When the world as she knows it is ripped away from her, she must learn to overcome new challenges, and a new found family. She enters into her new life with hate, denial, and rebellion. What will help her understand and come to piece together her...
Why can't I open my eyes? Why can't I seem to move?
Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep..
Voices? Where are they coming from? I hear them...
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
"There's definitely some strong brain activity. She might be coming out of it!"
Coming out of what? Why can't I see you?
"Get ahold of her father, Richard Anders, stat!"
I feel so weak. I try and try to open my eyes, and move my limbs, but it seems as if my body is working against me. The beeping noise is more persistent now and is only getting louder. Turn it off! Please someone just turn it off!
"Someone turn off that monitor. Did anyone get ahold of Mr. Anders? I'm removing the ventilator!"
I could feel something sliding up my throat, but I couldn't do anything about it.
"Keep the cannula in. Let's monitor her to see if she wakes on her own. Keep checking her monitors and vitals, if anything changes get me immediately! And let me know as soon as her father is contacted."
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My eyes fluttered open to soft glowing light that was illuminating from somewhere behind me. It still felt too bright for my eyes, and I had to squint and adjust my eyes slowly to the light. I still feel weak, and couldn't lift up my arms. Where was I? I was laying in a bed, but it wasn't my own. My eyes wandered, noticing the IV coming from the top of my wrist. Moving my eyes around further I could see someone sleeping in a chair near where I was laying. After a few minutes I was able to move my fingers slightly. I then tried to gently maneuver my arms, which felt like dead weight.
Someone came rushing into the room over to my bedside, which startled the person sleeping in the chair. "The monitors are showing a lot of activity!" the person rushing in exclaimed. A beautiful younger looking nurse hoovered above me, "Well hello!" she smiled down at me.
"She's awake?" the person sitting in the chair exclaimed as they jumped up from the chair. They came over next to the nurse and smiled down at me. "Kelsey!"
Bryce? I tried to say his name, but nothing would come out of my mouth.
Bryce leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "You're awake!" He smiled again as he took out his cell phone from his back pocket. "Your dad should be here shortly, along with your brothers."
I tried to say his name again, but still nothing came out. Bryce could see that I was struggling and ran his hand against my forhead, brushing the hair off my face.
"You don't have to try to talk right now. Why don't you rest?" The nurse said as she was typing away on a portable computer. "You've been fighting for awhile now, and It's got to be exausting.
The voice that I heard from before broke through the room, as an older looking doctor appeared. He had a friendly grandfatherly face, which exerted a warm smile. "Ms. Kelsey Anders, how are you feeling? I'm Doctor Conroy. I've been on your case since the start."
"Case?" I was able to whisper with a scratchy voice. My throat felt dry. Bryce could tell I was in need of something to clear my throat, and he brought his water over to me. He hoisted me up into more of an upright position and held the bottle to my lips, allowing me a sip of the cool water.
"Go easy with that," Doctor Conroy scolded Bryce. "Let's get her some water with a straw, but monitor how much she intakes," he directed the nurse. "I'm going to need you to step out when the nurse get's back so we can do an exam."
Bryce nodded his head as he let me have another sip of his water. I choked slightly on that sip, and he pulled the water away rapidly. "Easy there killer." He lay me back down gently, and continued to observe me until he felt that I was alright. The nurse came back into the room then, and Bryce made his way towards the door. "I'll be right outside, and I'll come back in here when they are done."
The doctor and nurse went over a brief exam and checked on my reflexes and vitals. "Right now it looks like you're going to make a full recovery with a little bit of work and therapy," the doctor said as he was listening to my lungs with his stethoscope. "You are one very lucky girl, you are indeed."
When they were done Bryce was allowed back into the room. He pulled the chair right up to my bedside and sat next to me, taking ahold of my hand.
"Why am I here?" I managed to ask. "What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Bryce asked with sadness conveying in his eyes. "Spencer, he had a gun. Your birthday party? He shot you, Kelsey. The bullet went right through your right lung. When it impacted it wretched you back so hard that you were knocked unconscious when your head hit the ground."
"Spencer?" I asked. "Where is he?"
Bryce looked away avoiding eye contact, and fiddled with his hands. "He's gone," he finally said quietly. "He ran off somewhere and turned the gun on himself after shooting you."
A sadness crept over me. "What day is it?"
"Thursday," Bryce answered briefly.
"Thursday? So I've been out of it for almost a week?"
Bryce gave a slight chuckle, "no, almost three months."
"Three months?" I said in shock. "That means it's already February!"
"That it is," Bryce said as his hand reached out and stroked down my cheek.
Bryce and I continued talking with each other, and the movement of my limbs was slowly coming back to me. Bryce filled me in all about what happened while I was out of it, and told me how he was up here almost everyday just to sit with me.
"That's very sweet of you, Bryce," I said smiling. I took my cup off the side table and slowly sipped on the ice cold water. I sat the cup back down and started fidgeting with the cannula in my nose. It was really irritating me, and so I yanked it out.
"Kelsey!" Bryce scolded as he grabbed the cannula from my hands. "I don't think you were supposed to do that!" He shook his head at me. "I'll go find your nurse and see what they want to do."
"I couldn't breathe," I whined.
Bryce just laughed, "It is oxygen, it's what your supposed to breathe." He draped the cannula around the back of my pillow, and then went out of the room to find my nurse.
I must have fallen back to sleep, for when I awoke I had the damn cannula back in my nose, and my room was filled with dad and my brothers. Bryce must have taken off, as I did not see him anywhere around.
"Hey," I said quietly as I looked up at dad.
"Sunshine!" dad said with deep emotion in his voice as he came over to me and kissed my forehead. "I'm so glade you're back with us. You had us all scared!"
Dad spent some more time at my bedside, and then each of my brothers took a turn with me. Riker seemed the most emotional, as he curled up next to me on the bed, and encased me in his arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. I just got you back in my life, and you were almost ripped away just that fast."
