One Tough Love

He Loves Me, He Love Me Not

I woke up to the sound of people whispering around me. I could hear Marissas voice and she sounded worried. I heard Tito telling her to calm down and then I heard Michaels voice which sounded very close to me. The sound of his voice made me panic because I didn't know how, when or who found me, but I knew for a fact I didn't want to be in his presence. I struggled to open my eyes but for some reason I couldn't let them open and I when I tried to move, I couldn't. I felt numb and it was so cold that I thought I was still outside.

"How are you a feeling?" A soft, unfamiliar voice asked. I felt a warm hand on top of my own and I began to cry.

"It's okay," I heard Marissa say. "He's just a house doctor who's here to make sure you're alright."

"My name is Dr. Huffman," the unfamiliar voice spoke again. "I need you to first calm down and then tell me how you feel."

I tried to open my eyes once more and they finally came apart just enough for me to see where I was. Everything was blurry. I could barely make out Marissa and Tito's face. I saw Michaels silhouette standing by the window, the sunshine coming through illuminated over him and he looked almost like an angel. I looked at the Dr. who was still awaiting my answer.

"I-Im," I stuttered. "I feel numb an..and I can barley see. Everything's blurry...." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and Marissa rushed to my side and laid down with me.

"Well, you were out in the cold all night uncovered and had a nasty wound right over your left eye and your right eye was already badly swollen when I got here. Do you know who did this to you?" The doctor asked, concern in his voice.

The room was already quiet but it got deafly quiet. It was like everyone stopped breathing and if you were really listening, you could've probably heard my heart pounding against my chest. I immediately looked up at Michael and then back at Dr. Huffman. All eyes were on me.

"N-No sir," I answered. "I don't remember much of last night. I recall going for a walk and that's it."

He began writing something on a note pad and when he finished he tore off the paper and handed it to Michael.

"You need to keep your head elevated and to reduce any pain you may be having, I suggest Motrin or Tylenol..."

"She's allergic to Ibuprofen..." Marissa interrupted.

"Then I strongly suggest you stick to Extra Strength Tylenol and only take the required amount it says on the bottle," He continued. "As for the swelling and redness in your eyes, I prescribed some medicated eye drops. Two drops 3x a day until the swelling has gone down. It should help with clearing your vision but if it seems like your vision isn't improving ,go see your local eye doctor asap!! Until you're able to get the drops, get a cold towel and gently lay it across your eyes, okay?"

I nodded my head as I listened to everything he was saying.

"You have a mild case of hypothermia due to exposure to the cold weather and being out there all night. You've lost color in your skin, so you're going to look a little pale. As you can see, we've layered you in warm heavy blankets and although you can't feel it, the heater is blasting." He stated.

I could see the sweat forming on his forehead and that's when I noticed everyone around us had nearly stripped down.

"I've already told everyone else, but until you get to feeling warm and the color reappears in your hands and feet, keep the heater on. Drinking warm beverages and eating soup will help, along with hot baths. I prefer you take a bath rather than a shower because I doubt you're able to stand for a long time on your own right now."

"Why not?" I asked.

"You've lost a significant amount of blood and according to your medical records, you have chronic anemia. Seeing that the wound above your eye needed to be stitched up, it was no shallow cut. Therefore, judging by the amount of blood lost, you might feel light headed and dizzy upon sitting or standing up for a long period of time. We don't need you falling and hitting your head!!! So please, if there's no one around to help guide you, stay in bed and stay warm."