Hidden Truths

Chapter 5: I Lost Everything

Rachel’s POV

Beep…

Beep…

Beep…

My fingers twitched.

Every part of my body felt unbelievably heavy.

I forced my eyes to open.

The bright light above me shone directly into my eyes, forcing me to squint immediately.

I looked at the ceiling with a blurry vision.

It was white. Too white.

It wasn’t my shop…

I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision.

The beeping noise beside me continued.

Slowly, my vision started to become clearer and I could start to see the figures around me better.

Someone was sitting beside my bed and another person stood beside the window.

“...Mom?”

The woman beside me quickly lifted her head.

She stared at me in disbelief for a minute then, tears filled her eyes.

“Rachel…”

She took my hands with care and placed them into hers.

“Oh thank goodness.”

Her voice trembled.

“You scared me.”

I stared at her, still trying to understand what was going on around me.

Before I could say a thing, a familiar face appeared beside her.

“You’re awake!”

Anya’s voice shook with relief.

She looked like she hadn’t gotten any rest for days.

Her dark brown hair was packed into a messy bun, and her swollen eyes made it obvious that she had been crying.

Without warning, she leaned over and hugged me carefully.

“You idiot.”

She laughed through her tears.

“You scared us half to death.”

A weak smile formed on my lips.

“Wha…”

My throat felt as dry as a desert.

“What happened?” I managed to let the words out.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Mom and Anya gave a quick glace at themselves, they thought I didn’t notice.

My heart began to race as my memory came back.

The storm…

The collapsing shelves…

The shattering glass…

The falling cabinets…

And,

My entire shop…

My eyes widened.

“My shop.”

Nobody answered me.

I looked from Mom to Anya…

“What happened to Scents & Blossom?”

My voice was louder this time.

Mom squeezed my hand tighter.

Tears rooled down my cheeks.

Anya lowered her head, making sure her eyes didn’t meet mine.

Their silence told me everything I need to know.

It felt like someone reached into my chest and ripped out my heart.

I lost everything.

“No…” I whispered.

“This can’t be.”

I pulled my hand away from Mom’s and tried to sit up properly.

A sharp pain shot through my side.

“Rachel!” Mom cried and quickly helped me lie back down.

“You need to rest.”

“I don’t want to rest.” My voice was shaky. “ I want to see my shop.”

Anya stepped closer to the bed and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“The doctors said you should rest.”

“I don’t care what the doctors said.”

I could feel the tears burning through my eyes.

“I need to see my shop.”

Mom smoothed my blonde hair back with a quiet touch.

“Honey…”

“There was nothing anyone could do.”

The words broke me.

I sank my face into my palms and sobbed.

Years…

Years of saving every penny I had.

Years of waking up before sunrise.

And years of believing everyone who told me buying that old flower shop wasn’t a mistake.

Gone.

Just like that.

“I’m so sorry honey…” Mom whispered as she wrapped her arms around me.

I wept on her shoulder until there were no tears left.

The room stayed quiet.

After what felt like forever, I finally wiped my face with my hands and summoned the courage to speak again.

“How long have I been here?” I asked with a heavy voice.

“You’ve been unconscious for two days now.” Anya answered softly.

I let out a shaky breath.

“...Did any one get hurt?”

Mom shook her head.

“No.”

“Most people stayed indoors because of the storm.”

A tiny bit of relief settled in my chest.

At least it didn’t take anyone’s life.

“I’m sorry, mom…”

“If I hadn’t been so stubborn…”

She stopped me before I could even finish my sentence.

“No no honey, don’t be sorry.”

She hugged me as gentle as she could.

“You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”

A knock interrupted our moment.

The door opened slightly and the doctor stepped in holding a clipboard.

“Good.” He said with a warm smile.

“I see our patient is awake.”

He walked over to my bed and checked the monitor beside me.

"You gave everyone quite a scare."

"I've looked over your scans." He smiled in a reassuring manner..

"You've got a few bruises, a mild concussion, and a sprained ankle."

I looked down beneath the blanket and saw that my ankle was wrapped in a thick bandage.

"Will I be able to walk again?" I asked, already scared.

He chuckled.

"Of course."

"You'll just need to take it easy for a few weeks."

A few weeks.

My chest tightened again.

A few weeks away from the shop...

Then I remembered.

There was no shop to return to.

The thought made my stomach ache a little.

The doctor finished writing on his clipboard.

"If everything looks good tomorrow morning, we'll discharge you."

He gave me one last smile before leaving the room.

The room was silent again.

This time,

None of us knew what tomorrow was meant to look like.