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Noah
“She’sawake!”Afemalevoice I can barely make out exclaims. “I’ll go get the nurse.”
Unsure of where I am, I try to sit up and open my eyes, but my body feels impossibly heavy and I give up the fight.
“Relax.” A muffled voice soothes me and someone touches my shoulder before a third voice I don’t recognize clears the room.
A bell is ringing between my ears, and the over-inflated balloon that’s taken the place of my head throbs. I work at opening my eyes again, but can only pry them wide enough for a sliver of light-colored blurriness to slip inside. The miniscule amount of light rings my brain bell even harder. I groan.
“Let me turn this overhead light off, honey.” Aclicksounds from across the room and feet shuffle back to me. “That should be better.”
A cold hand, lighter and smaller than the one before, shakes my shoulder. “Honey, I’m going to raise the head of your bed up a little. Tell me if you need me to stop.” My upper body involuntarily becomes more upright as the bedwhirrs.
“Can you hear me, hon?” I can’t tell if it actually moves, but try nodding my head.
“Let’s try opening up those pretty eyes your boyfriend’s been telling me about.” The wordboyfriendswims laps in my mind. Do I have a boyfriend? I use more energy than I’ve mustered in my entire life to peel open my eyelids, but they spring back shut. Each time I work to see, it’s just barely easier than my previous attempt, but I can’t keep my eyes open long enough to make out anything in the room except the woman in front of me.
“You’re doing good, hon. Rest for a few minutes and we’ll work on it again later.” The lady pats my shoulder again. “Is it okay if I let your friends back in?”
I open my eyes again for a second, and try speaking, but the inside of my mouth is so dry I can’t scrape my tongue off the roof of it. The nurse holds a glass of water with a straw to my mouth.
“Take a good sip of this cold water.” I follow her instructions, and the water fills the dry cavity of my mouth, resurrecting my tongue. I rub my lips together to work the moisture around.
“Yo-You can let them in.” My voice breaks on every word.
The male voice returns, and he’s now closer than before. Relying only on my ears, I take a few minutes to decide the man in the room is Logan—that’s who the nurse thinks is my boyfriend. My mind’s fuzzy, but a memory of him ending things with me months ago surfaces; she’s mistaken. I don’t have a boyfriend.
A hand works its way along my scalp, rubbing my head. It’s a heavenly gesture until the motion reaches the back of my head, flicking the bell hard and sending searing pain through my head.
“It hurts. Please stop,” I beg, my eyes still shut.
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
It’s disconcerting not knowing where I am or what’s happening around me. I relax into the hard bed underneath me, the exertion to figure it out is too much.
I awake to silence, the bell in my head calmer. I’m able to crack one eye open long enough to look around the room. Confirming my suspicions, Logan’s asleep on a makeshift bed he’s crafted from two hospital chairs. He was a dream before, but as both eyes open, I can see it’s really him. He’s pulled the chairs as close to my bed as he can without climbing in with me. I’d wonder why he’s here, but I don’t even know why I’m here.
Running my hand alongside the plastic railing meant to stop me from falling out of the bed, I smack the “call” button to alert a nurse I’d like them to come see me. I lay my head back against the small pillow.
“Yes, ma’am?” Sleep had come around again, and the stranger’s voice startles me. I open my eyes and give my vision a moment to clear so I can make out the face I don’t know standing over me. It’s not the lady from before. “Did you need something, sugar?”
“Yeah,” I mumble, yawning. I motion for a sip of water. “Can you tell me where I am?” I try raising my upper body hoping to get a better look around, but shooting pain halts my attempt. Thinking a truck has run me over, I slouch back into the bed.
“You’re at Alexandria General Hospital, sugar. You’re here because—“
Logan stirs and stretches, interrupting the nurse when she recognizes I’m no longer listening. How can I concentrate on anything else when Logan’s now standing next to my hospital bed? I roll my head to take him in, focusing on his face.
I’ve never been in shock medically, but I wonder if this is what it feels like. I couldn’t move much before, but I’m frozen in place and can’t say a word—my mouth won’t work. Suddenly, I’m freezing, but also sweating. I’ve imagined this moment every day for the last eight weeks. I just didn’t plan on it happening in a hospital room.
My eyes, barely working as it is, are playing a cruel trick on me and I’ll never forgive them. Logan takes my hand andI feel his warmth. He’s truly here. “How?” I ask when no other words will join on the tip of my tongue. Observing our uncomfortable interaction, the nurse instructs me to press the call button if I need anything else.
“Hey.” Logan’s voice is quiet and husky as he takes a seat at the end of my hospital bed.
I take him in and watch him do the same with me. I’m cataloging every detail a human can remember, because if this ends up being the last time I ever see Logan, I don’t want to forget anything about him.
He vigorously scratches his head before owning up to being unsure of what to say. The look on his face reminds me of relief, but that makes no sense at all.
“Can you start by telling me why I’m here? Whyyou’rehere?”
