Episode Thirteen
1099 Words
Chapter Thirteen
*First Person's Perspective*
~Marie~
"It's all my fault Mom is in this condition. If only I didn't run into the woods that day."
I regained consciousness to the sound of Kelvin's sad and devastated voice. My poor baby was blaming himself for what had happened, even though it was only part of the natural stages of a werewolf's life.
"Look, she moved her hand... Mom!" That was Kira. After several attempts, I finally opened my eyes. Everyone was in the room with me, and I smiled. They were so caring, and seeing them here for me filled my heart with joy.
"Marie! Thank goodness you're awake," Carrie exclaimed, hugging me tightly.
"You were in a coma for four days straight," Mama Gracie informed me, and I gasped. Four days? No wonder everyone looked so relieved to see me awake.
It's not like they wouldn't be happy even if it hadn't been four days, but you know what I mean.
But what could be wrong with me? I'd been healthy for the past few years. What had happened now?
Or maybe it was a side effect of what Brandon had been injecting into my body.
"Wow! Four days?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, Mommy. We were all very worried you might not wake up again. I was so scared because the doctor said you didn't have much of a chance against the bacteria," Kira said, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry for making you all worry so much. I'm sorry," I said, my own tears starting to spill.
"I thought you were going to leave us," Kealden, who was usually unemotional, said, crying profusely.
"No, baby, Momma's not going anywhere. I'll be with you all forever, I promise." I stretched out my arms for a hug, and they all embraced me without hesitation.
"Such an emotional moment for these kids, huh?" A voice interrupted, and I looked up to see the doctor.
"You all want to give Mommy and me some alone time?" he asked, but the children weren't budging.
"Sweethearts, the doctor needs to-" I started, but Mama Gracie cut in, managing to usher them out, leaving just me, the doctor, and Carrie.
"What bacteria were they talking about?" I asked as soon as the door closed.
"Hm. Your injury was infected with a very dangerous bacteria called..." He began, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Franca, my colleague from work.
"Hello, Miss Marie," she greeted with a warm smile.
"Hello, Franca."
"How are you feeling? It's good to see you awake now," she said.
"I'm here on behalf of Mr. Lazarus Grey and the whole organization. Everyone is wishing you a speedy recovery. We'd be glad to see you back on your feet-healthy, fit, and of course, back to work," she added with a laugh.
"Thank you so much. Please extend my gratitude to everyone. You don't know how much this means to me," I responded, smiling.
She gave me a quick hug. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will. Thank you, Franca," I said as she left.
"You were saying, Doc?" I asked, turning my attention back to the doctor. I couldn't understand how my injury had gotten infected, much less how it had put me in a coma for four days.
"The bacteria is a very dangerous one," he explained. "If not treated properly, it can lead to amputation. In your case, your body was already stressed out. We also discovered toxic substances in your system-substances we're still trying to identify. Combined, these factors made your body too weak to fight, which explains why you fell into a coma."
I sat there, stunned. I knew the injections Brandon had been giving me were harmful. He was such a cruel, heartless being-not just a werewolf but a monster in every sense of the word.
"Probably those injections..." I muttered
"You were injected? By who? Did you meet anyone in the woods that I don't know about?" Carrie asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
"I can't really remember what happened that day. The memories are blurry," I said, trying to deflect.
"Yeah, it could be the effect of the medication I administered to you. Memory alterations. It's not permanent, though," the doctor added, backing me up.
I had a feeling he wasn't being entirely truthful, but why would he lie? Regardless, even if his medication had some memory-altering effects, it hadn't worked on me. I remembered everything.
"Oh, okay," Carrie said, though a hint of doubt lingered in her eyes.
"It's a good thing you were brought here immediately. You were hanging on by a thread, but we thank the Lord you're still here. Just to be extra sure, let me run some more tests."
"Alright," I said as he left.
"Sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself ready," he added, poking his head back through the door.
I chuckled at his awkwardness.
Five minutes later, the doctor returned. He unwrapped my injury, cleaned it, applied a gel, and rewrapped it with a clean bandage. It amazed me how such a small scratch had caused such a severe reaction.
"Alright, relax and take a nap. Whatever caused this injury was very angry-look how deep it is," Carrie remarked, examining my arm.
"You bet," I replied.
"Kelvin has been blaming himself for it. He kept calling himself a monster," she added with a sigh.
My heart ached. If I had died, Kelvin would have carried that guilt forever. My poor baby. If only I had a way to erase his memory of that night.
"He said he was the one who scratched you."
Oh no. This wasn't good. Knowing Carrie, she wouldn't stop until she got to the bottom of things.
"I'm still wondering how a kid's nails could be so long and sharp as to pierce an adult's skin this deeply. And here's the twist-his nails were trimmed short. You have something to tell me?" she asked, giving me a pointed look.
"Sigh. Look, I don't know what you're getting at, Carrie. Like I said, my memories of that night are blurry. I can't really picture what happened... and you heard what the doctor said," I said, sticking to my alibi.
"Okay, fine. If you say so," she said, her expression softening.
"What do you mean by 'if you say so'? I'm serious here," I said, feigning indignation.
"Yeah, I know you're serious. That's why I said okay."
I sighed, hoping she wouldn't dig any deeper. If she ever found out the truth, it would be catastrophic.
- Writer
