I remembered episodes of lucidness.
The first was on a stretcher being carried to a white vehicle with red and white lights flashing. A weird mask was strapped over my mouth making it hard to talk even if I wanted to. I remember a lady looking down at me. I stared into her eyes looking for answers, but found none. Her mouth moved faster then the words I heard, it resembled the usually 'everything is all right' and 'you're safe, we're taking you to the hospital'. At the word hospital my eyes rolled backwards when the world began to spin and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
The second time I woke up was in a lying in a bed, the bright lights stung my sensitive eyes and the air smelled like cleaning products. Their was an underlying metallic scent rising from the floor, but it was old. People in white coats rushed around the room, one looked into my eyes with a bright light another attached a clip to my finger. Voices sounded like incoherent whispers and all I could focus on was the beeping getting faster and faster. The quicker it got the more rushed and panicked the people were. When the beeping was so close together it sounded like one constant string of noise I again passed out, but this time instead of slowly melting into darkness, it slapped me over the head.
In my sleep I saw flashes of things I've never seen. Snippets of blurry images and voices that sounded like they were talking behind a door. Glimpses of needles and gloved hands cornering me, a overwhelming sense of panic as they grew closer flooding my body. Knives and other instruments of torture eagerly digging into my skin as I was strapped down to a icy metal table. Then faces of people I can't put a name too but gave me chills like they were the ghosts of my past, their eyes sparkled darkly in a shroud of villainous intent. If I could see there mouths under the medical mask I was positive a cruel smile would crease their lips, like the curve of a dagger.
It must have of been my brain reacting to the drugs, but a peculiar sensation of déjà vu lingered almost whispering in my ear it wasn't just my imagination. Everything just felt so real, as if I could still trace the sore parts on my body that their knives and needles prodded. But nothing like that existed, it was only my mind playing tricks on me.
Then for my third time I was lulled awake from my nightmare by the light footsteps pacing around the room and a shaking hand tightly gripping mine. My eyes fluttered open to the same bright light but in a different room, the environment felt less busy, more mellow but with a hint of slow depression that you see in retirement homes.
I saw my dad pacing in front my bed, listening to his hard-soled shoes tap against the linoleum. There were bags under his eyes and his hair went in all directions, I wondered when was the last time he got sleep.
A small sniffle brought my attention to the side of my bed and to the person clutching my hand like it was a teddy bear. Mom looked like she was previously crying because of her puffy red eyes and dewy cheeks. Her usual smiling lips were replaced by a trembling bottom lip. She was looking down, eyes shut tight.
Squeezing her hand slightly I managed a slight smile, her head shot up a face full of hope. When ours eyes meant her lips formed a broken smile, the kind you make after a storm and you see a ray of sun. Dad rushed over putting his hand over mom's, they looked at me like I just came back from a very long vacation.
My eyes began to droop, when I tried to fight against it my mom comforted by me stroking my hair. Partly because I didn't want to leave them, the other part because I was afraid of what I might see if I went back to sleep.
"It's all right sweetie, get some rest. We will be here when you wake up. Love you." She cooed softly like silk.
This time drowsiness didn't violently attack me or suck me into an alarming sleep, instead it coated my body like warm honey. Wrapping around me like an old friend, letting all the worries I had go. Slipping into a peaceful state I heard one last voice "We're sorry." It didn't register as anything but an imagined voice from my subconscious so I easily ignored it and went to sleep. However, little did I know that it meant everything.
I didn't dream of the masks or needles, but instead a dock floating calmly in a pond surrounded by tall wispy grass, the water shimmered from the low burning sun rising over the mountains. Everything was calm, I sat on the edge with my feet dipping lazily into the cool water. I had a fishing rod and that bobbed in the distance. Nothing worried me.
Then I heard footsteps behind me, they got louder as someone approached. I wasn't worried, it seemed I knew who it was already and in my heart knew they weren't going to hurt me.
I felt the dock dip slightly as the mystery person sat beside me, their bare feet leisurely splashing small waves at mine. A melodious chime filled my ears, the sound of pure laughter. Then I realized it was coming from my throat, I splashed the stranger back and looked up at them.
