Pills of love

Dream World (part 2)

There's nothing worse than an elevator and its doors that never open when you're in a hurry. Benny snorted for the hundredth time as he kept his eyes on the glowing dial above the doors, staring at the floors slowly approaching -1.

When the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened, he darted out, looking around for someone to give him directions on where to go. Finally, an attendant came out of a door, pointing him at the end of the corridor to a large gray double door.

Benny hurried down the long corridor, occasionally glancing into a few rooms with open doors that contained either small storage rooms or offices.

When he opened the double doors, he found himself inside a long room filled with beds and dividing curtains. He quickly searched through those with the curtains still drawn and finally found her.

A nurse was by her bed, adjusting something on the hanging IV. Benny looked at her quickly and then his eyes fell on Frida. She was quite pale, her hair still gathered under the net, her eyes softly closed with her long dark lashes.

He could only see her bare shoulders under the heavy blankets she had been covered with. When he took a few steps to go around the bed and get closer, his eyes widened at the sight of the various hanging bags with fluids of various colors inside.

Perhaps he had made some sound that even he hadn't noticed, but the nurse turned and smiled at him graciously when she noticed his look, probably scared of it all.

"Don't worry, it always feels like a shock when people see these bags, but they'll go away soon".

Benny looked at her for a few seconds without saying a word "What... What are they for?".

"They are used to drain liquids. All very annoying, but vitally important. We will begin to gradually remove them if, as we think, within 24 hours your wife will have no complications" the nurse smiled at him again, starting to collect the folder and the papers that she had placed on the small nightstand next to the bed.

"She's not my..." Benny began, but then stopped, looking at the bags for another few seconds and then fixing his gaze on her face.

"Pardon?" the nurse asked, turning to him.

Benny looked at her almost confused and then he shook his head slightly "Nothing, nothing. When will she wake up?".

"Any minute now. She should wake up any minute and, when she does, she'll obviously be dazed, at least. So, be patient and help her get back to the real world" the nurse concluded with an amused smile and walked away.

Benny watched her go and then turned back to Frida. Not far from her bed there was a stool, which he immediately took and brought closer. When he sat down, he heaved a long sigh of relief and his shoulders seemed to crumple in on themselves. As much as he hadn't wanted to think about it, as much as he had always made himself seen by her strong and sure, inside him he had been gripped by the fear of any complication.

He rubbed a hand wearily over his face, feeling as if he hadn't slept in days. Slowly, he reached down to her face and stroked her cheek, smiling slightly and thanking whoever was up there for making everything go smoothly.

Now began another long and winding climb towards a painful recovery, but she would make it. They would make it. He would make sure to give her the best support for a full recovery, wiping out any fears of her being flawed by that surgery.

Suddenly, he heard a soft moan just above his head and looked up from his locked hands. He immediately moved closer to her and noticed her eyelids quivering and her head moving slightly from side to side.

Benny smiled "Hey, welcome back".

Slowly, Frida opened her eyes and closed them immediately after, dazed by the dim lights of the room. When she opened them again, more focused, she looked around her until she finally laid eyes on him.