Hospital Fog
It was like being pulled away from one reality and into another one, not fully knowing which one was real. She could hear quiet whispering and the beeping of a machine.
The hospital, of course.
She also doesn’t quite remember what happened, a few blurred memories pop up of her running and big bulking creatures moving fast in the distance. Most of it was darkness, but everybody says there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and for Emily that light was the brightness of the intense blue eyes which she doesn’t think she’ll ever forget.
Oh yes, and there was also the pain, that she’ll never forget either.
It only took a few seconds, and her trying to shift herself, for her to be aware of just how much pain her body was in. A low groan emitted from her. Emily blinked her eyes open and took in the white room of the hospital, sunlight shining through a window the harsh light almost blinding her. The brunette immediately shut them and let a louder groan pass.
“Oh thank god!”
The relieved voice she knew and could now understand, was her mother. Opening her eyes again, slower this time and leaving them at a narrow squint. She felt the side of her bed dip and looked upwards to see her mum’s tired and worrisome face looking back at her with concern, faint but dark circles underneath her eyes.
Emily tried to give out a reply but found her mouth incredibly dry, looking around the room she spotted a glass of water on her bedside table. She reached for it only to see another hand grasp it and offer her the tip of the straw. Alison looked at her with the same worry that her mum had, she greedily drank the water, her mouth and body feeling better from the hydration. Alison set the glass back down, laying a hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“W-” Her voice still hoarse, she cleared her throat and tried again, “What happened?” Emily leaned back into her pillows, relishing in the softness of them.
“You mean you don’t remember?” Alison asks cautiously.
Emily looked down and shook her head. “I remember…” The same flashes of images flashed through her mind. None of them making any real sense. “I don’t know what I remember, most of the images are blurry and don’t make a lot of sense.”
“That’s a common reaction for your brain after a traumatic event, it should clear up within a few days,” a different voice with a British accent commented.
Looking up, Emily turned her head to see a third figure standing within the threshold of her bedroom door. He looks young. Dressed in a professional white doctor’s coat and a gentle smile on his face, Emily squinted her eyes further and made out his last name that was printed in blue on his name tag. Kingston.
Emily must’ve shown confusion because she watched as he walked over to her, “I wasn’t supposed to be in town, but I’ve been helping Mrs Hastings with some things this past week, and Ali wanted only the best doctor working on you, so I got called in,” he finished with a kind smile.
Emily nodded in understanding, she hadn’t seen Wren for years, he looks different now with a shorter cut hair style and a wedding ring decorating his left hand.
“Why are you here?” She turned to the blonde, who had remained silent, still resting her hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“I, uhm, brought you here, Em.”
“What? How?”
“Honey, Alison brought you here last night, carrying you in her arms unconscious, she apparently made quite a scene in emergency.” Emily’s mum chuckled.
Emily let the new information sink in while her mind continued to race. She’d been unconscious, which obviously makes sense. Had Ali really carried her in her arms? How did she even find her anyway? Questions filled her brain quicker than she could answer them, which only added to the growing confusion. She started to feel lightheaded, and pressed a sweaty palm to her forehead, rubbing softly.
“This is all going to be hard to take in, as your mind adjusts to the new information and tries to remember what happened. It’ll result in –” Emily releases a frustrated groan, “headaches.” Wren said with a knowing sympathetic smile. “I advise you to take the next couple of days, maybe even a week off before you start getting on your feet again. Which reminds me. I’ve bandaged your ankle, you’ll be happy to know that it’s only a sprain, but there is a nasty wound so be sure to clean it daily and re-bandage it for at least two weeks.”
“The rest of your injuries should heal over the next couple of days with good care. I’ll also be coming by your house making a visit every other day to check up on you and see how you’re going. Healing wise.”
Emily thanked Wren, her mother walking out with him to discuss further matters. She would have to call the girls when she got home, thinking that they would want to know what happened to her when she didn’t show up at Spencer’s this morning. Emily caught the end of the conversation her mum was having with Wren, something about the medical expenses already being paid for. The looked over at Ali, who had now sat down on the end of her bed she was already goofily smiling at Emily.
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“For everything, paying for me and also finding me,” Emily stopped, wondering if she should ask, if her headache would lesson enough so she could take in the information properly. It didn’t seem like that was going to happen, so Emily asked anyway, “How did you, find me?”
Alison opened her mouth to reply only to be interrupted by Pam walking back into the room, Emily took the chance to notice how tired she looked, obviously not sleeping much last night. Her mum lifted her head a little higher, a light smile dawning her face told her that she was relieved that her little girl was okay.
“Do you need anything? More water? What about some food?”
Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and Ali released a chuckle, “Some food would be great, mum.”
“Sure, hang in tight honey, I’ll be right back.”
A silence fell over the two girls, Emily not sure she wanted to ask the question from before again, and Alison scrolling through her phone. Her blonde curls rough from the lack of sleep, they laid limply against her head. Emily felt her body relax, and she laid her head back down, closing her eyes. Maybe some sleep would do her good, let her body regenerate.
A sharp ringing broke through, and mildly startled Emily not enough to break her resolve of sleeping though. Alison apologized quickly and stepped out of the room.
The dream almost felt like she was underwater, the sides of her vision blurry. She could feel a warmth press against her back, slim but strong arms curled around her providing protection from what just happened. Hooked securely under her neck and knees as she was lifted from the ground and moved away. There was also a voice, low but feminine, almost a constant whisper which reassured her that everything will be okay. Emily still fading in and out of consciousness, she felt her vision clear for a moment, and she was able to see a perfectly clear picture of mussed curled blonde hair, bouncing around as her carrier walked briskly. She knew those curls, knew that face. She memorized every contour of that face when she was in seventh grade, but above all, she knew those burning bright blue eyes that had tears falling freely from them.
She felt herself being violently shaken out of her… dream? No, that had felt like a piece of the puzzle fitting itself in. Blinking awake again, Emily saw her mum holding both of her shoulders, the tray of food discarded on a nearby chair.
“Sorry honey, but Dr. Kingston says you need to stay awake.” She stated with worry, before walking over to get the lunch she had gotten from the hospital cafeteria.
A realization dawned on Emily, that not only had this been a traumatizing event for her – she cursed ‘A’ for making her so comfortable with these types of events – but it had also been traumatizing for her mother. Getting a call at 4 in the morning saying that her only child was in hospital, Emily shuddered at the thought of her mum frantically driving over, sleep still in her eyes.
Emily moved to hug her mum, her body protesting violently, with bolts of pain zipping throughout her, but she ignored them entirely. “I’m here mum, I’m okay now.”