I saw the outline of a man, but the sun shadowed his face not revealing a single clue who the identity of my friend was besides the fact he was male with a large built and short hair.
Then I felt the imagine floating away, like I was being pulled out by a rope. Desperately I focused and pleaded to stay but the more I did the faster my oasis darkened like the ending of a movie.
I awoke alone in the hospital room, I felt an emptiness inside. I wished I wasn't here and that I could slip back into my illusion and spend the rest of my life living that lie, but I couldn't. That fantasy was now lost to me forever.
*** time skip ***
The pressure from my bladder is what finally got me up. The lights were off and it was dark outside, looking at the clock on the wall I realized it was the middle of the night. Standing up off the bed I felt the pain immediately, confused I staggered towards the small separate bathroom with an IV drip wheeling along in my hand.
Reaching the bathroom I flipped off the light and stared at the reflection in the mirror. I saw a girl with greasy hair and dark circles under her eyes. Someone had changed me into a hospital gown and wiped the makeup and soot off my face. The pain in my side had dull to a throb, shrugging I went on with my business.
After using the washroom I decided a shower was in need from the state of my hair. Taking off the thin gown I was shocked by the thick padding just above my hip bone.
I was shot.
I don't remember a bullet piercing my body, although adrenaline is an amazing thing. During my run with the cigarette I think I can recall feeling a sharp pinch, but shouldn't it have hurt more at the time. When people get shot it's suppose to take them down, it's suppose to be excruciating. Maybe I just have a very high pain tolerance, but something told me that wasn't just it.
After my shower I walked around my room for a while, I didn't want to go back to bed. I Wondered where mom and dad were, they said they would be here when I woke up.
Finally I was done waiting, I had enough sleep to run a marathon. Venturing into the hospital hallways it had the same surgical lighting and white floor, but was oddly quiet.
Exploring the halls I saw a few nurses but nothing majorly exciting, it was like any other hospital you can imagine.
People sitting in waiting chairs gave me odd looks as I passed unsupervised, still attached to a drip bag. But no one paid too close a mind.
Not until I saw my parents in the cafeteria. They looked like zombies haphazardly sipping there coffees and mechanically chewing gross hospital sandwiches.
I wobbled towards them occasionally bumped my IV into a chair or table, everyone looked extremely alarmed that one of the patients was out walking around. Some of the nurses who were peacefully taking a break gawked at me like I was seriously trying to go and eat with a gun shot wound in my side. Someone called security, but I paid no mind.
Getting closer to my parents they looked up to see what all the ruckus was about. Their eyes filled with horror when they saw their daughter standing in a hospital with an medical IV hooked to her arm standing before them as if nothing was wrong, I even had the audacity to smile widely and wave.
Slowly I managed to sit down with Mom and Dad who both watched me like I just did two back flips and coughed up a rainbow.
"Hey, what's up!" I popped the 'p' happily and nonchalantly sipped my mother's coffee.
"Wh-wha-what are you doing up, You. Got. Shot." My mother exclaimed.
"Yeah, I know. Weird right?" I said being completely serious, definitely wouldn't recommend it to my friends. Well... That is if I had any.
"Baylee this isn't funny, you should be resting!" My father dead panned like I was a child being told to go to bed.
I wasn't tired, in fact I felt perfectly normal. If I wasn't in a hospital with a wad of gauze taped to my side I wouldn't know I was injured.
"I feel fine." I grumbled, annoyed by everyone being so fragile about my situation.
"You were just in a fire and shot only 6 hours ago! Most people would be out for at least a full day from all the trauma you've just experienced."
Being a smart-ass I replied in a matter-a-factly tone. "Well I guess I'm not most people." I believed everyone was special in their own way.
"No... you certainly are not." Dad said lowly and looked at the cafeteria entrance.
Two medium sized men came bursting through and started to scanned the room.
'I guess my ride is here' I thought and got up. My parents followed.
