Rachel
Memory..what a fickle thing. If it wasn't I might remember why I felt so...tired.
Tired. Unusually tired. I've done my fair share of sports and have pushed myself to my limits. My body hurt and buzzed at the same time. It's was a new level of exhaustion I've never experianced before and I have no idea how it happened but it was annoying. I don't want to be tired or in pain. My fingers somehow felt lighter as I tried to get whatever it was tickling my nose off.
Muffled voices were the first thing I picked up but my eyelids still felt too heavy. I suddenly felt some warmth returning to my body that I hadn't realized I lacked.
The muffled voiced returned but still not clear enough to catch anything. The darkness around me slowly lighted to a dark gray as light was threatening to bother my slumber from an apparently rough night.
So rough I'm not even sure how I ended up in this unknown situation.
I wanted to take a deep breath but it was uncomfortable just to breathe. If I did take a deep breath I feared I may find myself in a coughing fit and that will just cause pain.
"Rachel, can you hear me?" It was still a bit muffled on my right side but I could make the words out. The voice I didn't recognize but other sounds started pushing through as well. The tickle on my face grew and I started to get more annoyed. I pushed past the feeling of my lead weight limbs to find some of the weight disappeared with use. "You need to keep the cannula on," the voice said.
I don't need someone telling me what to do. I should to tell them to shut up and leave me alone for not just disrupting my sleep but-wait...cannula? There's was no returning back to my sleep so I opened my eyes. At first everything was fuzzy until I blinked it away. A bright light came into my view making swat at whatever was trying to blind me. I swatted at whatever was it was producing the light until my surroundings became more clear and someone I don't know in a white coat came into view
"Rachel, hold on." That voice I recognized. My brother. I turned to my left seeing Leo. He's was in his scrubs and white coat and we're in the hospital. I looked behind him seeing as some nurses leaving the room. I looked around the rest of the room and saw everyone but my little brother. Even my best friend stood with my family all looking worried for me. The Hospital. Why am I in the hospital?.
But why?
"Rachel, I'm Dr. Larson. Let's get you in a more comfortable position." He adjusted my bed until I was sitting up but able to lean back. It hurt to do so but he was right, it's more comfortable. "Water?" He held up a pitcher. I tried to accept but found I needed it more so I nodded. He handed me a cup. "How are you feeling?" he asked. I took my sip of water then cleared my throught. What came out was rough.
"I've been better,"
"That's pretty good considering the circumstances," he took the stethoscope off his neck and began checking me. "How about you tell me the last thing you remember?"
"Um... I remember..." what do I remember. I looked around my eyes landing on Leo. His birthday. I remembered being excited but I don't remember seeing him with his cake or gifts. "Leo's birthday," saying it triggered more. "Sky and I were needed to go to the store so I remember leaving school but it's kind of...we'll blank after that,"
Everyone was quiet as the doctor finished his examination. "Rachel,you were in a car accident. A drunk driver hit the side you were on. You had a pretty bad head injury due to a faulty airbag. You've been in a coma for a while."
"What's a while?" I asked.
"About a month and a half," I tooked to Sky who had answered. My mom had her arms wrapped around her and was clear all of them were in some kind of shock. What had they seen? Wait-A month...over a month of my life gone. Dannie's birthdays. Halloween and Thanksgiving. My date with Ashton.
"You've had surgery due to some internal bleeding so we removed you're spleen." I returned my focus back to the doctor. "You had a broken fibula, it's nearly fully healed but you'll need some PT. Dislocated shoulder. Lastly, pretty nasty head injury. You slept through most of your healing at least." He smiled lightly in an attempt to comfort me but that didn't work.
A month and a half.
"But I'm okay?" I asked.
"So far. We still have some concerns so you're going to have to stay at least a week. Well find out more soon. We'll get you fixed up and back home soon." Dr. Larson stood. "How about right now? How do you feel?" I closed my eyes.
"My head hurts...um..I just feel...feel like I've been through a meat grinder."
"In that case, we'll get some pain medication going. I'm gonna update the team and let you have some time with your family." Dr. larson left the room and right away my family surrounded me. I did notice Skylar stay behind near the couch.
