Niall, answer the door please

Dark Pool of Water.

The two nurses worked smoothly together, washing Niall carefully, changing his catheter and doing their 'obs'.  They chatted to him during the entire process , explaining what they were about to do and why. Niall's eyes had been open whilst they did this but he had made no other response. Chanelle then raised the head of the bed up and propped some extra pillows behind him.

"Right, that's you all fresh and clean Niall. Does that feel better?"  Chanelle asked as she looked down at Niall. He stared back at her, a small frown creasing his forehead. And then it started. Niall began screaming, sounding utterly terrified, before he started to flail about in the bed. Both nurses struggled to contain him as he tried to break free of the the tubes and wires connected to him, thrashing himself against the raised rails of the bed. One of the nurses quickly pressed the call button and a male orderly came in and assisted them. Niall was too weak to continue his struggling for long  and fell back onto the bed, eyes closed and breathing very rapidly.

The nurses waited a few moments to check if there would be any more reaction from their patient but he was now quiet and still. Slowly and carefully they began to reattach all the necessary equipment to his body and re-insert the iV lines again. Niall was bleeding as a result of violently ripping it out in his struggle. They gently restrained his arms and once again raised the bed's sides to prevent Niall falling out. Chanelle let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding and once again looked down at her patient. He looked so small and frail, having lost so much weight during his hospitalisation. And even  unconscious, his face still held the look of fear he had shown during his brief awakening.His breathing gradually slowed down and his body relaxed once again. Knowing it was now safe to leave him she returned to the nurses' station and rang Dr Collins to update him on the latest situation with his young patient.

"Mmmh. I have a feeling that Niall's recovery is not going to be a smooth one. I had hoped he'd be one of the rare few that would come through this totally unscathed. It's the not knowing of what we will have to deal with that concerns me. But until he is totally back with us, all we can do is speculate."    Dr Collins finished his examination of Niall then straightened up. " When the Physical Therapist comes in could you ask him to see if he can make Niall cough? His chest sounds like it might be slightly congested as a result of so much inactivity. I'd like to avoid any breathing problems . Right, call me if he has any more episodes, please" And with that the doctor left to continue his rounds of all his patients  leaving the nurse to make sure Niall was comfortable once more.

Niall's POV:

I felt like I was floating in a dark pool of water. Everything was dark, no light anywhere. Things were touching me but I didn't know what they were and it unnerved me. This blackness, no light, no clue as to where I was. Sounds, I could hear sounds but nothing made sense. What were they? Where were they coming from?  Things touching me again. I'm scared but I don't know why or what is scaring me. Fear is overtaking me but I don't know why. Something is out there. Don't touch me.

I see light and faces but who are they ?They come in and out of focus. I see their mouths moving, I hear sounds but they make no sense to me. Touching me. It hurts, it hurts so much. The black is gone , now everything is white. Too white. I don't recognise where I am. Wires wrapped around me, trapping me. I'm in a cage, I can't escape. I'm scared. Somewhere someone starts screaming. Screaming louder and louder, never stopping. I need to break free of the wires, of the cage. I pull at them, I bang my arms against the cage.I need the screaming to stop. The faces loom over me, so close, more of them. Faces, closer and closer.  I try to fight back, I want to escape. My fear is rising. Why won't the screaming stop? Stop it, stop the screaming. My terror rises. I can't breath. Someone help me. Stop the screaming.

It stops.

I am back in dark pool of water, just floating in the dark, no light anywhere. Then nothing.