The Warmth of Your Touch

I heard the sirens ringing in my ears. My vision was blurry, and I sensed people around me talking, but I didn't understand what they were saying. The brightness of the lamps burned in my eyes and I could barely keep them open. My head was spinning, and I began to lose consciousness. I was consumed by darkness, and everything disappeared...  “Good morning, Miss”, I heard a deep and soothing voice said. I opened my eyes and I saw a masculine figure in white clothes in front of me. “H... Hi, wh-where am I?”, I said and tried to sit up in what looked like a hospital bed. “You’re in the hospital sweetheart. I’m your doctor, Dr. Murphy. You’ve minor bruises on your body but you hit your head pretty badly... Can you say your name?”, he said while he looked me in my eyes with a little flashlight. “My name?”, I thought to myself. I tried really hard to remember “I think my name is Leela..”, I said to him with a little confusion in my tone. “Luckily you had an ID on you when the paramedics brought you here”, he said and took a journal from the bedside. “Leela Moore”, he said with a smile on his face and handed the journal to me, “Take a look for yourself, sweetheart”. I took the journal and started to look at it. Glimpse of flashbacks started to fill my memories up again. “What a relief... I thought my memories were gone forever”, I thought, and I let out a relieved sigh. “Don’t worry, your memories will slowly come back again. Just give it some time”, he said with a smile and took back the journal. “Do you remember anything from your accident?”, he said and took his stethoscope from his neck. “No... Not really. What did the paramedics see when they found me?”, I asked. “Well, sweetheart… This might come as a shock to you… Your house burned down and the paramedics found you on the pavement just outside your house. You were lucky that you had the strength to craw away from the fire.”, he said and took the stethoscope to my back. I felt a cold shiver down my spine. Not from the cold stethoscope, but from the information he just gave me. “MY FAMILY?! Are they alright?”, I jumped up from the bed like I didn’t felt the pain from my bruises. “Relax dear, you were home alone. Your family have been informed that you’re here. They’re on their way now”, he said and tried to sit me down on the bedside. “Now, I have to listen to your lungs”, and put the stethoscope to my back. I tried to calm my breathing so he could listen. “As long as my family is safe, I can relax… Oh God, I hope they will arrive soon”, I thought while the doctor took the rest of the tests he needed. “You should take some time to rest before you have visitors. It will help you regain your strength and you will recover faster”, he said and packed all his stuff to leave. “Thank you, Dr. Murphy”, I said to him and tried to get comfortable on the bed, so I could get some sleep. “Please, just call me John. Or doc if you want”, he said with a smile, and closed the door behind him as he walked out of the room. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep. ** It was hard to breath, it felt like needles pinched my lungs every time I inhaled for air. Everything is orange, yellow and red. The fire consumed me, and I screamed for help. I’m trapped… I tried to crawl over to my cellphone, I dropped just a few feet away from me, when a burned roof timber crashed behind me. It sparkled with embers everywhere, and it only got hotter for every second. I finally reached my phone, but my body couldn’t move anymore… I needed air… I coughed and lost the last strength in my arms. “Please... help…”, I tried to say but my voice was too low to be heard. My eyes slowly began to close, but I saw a black silhouette walking towards me. He walked through the fire without hesitation, almost like the fire didn’t burn him. He lifted me up and whispered something in my ear, but I couldn’t see his face or hear what he said. I tried to inhale again, and everything went pitch black. ** I woke up with a shock and took a deep breath, like I was holding my breath while I was sleeping. I tried to control my breathing. “Relax... Breath... Breath... You’re safe… It was just a nightmare”, I thought to myself, although it felt so real.