There were lots of tears. Light hugs, everyone to scared to hurt me. Eventually though after the promise to not fall back into a coma they went their separate ways. Leo got called away to a patient, mom went to get food, and dad and Raphael wanted to pick up my brothers. That left me and Sky.She seemed stuck to the wall.
"I'm okay Sky," She ran over wrapping me in her arms.
"I'm so sorry,"
"It's not your fault Sky. You're a better driver than me. It could have happened to anyone." Drunk people don't care about others. If they did they'd never get in behind the wheel." I rubed her back until she pulled back looking at me. "I'm okay."
"You weren't," She looked down at her hands. I tilted my head. I've never seen the blank look before that was currently taking over her beautiful features. It was like she was stuck in the loop of an awful memory. I squeezed her hand. That pulled her from her blank face but she clearly wasn't okay. "How are you?"
"I've been better." I moved my body a bit more hoping maybe it's mostly just stiffness instead of real pain but the more I moved the more my body protested. I removed my blanket looking at the cast on my foot. Everyone had already signed it and I even saw a small sketch of Black Widow. Dannie. He'd be a great artist if he felt he'd be sucessfull. My wrist was in a wrapp brace. "I've looked better too."
While inspecting myself, inside and out, something nagged at me in the back of my mind. Somethings different. A whisper that came and left leaving the imprint. Sure I've been injured and I'm different but that didn't feel right. It doesn't feel like that's what the whisper was saying. It's something else.
A nurse came in and injected something into my IV and a couple minutes later I felt releif. The drugs where taking away some of the pain and leaving just a feeling of being tired. Skylar moved to the chair next to the bed. "I've got some catching up to do," I said hoping gosip would pull her out of this funk.
"I do too," She said. "I kind of...haven't been exactly paying attention. I've only been to school a handful of time the last couple weeks." She leaned back. "I'm sorry-"
"Stop," I said. She looked at me surprised. I've never sounded so stern but it needs to be said. Sky might blame herself for years but I'm not gonna let that happen. Something bad happened to her. That doesn't mean she caused it or ows me anything. Just bad luck. "Stop saying sorry, and stop blaming yourself." I said. She didn't say anything more just looked at me but now that blankness was gone and replaced with reliefe.
"Come here," I pulled Sky onto the bed. She laid on my left side so it didn't hurt much. The drugs might have more to do with that. "Let's watch something."
Being in the hospital for more than a day isn't fun for anyone. It got better when my mom brought me more comfy clothes and entertainment. They took many scans mostly of my head and took many labs. I feared I was giving more blood away than I was making. At night I don't get much sleep since nurses dont let me sleep longer than an hour or two at once. Since waking, I've wanted nothing more than to leave this place.
What I have noticed, and haven't told anyone, is...I want to go outside. Not just to exscape the florencent and depressing hospital but to the woods. I never liked the idea of camping or hiking before. Not that I ever had the time. Suddenly the woods, trees, animals, fresh air, and wide open spaces all call to me. So much so I could spend days in the woods. I've tried to shake the feeling but it's like a tattoo. Once it got to me, I couldn't shake it.
Sky and my brothers visited often and Leo spend his breaks with me but that still left me with a lot of time to myself. Time to go crazy not being able to leave.
"Good news," I looked up at Dr. Larson as he entered with my brother. Since my parents had to go to work and settle things so they could be home with me the first few days Leo promised to be with me anytime Dr.Larson needed me.
"Look Doc, I love you and I feel we've grown very close this last week, but if you aren't here to tell me I can leave this place I don't wanna hear it." I said. My brother didn't even try to stifle his laugh as the door closed behind them giveing us privacy from the people outside.
"You can, in a couple of days." He grabbed the rolling stool and found his place next to me. "You're labs are coming back great, your strength is up and everything is healing beautifully. We don't see any damage done to memory but I'd like you to do some simple exercises and maybe even start a journal for a bit."
"What about the cast?" I gesture down to the cast on my right leg It itched often and I'd like to take a decent shower.
"That can come off in a week. LIke I said you're going to still have to do some PT."
"I've already got the first visit schedualed." Leo chimmed in making me feel a bit better.
"But I'm going home? I'm not gonna pack up only for you to keep me again?"
"No. You're going home." I don't think I've ever felt happier.
I'm going home.
Once I'm home...I can figure out why the hell I feel so different.