With as much dignity as I could muster in a hospital gown while holding on to an IV I walked up to the guards. They were slightly shocked I was willing to go with them without resistance. Obviously they expected me to be crazy and have to escort me back to the psychiatric wing.
*** One day later*** (because I'm lazy)
Back in my room my parents watched nervously as the doctors took my vitals.
I remember yesterday was as if I was on trial. The police showed up to question me on the So many questions I didn't know how to answer. Luckily I managed to dodge them as well as I could.
'How'd you get shot?' They asked.
I said in the rush to get out of the burning building a security guard dropped their gun by accident and it went off. It was a unconvincing lie, but they seemed to buy.
'What caused the fire?' Apparently the insurance company wanted to know.
I said someone dropped a cigarette and it caught fire. It wasn't a completely untrue, I just left out the part where I was the one that dropped it.
'Were you and Hannah drinking?' That one was from my parents.
Speaking of Hannah she came to visit me yesterday as well. She was released from the hospital on the account the most severe thing she suffered from was a sore throat and coughing.
When I asked my parents to get me a snack from the vending machine I begin to tell Hannah what I told the police to get our stories straight.
"Wait! Why don't you tell them the truth?" She said trying to wrap her head around everything.
"Because I assaulted MANY people, shot someone, and set fire to two guys coincidentally burning down an entire building!" I explained trying to get through to Hannah the seriousness in this.
She looked like a kicked puppy "But... it was in self defence, they were trying to kidnap you and KILL me!"
I let out a sigh, Hannah wasn't seeing how the club owner, who magically made it out of the building along with the other thugs, considering no crispy bodies were found after the fire was put out, would testify against me if a court case was called.
"It wouldn't matter, they would see it as some crazy chick went psycho and started to beat everyone up and then set the whole damn place on fire. We need to pretend nothing like that happened and forget about Mr. Creepy and his goons. Okay?" I said trying to sound as reasonable as possible.
Hannah frowned and let out a defeated breath. "Okay."
The rest of the day didn't consist of much, just boring doctors checking up on me and my parents suffocating me with all the attention and concern. If I thought they were bad before, then this was hell.
Now I'm lying in bed a day later being poked and touched by a bunch of quakes. Oh, how the time flies.
One female doctor named 'Dr. Carter' was changing my bandages. It stung a little as she peeled away the gauze with clung to my skin.
Her eyes grew wide when she saw my wound. Looking up at me her face was a cocktail of confusion, amazement, and disbelief.
"Huh...you were the gunshot victim, right dear?" She asked her voice laced with uncertainty.
"Yeah why? Is it bad.... Am I going to DIE! Oh my gosh, I'm going to die aren't I. Oh no, oh no. I still haven't had my first boyfriend, there are so many things I want to do before I-"
She cut me off "NO! No, oh goodness no you're not dying. In fact you're quite the opposite. It seems you're healing at an accelerated speed. Look, your wound looks instead of around 2 days old to more than 2 weeks old."
Examining the injured site I realized what she was talking about. My wound had yellow and green bruising around the entry site of the bullet instead of a dark purple shade. There was a little swelling but nothing too major. It was scabbed over and fresh light pink skin began closing the hole up.
I was shocked, ever since I was young any bruise or cut I've gotten went away in a short amount of time. But a gunshot wound shouldn't be practically healed in 2 days. You could mistake it now for me having a little fall instead of getting shot.
"That's... that's not normal." I said hesitant to admit something was happening that shouldn't be possible.
"Is it!" I spoke loudly, desperate for some answers. My worried eyes searched the doctors but they all looked as clueless as I did.
"I-it's-it's," my mother stuttered looking around her brain for the right answer "a miracle!" She proclaimed slightly flustered, almost as though she was covering for something...
My father quickly joined in "Sure is! We're so blessed, we don't know what would happen if our daughter's injuries were fatal!"
Everyone seemed to rejoice in the miracle, shaking there heads in disbelief, one doctor had the nerve to take a picture of my wound.
I remained too stunned to even notice the others. All I could think about was how could this be happening.