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The pain is the first thing I register as I start to wake up. My head swims with a mix of meds and grogginess, my body stiff and not easy to move. Something heavy rests on my arm and I blink open my eyes to see it wrapped in a thick cast.
Then it all comes back to me. The crash, the warnings, the guys' screams echoing in the car.
Shit. Are they okay?
“Eli? Jayce?” I rasp out before clearing my throat and yelling out. The curtains shove aside and a nurse comes in, holding up her hands in a plea for me to calm down.
“Calm down, sweetie, we’ll get you up to speed,” she promises as she starts checking my vitals. “Can you remember anything?”
“That truck ran the stop light and hit us,” I start, wincing as it replays in my head. “Then we hit a tree. Are they alive? Tell me they’re okay!”
“They’re working on recovering,” she hedges around the answer, keeping it vague but not giving much away.
“How bad is it?” I demand. She pretends not to hear as she jots notes and starts toward the door.
“The doctor will be in to see you soon,” she promises before disappearing completely. My stomach churns with worry. If she’s not willing to give me details, does that mean they aren’t alright? God, what if they’re in a coma…or worse?
Jayce
My eyes slowly flutter open, but the flickering lights make me want to keep them closed. Why is it so bright in here?
I try to speak but I’m stopped as I choke on the tube that fills my throat. As my hands start to pull it from my mouth, a nurse rushes in and stops me.
“Now, we can’t have you doing that. I know it’s uncomfortable but once the doctor comes in to assess you, he will decide if we can take it out. You just lie back and try to relax. You and your friends had a big night. It’s a wonder you all survived.” Her mouth snaps shut as if she’s said too much.
I breathe a sigh of relief at her words. Or at least the best I can with this fucking tube.
From the other side of the partition a voice says, “Knock, knock?” A male in a white coat pokes his head in. A smile tips his lips as he heads towards my bed. “Ah good. You’re awake. With all the painkillers we’ve given you, I thought you may be out for a while longer.”
A wave of sadness and sorrow pours over me the closer he steps towards me. It’s a foreign emotion, almost like I’m experiencing something that’s not my own. But I ignore it for now, instead I point to the tube and mimic pulling it out. The weird emotions are likely a side effect of the painkillers. For now, I just want to breathe and talk without obstruction.
“Yes, let me give you a once over. You were having a hard time breathing when you were brought in, the tube was the best way for us to make sure we kept you doing just that without it being too labored.”
Since I can’t speak, I bob my head showing I understand and relax against the pillows. Cooperation will get me answers faster. He moves back the blanket I’m wrapped in. Seriously? They have me in one of those god-awful hospital gowns. Most people in the hospital are already depressed to be here, so they make them feel worse and dress them in an ugly gown and rip away any modesty they might have had.
The doctor doesn’t seem to notice my disgust for the gown as he tickles the bottoms of my feet. They jerk and he says good. He moves on and checks the bandages that line my torso, arms, and shoulder. Then he moves on to my lungs.
The doctor takes the nurse to the side of the room. They talk quietly and she nods agreeing with him, glancing in my direction a few times before they come back over to me.
“Great news, Mister Walker. You are healing well and with any luck can go home in just a few days. Nurse Lucy here will be back in a few minutes with some help and we will get that tube removed. If your breathing becomes labored again, we will have to put it back in,” he warns, then he gives me a smile before leaving my room.
Nurse Lucy follows wordlessly behind him, leaving me alone for the first time since I woke up.
Most of the feeling of sorrow lifted when the doctor left, but there’s some of it that lingers in my soul like it’s found a new home there. It’s strange because I was never that in tune with my emotions before. Why now?
Gingerly, I tug some of the covers back up. There is a cold chill here that feels like it’s cutting right through me.
Fuck, I feel as if I was ran over by a truck. Shit, I was. The last moments flash before my eyes, playing the crash over in slow motion, making me relive it again. The scrape of metal and flying glass had me wishing that I had buckled in but it was too late for that as I was floating through where the windshield should have been, barely missing the tree our car came to rest on. My body tumbled in the dewy grass before coming to a stop a few feet from the car. My vision started to go black as I heard a shrill voice yell, call nine-one-one.
“Mister Walker. Are you okay?”
Nurse Lucy is back and she brought a friend. Her eyes are concerned as she stares down at me and I know they won’t proceed if they think I’ll freak out. The last thing I want is more sedation.
I use sign language for yes since I can’t nod my head or say the word out loud. I’m hoping that she understands what I’m saying and doesn’t think I’m telling her to knock.
A look of relief crosses her face before she introduces the other nurse.
“This will be uncomfortable and your throat will burn a little but we brought ice chips to help with that. Are you ready?”
