Danny

Chapter 3

Slowly the nothingness starts disappearing. Sensations and sound start returning. I hear voices. I hear those darn machines. I feel like I need to pee. I have a horrible headache on top of the many points of pain going through my body. I can still feel that hard smoothness under my back. It contributes to the pain by making my back muscles stiff.

I slowly open my one good eye. The world around comes into focus and then blurrs. Something bugs my vision terribly. I try focusing on a spot of dirt on the ceiling. It becomes clear and the blurry. Every blink it changes. At first it appears like a small blob. No particular shape. Just round edges that is spread over the ceiling. The more I stare it begins to make a shape of a three eared bunny.

I blink and now I see the head of an elephant. The three long projections being the trunk and tusks. The ears seem to be tucked away or rather small.

It looks rather funny and makes me want to laugh. The giggles start and I can't stop.

I take a deep breath and starting howling out my laughter. The pain that comes is immense but the dirt on the ceiling looks to funny to me to stop. The laughing irritates the tube in my side. My body responds with a barking cough. The laughter stops and is taken over by the spasms in my chest. The coughing is now uncontrollable. The pain continues to worsen and I can't stop. The spasms now hit my stomach and a new sensation starts erupting.

My stomach is twisted in pain and discomfort. It wants to release the pressure. Between breaths of the spasm of coughing my stomach pushes up. It feels like all the organs between my stomach and throat is shoved one side as more vomit comes up. I retch horrible bringing up bile. The stomach acid burns the back of my throat.

The urge to pee has suddenly caught my attention as it would for anyone laughing and coughing with a full bladder. I instinctly try closing myegs as I sense I may wet myself. I am now clenching down there as tight as I can but something is not right. There is a strange burning I cannot describe.

The pain throughout now grabs all of my attention as that is all I can feel. Tears are forming at the corners of my eyes as a result of the laughter and now the crying that is now bubbling to the surface of my consciousness. I want the pain to stop but I don't know how. The only thing that comes to mind is moaning. My sobs slowly quieten down to monotone moans. Urgh and owe escapes my lips a few times before someone comes to my side. “Le, me out," I manage to say in a small voice.

A familiar voice replies sweetly, “We can't have you hurting yourself dear. We need you to calm down now."

I move myself to see her. The small caramel nurse who had come to see me before. She has her hands gloved and she has them on my unbroken leg. There are other hands on me. Some are gentle some feel like they are getting ready to snap more bones.

There are other voices in the distance. Their hushed voices make me feel uncomfortable. I sense they are talking about me. Paranoia grips me in a horrible vice. Something is wrong. I feel a tickle down my spine and panic takes over.

I start wriggling under the pressure of all those hands. I need to get free. With some great concentration I manage to pull my good leg up and out of the young woman's hands.

“Doctor, her GCS is dropping. She is too restless for the CT scan. We need to sedate. " someone is shouting. I am hearing it all and not fully understanding what she is saying. All I know is I need to get free.

I try sitting up but hands are on my chest. I take a deep breath getting ready to scream, but a croaking cough erupts from my chest. I feel like I am coughing up parts of my lung as the taste of blood touches my tongue.

My heart starts racing more than ever now. Hands are all over me even pulling on the leg I had freed earlier. This nightmare is never ending. Sadly I get the feeling this not the first and last time I am going feel like this. The pain is unbareable but the need to get out is more important. I grit my teeth roughly while yanking my arms and leg. The I pull the more the rough hands pull back. They are not working hard though because there are things tied to my arms.

Focus suddenly goes to my right hand. There she is again. The one who has that sweet voice. Her gloved hands are there on my right hand. I struggle against all hands and devices to glance at what she is doing. There is something there and I want to see. I feel it as she pushes it in. A small strange kind of sting. Something cold that goes beyond the surface of the skin.

The effects are almost instant. The blob on the ceiling starts looking like the three eared bunny. It is staring at me waiting for me to say something. A wave of absolute exhaustion washes over my entire body. All the aches and pain seem to simmer down. Calm takes over. Panic vanishes in a heartbeat. I feel the effects help bring my paranoia and panic to a stand still.

I resist the urge to allow sleep to take over for one last moment. In that moment I hear one of the hushed voices clearly talk for the first time. His voice is a deep pitiful tone that reminds me of the color purple. Not violet. Violet is vibrant compared to the dull mournful color of purple.

“Let's see what the CT scan can tell us. I hope the neurosurgeons can help her. She looks li ke she could have been pretty, " are the last words I hear before allowing the drug to take over.