chapter 3
716 Words
Melissa heard beeping. She opened her eyes and saw she was in a hospital room. It was not her mother's. She knew this when she saw the IV and heart monitor connected to her.
"Ah, you're awake." A voice to her left said.
Melissa turned her head to see who was talking to her. Dr. Jacob was studying her chart.
"What happened?"
"You fainted. You were extremely dehydrated, stressed and overtired." He explained. He put down her chart to look at her.
"How long do I have to be here? I need to see my mother and talk to my father." Melissa said. She yawned and rubbed sleep out of her eyes.
"A few days. We would like to keep you for at least three days to make sure you get re hydrated and are emotionally alright enough to leave." Dr. Jacob stated.
"I can't stay here that long! I'm on a deadline!" Melissa said, annoyed. She looked out the window of her hospital room and noticed that it was snowing.
"Do you know what day it is?" She asked, after calming down a little.
"December 13. You were between being conscious and unconscious for three days. We were worried you had slipped into a coma. Then, by some miracle, you woke up." The doctor said.
"Did you call my dad? What about Mom? How are they doing?"
The doctor looked sad. He had some bad news and didn't know how to break it to Melissa. Then, he just said it. "Unfortunately, your mother died on December 11. We tried everything but she just slipped into a coma and never woke up. Her brain stopped working."
Melissa started crying. Her body shook with emotion as she did so. Her mother. Dead. Never there for her again. "And Dad?"
"We haven't heard from him since then. The police are looking for him but they suspect he might have taken some drastic measures just to be with your mom again. He was very depressed and it didn't help him to find out the news about her." Dr. Jacob replied.
Like when her mother was put in the hospital, memories came to Melissa.
Melissa was ten years old and really into sports.
"That's it! You can do it, Melissa!" Her dad yelled from the sidelines of a basketball game.
Melissa looked over at her dad, smiling at the fact that he had finally come to one of her games.
Her team had won that game and every game after.
"I'm so proud of you, Melissa!" Her dad said, giving her a big hug.
Melissa sobbed even more. She choked on some of her tears. "Mom. Dad." She said between sobs. It sounded more like a prayer than crying, though.
The doctor put something in Melissa's IV to help her calm down. It made her a little tired.
She looked up at him. "Does anyone else in the family know about mom?"
"Not yet. Your father wouldn't tell us if she had any siblings or if her parents were still alive."
"No siblings but Grandma is still alive. Can you call her and let her know? Please?" Melissa begged the doctor. She quietly gave him her grandmother's phone number. She could only hope that, despite what had happened years ago, her grandma would answer the phone. Maybe when she saw that it was a hospital, Grandma would do exactly that.
"I'll see what I can do. Would you like me to contact anybody about you?"
"No. I'll email the people I need to talk to."
The doctor nodded and left the room. He put her chart back on the end of Melissa's hospital bed.
Melissa picked up her phone and started typing up an email to her editor:
Aliza,
Stuck in the hospital. Mom is dead and dad is missing. Meanwhile, I am dehydrated. The doctor would like to keep me here for three days in order to make sure I am re-hydrated and mentally alright. Please message me back when you get this message. Unfortunately, I am not sure I can get my story ready in time for the deadline.
-Melissa
She looked the email over and then sent it. Hopefully, Aliza would understand and not be in a rush to get the next four chapters of Melissa's story.
- Writer
