Chapter Ten
Savannah felt like she was in a time warp. Blackness surrounded her, noises were muffled, and smells were non-existent.
Her body jerked as it felt another wave of energy flow through the muscles.
Somewhere off in the distance, she heard a familiar voice. It rang true, filled with love and concern. She wanted to reach out and grab the sound, capture it in a vessel and hold it for all eternity.
“Stay with me, baby. Don’t go yet, Savannah.”
The sound was liquid gold to her ears and she melted in its mold. It surrounded her, kept her safe, kept her protected.
“I love you,” were the last words she heard before everything started drifting away. She screamed. She shouted. She tried to hold the words close with all of her might, but they faded away with everything else that surrounded her.
Suddenly she was left in the quiet. Left in a peace that she didn’t deserve. Left in a white noise that made her feel inferior.
This wasn’t where she was supposed to be. This wasn’t her home. This wasn’t the bed she slept in. This wasn’t the secure arms that Beau kept wrapped around her body at night.
God, she was leaving him. Why? Why did this happen to her? They had no time. So little time together. He was it for her, and her for him. It was all so clear for someone looking on the outside. Why now? Couldn’t they have had more time together?
Something wet and warm landed on what she remembered as her hand, then her chest, and then again on her cheek. The press of something familiar and safe settled against her mouth. What she could remember of her anatomy as she slipped away.
The drugs had been too much, too overpowering. Her body had succumbed to its demise, unable to pull free. But she no longer suffered. The seizures no longer racked her body or left her immobile. The pain subsided long ago and Savannah was left in a state of unknown.
Without preamble, two cold plates pressed against her chest just as she settled into eternal sleep.
Why couldn’t she be left to rest?
The first shock surprised her. The second shock left Savannah yearning for a way to peel her skin off her body. She was shouting, screaming, and crying for someone to set her free, but there was no noise in her ears. Savannah was locked in a state of anguish.
There was light just beyond her reach. Savannah tried to grab hold, but it continued to slip through her fingers. The light grew dimmer and dimmer until it was simply a speck in her vision; the dimmest of white lights that she began to imagine were something of her own imagination.
The dot faded away until she was left in darkness. A complete blackness that she had never experienced before. It was cold, dank, and unfamiliar but comforting at the same time.
There was an echo off in the distance just before she allowed herself to succumb to the shadows. Something like a name. Something she recognized. It drew her close. There was a feeling attached to the name. Comfort. Recognition. Love.
The love is what tugged her farther from the light’s shadows. It’s what drew her closer to the deafening sounds and blinding colors. It was what made her feel that sense of belonging. That sense of home. That sense of worth.
It was all.
“A princess got married today,” a deep voice read from a distance away. She recognized the sound but couldn’t place it. “ The kingdom of Lythembria has a new royal wedding to celebrate,” A chuckle sounded behind the voice. “It’s been a year and Landon still looks ridiculous in his tux.”
She recognized the same voice from before. “Did you know the Hennessey Venom can reach two hundred and seventy miles per hour? It’s the fastest production car in the world right now.”
Savannah attempted to smile, hoping that she could show the pleasure at hearing the voice speak, but instead, she fell into the pit of darkness again.
“How much longer could it be?” a set of stern voices demanded. Savannah tried to turn away from them toward the warmth that encompassed one of her limbs.
“Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, I think it would be best if you wait outside. Her monitors drop significantly when you’re in the room. We can discuss her prognoses in the private waiting room.”
“Fine,” the austere voice said as it traveled farther away. Savannah could feel her heartbeat settle as they moved farther away.
“It’s okay, baby. They’re gone,” the familiar voice said from the other side of her body. It was a sound she recognized and instantaneously felt comfortable with. Unlike the other voices that had been in the room. Her body craved the attention of the voice; she tried to turn toward it, but her body was immobile
Warmth settled around her hand and fingers and Savannah channeled all of her strength to reciprocate. The feeble attempt of her muscles to contract worked and she felt her own joints moving.
“Oh my God, she moved! Doctor, she moved!” the deep voice shouted. The sound was deafening, but her body still turned toward the noise. It was a comfort to her.
“Dr. Monroe? Dr. Monroe, can you hear me? If yes, please squeeze my hand or attempt to blink.”
The voice beckoned Savannah from the best kind of dream. She was walking along the beach in a white flowy dress; flowers were sewn along the fabric and the petals flapped in the breeze.
The man was significantly taller than her, with dark hair that begged for her fingers to run through it and shoulders that looked like they could carry a trunk.
Savannah turned away, but the person asking questions seemed to take that as an answer.
“Dr. Monroe? I’m so glad to see that you’re responding. I’m going to check in with your doctor and return in a moment.”
She heard the click of the door closing, then the warmth of something engulfing the end of one of her limbs.
“Savannah?”
Oh, that voice. That sound kept her grounded when there was nothing to cling to. It was her talisman.