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“Jesus, what did I do?” I murmur, running my free hand through my tousled hair.
“From what we heard, you went a little overboard with the celebrations,” the woman says, her tone light but firm. “Then you were attacked and ended up here in the hospital.”
What?
Hospital?
I groan, though part of me still clings to the thrill of last night’s victory. Sure, I’ve landed myself in the hospital, but I’ve also landed a deal that’s gonna change my life forever. It’s hard not to smile at the thought, even if the pain in my chest threatens to split it open.
“Try to rest,” the nurse advises, her soft footsteps retreating toward the door. “You’ll need your strength to get better.”
I sink back into the pillows, my body aching and my mind racing with memories of last night’s celebration—the laughter, the cheers, the endless stream of booze. It’s all worth it, I tell myself as I drift back into sleep, the promise of a brighter future shimmering like a mirage on the horizon.
As I drift in and out of sleep, a haunting image flickers behind my closed eyelids—a pair of vivid green eyes that seem to bore straight into my soul. The memory is hazy, distorted by the fog of bright lights, alcohol, and pain, yet the intensity of the connection I felt with the mysterious woman remains.
What the hell happened to me?
~~~
“This is heartbreaking,” a familiar voice says, pulling me back to reality. Is that my sister, Morgan? What the hell is she doing here? I blink open my eyes, squinting against the harsh sunlight as it floods the room. Morgana, my older sister, stands a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest and an expression of concern etched on her face.
Darkness calls me again, but from the blur around me, her voice can still be heard.
“This is frustrating, Evan… He’s breathing on his own, yes, but we’re still waiting for more news,” she whispers. “The doctor should be here any time soon. Yes, the same you recommended.” Then she pauses. “The police have no leads. I called the mayor, but… and he had been moaning about a girl who saved him. I’m not sure if she was also part of this….”
Was she real, or is my mind conjuring her up?
Time and memories mix up together, making my mind even more confused, and then something pulls me to a place where everything vanishes, and my thoughts are forgotten. At least momentarily.
The sun streams in through a crack in the blinds, casting a sliver of light across the sterile white walls of the hospital room. My chest is still throbbing, but at least I can think straight now. Morgana paces back and forth by the window, her phone pressed to her ear. I strain to catch bits of her conversation, my curiosity piqued despite the dull ache in my skull.
As much as it pains me to hear my sister so upset, I can’t blame her. I’ve always been the one to bounce back from any situation, ready to face whatever comes next. But this time, it feels like my body isn’t quite ready to cooperate with that mentality.
“Calm down, Percival,” a familiar voice says, pulling me back to reality.
A groan leaves my throat, my head throbbing with each word. “What happened?”
A few seconds of silence follow, as if she were considering what to say.
“From what we can tell, you partied too hard last night, and then someone attacked you,” she finally replies, her voice stern but laced with worry. “You’re lucky a girl found you and called 911.”
“A girl?” I ask, my curiosity piqued. The green-eyed woman flickers through my thoughts again, making me wonder if she was the one who saved me.
“Lance has been trying to piece it all together,” Morgana says, nodding toward the other side of the room where he sits, hunched over his phone. He looks up, catching my eye, and gives a full-hearted smile before returning to his investigation.
“Hey,” I croak, lifting my hand in a feeble attempt at a return gesture. He simply shakes his head, clearly frustrated with my slow recovery and the mystery surrounding my current predicament.
“Do you have any idea about what happened?” I ask, hoping my siblings have discovered something about the enigmatic woman from my fragmented memories.
“Nothing concrete yet,” Morgana answers, biting her lip. “But don’t worry, the police are on it. A detective has been around making questions.”
“Thanks,” I murmur, touched by her concern and determination.
As the hours pass and my body fights to recuperate, I find my thoughts drifting back to that night and the woman with the mesmerizing green eyes. The intensity of our connection still lingers as her hold on my hand was. It’s a crazy notion—we’re talking Southern California, not some mystical land of destiny—but I can’t shake the feeling that she holds the key to something more.
“Promise me you’ll be more careful from now on, Percival,” Morgana says as she stands to let Lance take the place she was occupying. Her voice is soft, her eyes filled with love and concern. I nod, knowing that I owe it to her and to myself to make the most of this second chance I’ve been given.
“Promise,” I whisper, my heart swelling with gratitude and the feeling I’ve been given another chance in life. As my brother sits in front of me, I close my eyes, allowing the image of the green-eyed woman to fill my mind once more. She may be lost in the sea of faces that populate this sprawling city, but I’m determined to get out of here and find her and thank her for saving my life—and for showing me that sometimes, even in the chaos of this big city, fate has a funny way of making itself known.
