Ma moitié

3. Faire la Connaissance

***Avery***

In the gardens, I am greeted by the aroma of roses, lavenders and honeysuckles. Between the neat beds of radiant blooms, the fragrance is a time machine, granting me a fleeting visit to my mother's front yard. It was the envy of the neighborhood in that sleepy town, but how she and my father loved it. To walk there was to be bathed in heady perfume. I would run between the beds, small shiny shoes over the petaled ground. In my mind, it was confetti from the summer carnival.

When I was a little boy, my mother sat me down and would always tell me stories about the world. We would pick flowers from her garden and would arrange them into an arrangement of bouquets, handing them over to people passing by her garden. Dad would fondly watch us while he sipped his cup of tea and read his daily newspaper.

From the land of dreams to the land that needs them. From asleep to awake in one heartbeat. The transitory evocation ends with the loud sound of beeps, a long pounding on my head, landing me back in the present day.

My eyes took in every ray of light and without a doubt I knew I had been sleeping. The noises are of a day in full swing, traffic heavy, the hallway crowded again.

I rose from the bed I was lying on, scanning the room. Over by the window stood a tall figure. He wore the same lab coat, brown-curled hair, fair-skinned and was in his late 20s. The band of emotions resonated through my head; a number of questions filled in. Was he the guy who gave me the water bottle earlier?

"Oh, you're awake."

He faced towards me, grabbing the chair next to him, dragging it over to the other side of my bed.

He did give me the water bottle. Head spinning, I can't remember how I got admitted to a room.

"I'm Dr. Monteil, I carried you over here earlier."

"What happened?" I groaned, placing my fingers over my aching forehead.

"You collapsed, due to an empty stomach and, I presume, stress."

My face sulked, "I know that I did have an empty stomach, I never thought I'd faint though, but it's my mother we're talking about-"

"You don't have to explain yourself; I understand."

"I'm sorry," was the only thing that I could say.

"Don't be, I'm here to assist patients." He smiled.

"How's my mother?" I asked, hoping that he'd know if my mother was doing well.

"As far as I know, the operation was a success, and concluded at the time you got admitted here."

A huge sigh of relief left my body. As soon as I heard the news, my face turned red, and before I knew it, I was crying again.

"You don't know how grateful I am." I muttered as tears flowed down my face.

His smile flickered, lowering his lips as he mentioned, "She's inside a deep coma though, we don't know when she'll recover from that."

I stared blankly, "That means..."

"She's alive, only unresponsive to her environment. I'm sorry for what happened." He lightly tapped my shoulder as he gave me a reassuring look, he continued, "You could actually communicate with her while she's asleep, think of it as if you're giving her strength through your voice." He smiled once more and lightly leaned on his chair as he took out a clipboard from the drawer near my bed.

I figured that it was for the best, rather than letting her feel the pain of every episode she was having. Having her survive the operation is already enough for me, and knowing that she's in good condition, I knew there was still hope for her.

I looked at Dr. Monteil, who was focused on the papers on his clipboard. "I'm Avery, Avery Auclair." I uttered in a soft manner.

He looked at me and gave me a smile. "It's nice meeting you Avery," he replied, and went over his records again.

"Is there anything else that I need to do, Doc, or anything that I need to know?" I asked.

He paused from what he was doing, stared at me in a joking manner, "Right, you need to know that I added the water bottle and my unpaid hours to assist you on top of your hospital bill."

My face turned red; I didn't let him spend overtime, did I?

"Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't know-" A momentary pause as he cut in and didn't let me continue.

"I'm joking," he chuckled. "I'll let the nurses know when you'll get your next meal and medicine. Don't worry too much, this is all taken care of."

I squinted my eyes; how can a doctor be so calm and bubbly. "Thank you though, I did want to thank you properly, but I guess this would do," I uttered softly.

"Don't mention it." He stood up from his chair, indicating that he'd be leaving. "Avery, I can't promise you anything, but I'll make sure to assist you in any way possible, when it comes to your mother, when it comes to you even. I need you to stay strong for her, as she's been fighting for you as well," he said in a stern manner. I could feel the tension within the room suddenly as his energy changed. Was it something that I should be bothered about though?

Dr. Monteil headed out; before he exited the room, waves of nausea wrapped around my pounding head. Sinking back to bed; the only memory of Dr. Monteil was him telling me that I should rest.

"I need to go. I'll be checking on you first thing on my next shift. You should rest, you need it."

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