer one of my own. What did you do with me when I was drunk? He wouldn't have taken advantage of me, would he have? That really wouldn't make me want to date him more. It would only make me want to slap him more.

"Hey," I perky voice interrupts my thoughts. At first, I think it may be Ashley, but I turn to see a girl with dark brown hair and green eyes so light that they could be the same color as the hospital curtains. She looks vaguely familiar.