“His father knocked up his ex.”
“Oh good Lord, you’re going to burn in hell, James.”
BEEP… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
The voices I hear sound familiar, but I can’t see their faces.
A hand touches mine, keeping me warm. This touch is familiar and comfortable, but I want to know who it is.
Fingers run through my hair. I want to move my head into that warm hand. I try, but to no avail.
My throat hurts. I’ve swallowed something big and it’s stuck. How am I breathing?
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
Beep… beep… beep
What is that noise?
I need to see it.
I need to make it stop. It’s hurting my head.
My chest hurts. It’s a dull pain, but none-the-less it hurts and I have no idea why.
Why am I hurting?
Where the hell am I?
Why are the curtains…? The curtains aren’t closed.
Pain rips through my side, cutting off my air. I can’t breathe.
My eyes flash open.
I gag on the foreign object that’s down my throat.
“Calm down, Jimmy, let me help you.”
I look into a pair of brown eyes that I don’t recognise. Her hair is grey and pulled back away from her face.
“I know you’re scared, but I need you to listen to me. This is a tube to help you breathe. You’ve sustained some damage to your lungs and before we remove the tube we’ll need an x-ray. Now there’s a room full of people waiting to see you so I’m going to sit you up, but no talking. If you feel the need to cough, please do. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The moment she moves out of my line of vision, I’m searching for the green eyes that light up my world. My bed rises and I blink rapidly to clear my eyes. She’ll be here, right?
Her smile, that’s what I see first. I try to smile back, but this fucking tube is in my way. Her beautiful eyes are watery and red-rimmed. She’s been crying and I haven’t been around to comfort her. I raise my arms, well as far as my left one will go. I look down briefly, and see multiple tubes coming out of it. I’m a fucking wreck.