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One
I faded in and out of consciousness, my thoughts befuddled and muggy.
I drew in a breath and smelled the pungent scent of chemicals, like a mixture of antiseptic and iron. I tried to move my fingers, but they only jerked. My skin pulsated from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. I felt like I was retaining gallons of water, my body was so swollen and stiff.
I tried to open my eyes, but they were heavy, laden with exhaustion. I took another breath, though it was tighter this time. My brows twitched. I wasn't sure where I was, but I knew I wasn't in my condo.
Alarm was a low vibration under my skin trying to rouse me, but, God, I was so tired. Warmth surrounded me like a cozy blanket, cocooning me in its embrace. Darkness called me back with open arms, and I moved freely toward it. Toward that sublime state where I felt no pain in my body and my heart didn't feel like it was breaking a thousand times over. I felt nothing as I was suspended over the clouds. I wasn't sad anymore.
I only felt one thing—freedom.
"Adrianna, can you hear me?"
A voice I didn't recognize called to me, followed by a beeping sound. My first real thought was that my kidneys had failed, but it was gone just as quick as it came. I was too lethargic to move, to care, to open my eyes.
"Adrianna."
I didn't respond. For a brief moment I wondered if I even could. I nestled deeper under the blanket of serenity, yielding to its pull. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep.
"Adrianna, do you know where you are?"
The question sounded like it came from an isolated location far, far away. I reached for it, but exhaled a heavy, drained breath instead.
"Adrianna."
I stirred. The voice was closer this time. My eyelids fluttered as I struggled to open them, curious of the commotion I sensed around me. What was going on? My breathing seemed to grow denser, and that annoying beeping sound was back. It intensified as I fought to wake.
"She may not be ready to wake up just yet," another voice I didn’t recognize said. "She suffered internal injuries and a concussion. She needs time to rest."
Someone was holding my hand. I tried to move my fingers to let them know I was okay, but nothing, no response. I waited and tried again. Willed them to move, twitch, anything. I wanted to convey that I was here. I was okay. But again, nothing.
I released a breath through dry lips. My eyelids felt so warm, like when I had a fever—a telltale sign I was sick. I swallowed thickly, my throat burned. Too tired to fight the pull of sleep, I was ready to drift off when a light shined in my eye. The brightness gave me an instant headache and I moaned in pain under my breath.
"Adrianna, follow my voice."
I wasn't sure I wanted to. I was completely immobilized but content. The exhaustion was too much and the warmth was winning. All I wanted was to go back to sleep and stay in this layer of protection and security without a worry in the world.
I released a tired breath and let myself be pulled under again.
Someone was crying. The whimpering was soft and quiet, as if they suffered in anguish and didn't want to be heard.
Something wasn't right.
I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to figure out where I was. I took in the sounds around me, the sterile smell, the hushed voices. But my mind was still too jumbled to sort it out.
My first thought was to not move—something that had been ingrained into my head since the first time I stepped inside a gymnastics facility. If I'd gotten injured, I could make it worse by moving, especially since I couldn't feel anything.
Slowly and carefully, I started with my feet when I heard that incessant beeping again. A groan vibrated in my throat. I managed to curl my toes, not too much because they were stiff. They moved, though, and then I tried to wiggle my fingers again. Finally, they moved too.
A soft sniffle caught my attention, pausing my movements. My forehead creased as I took in the sterile scent again, then it hit me. I was at the doctor’s office.
When did I go to the doctor? I didn't have an appointment scheduled.
Inhaling a deep breath, it lodged in my chest from pulling too hard. I noticed my breathing was different, like I'd been hit by a truck. I was breathing heavier and I expelled every ounce of air like it was my job. My nostrils flared. There was a cool draft of air around my nose. My arm was dead weight as I reached up and blindly felt around my face. A plastic tube was attached to my skin leading to my nose. I was on oxygen. I froze.
A tremor rocked through me. My dry eyes opened, and I squinted, trying to take in my surroundings. I briefly glanced down my body then lifted my gaze to look around the room. Everything was blurry, but I got the gist of it.
There were tubes attached to me that were connected to machines I didn't know how to read. I heard the whimpering again and turned to see a woman sitting with her head tilted toward the floor. She was alone and crying. My heart dropped, and that stupid beeping sound accelerated. Then it all came roaring back.
