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June 16
A stabbing painbrought Sky awake. She groaned as someone lifted her eyelid, flashing a bright light directly into her eye. Reflexively, she tried to lift her hand, but found it incredibly weak. The light stabbed into her other eye.
“She’s coming around,” a man with a thick accent said.
Sky felt so thirsty, her mouth dry, her lips feeling cracked.
A hand gripped her shoulder, giving it a solid shake.
“Wake up!”
The male voice rolled through her head like thunder, and she winced, the sound magnified so that it actually caused her to flinch. His fingers dug deep into her upper left arm.
“Don’t bruise her!”
Instantly, the man’s fingers left her arm.
“Stupid dolt! He told you not to mar her skin! He’ll have you punished for that!”
“Go fuck yourself, Vadim.”
Sky felt movement around her. She was lying on what felt like a bed. She was warm. It took every effort to raise her lids. She saw early morning sunlight cascading through an open window. Her mind was like a wobbling top but sounds and smells got her attention. Birds were singing. Harmonious melodies she didn’t recognize. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, she could smell the humidity, the heaviness of it along with a fragrance of a flower that was unknown to her.
“Remove the IV.”
Sky winced as someone with shaking hands removed the needle that had been inserted into the vein of her right arm. She closed her eyes, feeling so exhausted, her lids too heavy to keep open.
“Kesera, remain with her. Let me know when she’s fully conscious.”
“Si, si, Señor Vadim.”
Sky heard rustling of feet across a floor, men talking in Spanish or Russian, and then… silence. She felt a woman’s hand gently move across her brow.
“You are safe now, Señorita Sky. Just rest. Do not listen to those big, ugly dolts.”
Sky relaxed beneath the woman’s Spanish accent. She felt a cool cloth being applied to her brow, cheeks, and neck. Right now, she felt sweaty, the blanket too hot, and she wanted to pull it off her. As if realizing it, the woman removed it.
“It is the drug, Señorita. You will sweat a great deal now. The stupid dolts, they gave you too much. But do not worry. Kesera will take care of you from now on.”
Sky felt a pat of the woman’s hand on her shoulder.Drugs?Her mind refused to work. She felt the coolness surrounding her and it felt good. When Kesera placed a wet, cool cloth against her lips, Sky eagerly began to try and suck the moisture from it.
“Ahhh, you are getting stronger. That is good.”
Sky was so grateful as the woman repeatedly gave her a wet cloth dripping with water close to her parted, cracked lips. The liquid flowed into her mouth, making her groan with gratitude for the woman’s kindness. The water infused her with a bit more strength and Sky forced open her eyes. The older woman looking down at her, smiling, was in her forties. Her black hair was in two thick braids over what looked like a nurse’s white uniform. She even wore a white cap in her hair. Frowning, she whispered, “W-where…?”
“You are here, with me, Señorita. I will take care of you from now on.”
Frowning, Sky watched the room slowly congeal before her eyes. The plaster on the walls was a pale, soothing blue. She saw thick velvet blue drapes opened across an open window to her left, sunlight splotchy. The birds singing sounded like beautiful music, and it served to put her at ease. There were a lot of shadows around the windows. Sky thought she saw lots of green foliage and trunks of trees nearby.
“Would you drink some chicken soup if I brought you some?” Kesera asked, leaning over, smiling at her.
Sky barely nodded. She was starving to death. Her stomach growled. She heard Kesera titter. The nurse went to a dresser at the end of the bed where she lay and picked up a phone mounted to the wall. She spoke quickly in Spanish and then returned to her.
“You look so much better. You need many fluids to help chase the drug out of you.” She walked over to Sky. “Come, I will bring the bed up so you can sit up a little…”
The whirring sound beneath the bed began and in no time, Sky was sitting up at a comfortable angle. The bed folded gently beneath her knees, taking the strain off her back. She felt minimally better. Kesera puttered around like a bird landing here and there. She poured some pink juice into a small glass.
“Here, guava juice. Very high in potassium, Señorita. Drink?”
