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“Get her out,” I begged. I wasn’t sure why, but seeing her was upsetting, more so than normal.
“She’s leaving. Just breathe. We’re going to run some tests, okay?”
“Then Malachi?”
“Yes. Then Malachi.”
“Okay.” I’d do anything if it meant I could see him. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but he needed me and right now I needed him too.
She spent her time checking my heart rate. One nurse helped me put on the top half of my gown while another nurse gave me a cup of ice chips. I took them, and while they helped, she knew I needed more than ice and she tried to give me a cup of water with a straw. I took the cup, sat up, and drank from it. I wasn’t sure why they were so shocked. Dr. Neecey ran something sharp over my feet and I pulled my legs away.
“Can someone explain now?” I asked, my voice still hoarse. They looked at each other, and I stretched out my arms as I handed her the cup. I felt awkward and tried to joke. “I think I need to start working out or something. Swimming, even in a frozen lake, shouldn’t make me this sore.”
“Esther.”
“Yes?” I looked to the only doctor speaking.
“You’ve been in a coma—”
“A coma? How long? Where’s Malachi?”
I tried to get up again, and for the second time she stopped me. “Today would have been eighteen days. We don’t know what caused it. However, you still shouldn’t be so…active.”
“Malachi did stretch her out twice a day,” one of the nurses jumped in to point out but Dr. Neecey gave her a look.
“You’ve answered everything, but Malachi? Where is he?”
She sighed. “He’s fine. He’s stable.”
“Stable?” I started to panic again. “What made him unstable?”
“Esther, if you want to see Malachi, I need you to relax, at least until we know what’s going on with you—”
“Doctor, I’m fine. I’ll do whatever tests you want but not until you tell me what happened to him.”
“He…he…your mother came and wanted to take you back to New York for better care. Malachi tried to stop her but she came with a court order, and so he barricaded himself inside here with you. The police were called because we were all worried that he might do something…drastic. He wasn’t sleeping and was scared for you—”
“What did you all do to him?” My voice was shaking and my eyes burned from the tears I was trying to fight back.
“The police pulled him away from you and he went into cardiac arrest. But he’s going to be alright…Esther!”
I didn’t care what they said. I started pulling wires off me. She tried to stop me again for the third time, but I pushed her away. I kicked the sheets off of me and rose from the bed. I guess I really had been in a coma because my legs felt like jelly under me and before I could fall forward, I grabbed on to the rail of the bed to steady myself. “Come on!” I yelled at my legs.
“Esther! You need to—”
“I need to get to him!” I snapped at her as I forced myself to walk. The room was a mess, but it gave me things to grab onto as I walked towards the door. I gripped the doorframe and drew in a deep breath.
When I stepped out, I saw her, my mother, standing next to some middle-aged white man. Her arms were crossed and she was busy muttering something to him.
“Diana,” I called out to her.
She jumped and then looked over to me. It seemed like the whole hospital was watching us, which was why she must have put on such a large smile and opened her hands as she walked towards me.
“Esther…sweetheart.”
“I forgive you!” I yelled at her as I pushed off the door and stood in front of her. “Whatever you were planning, whatever you were thinking, thank God Malachi stopped you because the amount of bad karma you are collecting will come back to you one day. And on that day, I will hope you come back to your senses and get over your anger and bitterness.”
“I came because—”
