Macanese

I'm Alive

"Atchaco can you hear me?" The doctor said slowly. His voice was calming. "My name is Dr Robert Turning." I looked at Robert and nodded.

"Yes, Robert." I replied. "I can hear you." He smiled before placing his hand on mine. He looked at it and stroked it ever so gently before I quickly retracted it and put it under the covers. He looked confused at why I had done what I had done. So, I smiled at him then I explained it. "Sorry, I just don't like people touching me unexpectedly. It makes me feel uncomfortable. It always has, so don't take it personally."

"That is okay." Robert said. "This is Dr Steven McDonald. We are just here to help you." He indicated to the other doctor, who just waved at me before resuming his serious posture. "Do you remember anything from your accident?" I stared out of the window in thought before turning to look back at Robert.

"A climbing accident?" I replied. He nodded slowly but didn't reply. Was there more to the accident than I had originally thought. "I had dived into the ocean. Then I came back up. I was climbing up the cliff face to get to my sister when my hand slipped, and I fell backwards into the ocean. I must have banged my head as I do not remember anything else."

"You did more than bang your head. Way more, but for now you have visitors and you need to rest." Robert said as he turned and left the room nodding at whoever was standing by the door.

"Steven." I said. The doctor turned around to face me as he was about to leave.

"Yes, Atchaco." He replied. His voice wasn't as nice as Robert's was, but it did have a hint of kindness in it. Even if it took a long time to find. "What is it? Do you want something?"

"I was just wondering. How do my visitors know that I am awake?"

"Well they didn't until they looked through your window. They come and see you every day without fail. Is that all or can I go." Steven said, hand on the handle of the door about to open it. Waiting for my reply. I nodded at him and he left the room. He too nodded at whoever was outside.

The first to enter my room was my twin. Her curly hair was a mess, but she tried her best to hide it. Her nose was red and there were tears running down her cheeks from her crying so much. My mother was the second person to enter my room. Her hair was clipped back by a butterfly clip like it normally is but even still it was a little bit messy. Her small touch of makeup was running down her face so she too must have been crying. In fact everyone who entered my room had all been crying over something.

As soon as Asheanna saw me awake she ran up to me and squeezed me tight. Worried that I would leave her again. Not that I would ever want to. "Atchaco." Asheanna said, still hugging the life out of me. "You got us so worried. Please don't ever scare us like that again."

"I can't make any promises, but I will try my best." I slowly peeled Asheanna off my body and smiled at her. "Deal?" Asheanna just smiled and nodded her head before sitting down on the chair beside my bed. Jemina – my mother just stood there and smiled at me. Jimch – my brother came over and started to stroke my hand. Unlike what I did to the doctor I let him stroke it. Strangely it was calming even though my brother was normally the one person in my family to make anyone stressed.

"We'd thought we lost you." Jemina said, holding back her tears. "We thought you would never wake up. We'd thought we'd never get to tell you. Don't scare us like that again, okay."

"Yes, mamma." I replied, staring into her eyes, the bridge to the soul. "I am sorry for everything that I have done. I was stupid to ever think that I could. You're right I could have died and for that I am forever sorry."

My mum placed her hand on my cheek, and she smiled. "It doesn't matter now. What matters is that you are alive and well. Get some rest. You have a lot of getting used to, and a lot of healing to be done." I look at my mother who starts to walk away but I don't want to let go of her hand. I want her to stay by my side. She tries to walk to the door, but I tighten my grip and stare into her eyes. I then tug my arm despite it causing a fair bit of pain. Jemina looks at me worryingly as she is forced to come closer to me to avoid her arm being pulled right out of its socket.

"Atchaco." She said sweetly, worry laced in her voice. "You really need to get some rest, the doctors will come in here and sedate you if needed because you need to rest your body and let it fully heal."

"No!" I stubbornly told her. "Not until I find out what happened. I need to know everything."

Ashêanna touches a button on one of the walls which I vaguely remember the doctors pointing to when they were talking to them outside my room. I look at mum. "You need rest, Atchaco. We will tell you everything in good time but not right now. You won't be able to handle it. You can trust us to do what's right. This is."

She stood to her right and let a nurse pass. They did something with my IV and my body started to feel heavy. Jemina lowered the bed back to its original possession and kissed me on the forehead. "Noo." I raspe out, my body numb and heavy from the drug (probably a sedative) to do anything properly.

"Just go to sleep." She whispered. "You know that you will eventually succumb to the sedative eventually. The quicker you do the quicker you will find out what happened. My eyelids drop and my vision starts to go dark.

"Mum." I use my remaining strength to softly hold my mum's soft hand.

"I'll be here when you wake up." She reassured me, and with that I surrendered to the sedative and let my world go dark. Jemina stayed true to her word and went to the couch beside my bed and layed down. The others either sat down or went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. A weight had been lifted off their shoulders as this time I was in a drug induced sleep rather than a trauma induced one.