3: WAKING.
1125 Words
LUNA VIOLET JAMES.
A feeling of grogginess washed over me as I began to wake. The air smelled sterile and chemically cleaned. I wrinkled my nose as it invaded my nostrils. My eyes felt so heavy, I was struggling to open them. The fluorescent strip lights above me stung them with their harsh brightness. I blinked a few times to try to adjust to them. My head ached, and I tried to lift my hand to it, but I couldn’t. There was a metallic clang, and my arm stopped moving. I looked down and saw the handcuffs attaching me to the bedrail. “What the f**k?” I asked out loud, but no one was there to answer me.
I looked around the room and realised quickly that I was in a hospital. I had no idea beyond that of my whereabouts, though. I tried to sit up, and a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen. I gasped and lifted the hospital gown that I was wearing. A bandage covered one side of my stomach. I tried to remember what had happened to me, but it was blank. I felt panic rising through me. I tugged at the handcuffs, but it was no good; I was going nowhere. The door opened, and a young blonde woman wearing light pink scrubs entered. She looked surprised to see me awake and left the room quickly. Seconds later, she re-entered, but this time she wasn’t alone. She had a man in a white doctor’s coat and a huge man in jeans and a navy shirt with her.
The big guy stood to the side out of the way and watched as the others approached me. The man slowly reached out a hand towards me. “Miss, I am Doctor Blake. You were brought into the hospital in pretty bad shape. I performed surgery to close an abdominal wound and treated a minor cut on your head, where it appears that you received some sort of blunt force trauma. I also had to give you a blood transfusion as you had lost so much blood. I am pleased to see that you are awake. I need to do some checks to see how you are doing. Is that okay?” he asked politely. I looked him up and down, his salt and pepper sensible haircut and soft chocolatey eyes, didn't exactly scream danger, but I was handcuffed to the bed, and there was a huge man staring me down from across the room, so who knows.
“Miss, is it okay for me to check your stitches?” he asked when I didn’t answer him the first time. I looked back and forth between the three people in the room. The blonde woman smiled at me. It seemed genuine, so I nodded and lay back on the bed, giving him access to the bandage. He approached quickly and checked to make sure that everything was okay. “There is some slight bleeding from overexertion, but the stitches are still intact,” he said aloud. He put the bandage back in place and covered me with the gown. “Now then, miss, could you please tell me your name for the charts? Also, is there someone that you would like us to contact for you?” Doctor Blake asked. I opened my mouth to reply, but froze as I realised that I didn’t know the answer to either of his questions.
My head was hurting, and trying to reach for answers that I didn’t have was only making it worse. “It’s alright, don’t strain yourself. You've had a nasty bump on the head, and you may be suffering some temporary amnesia as a result. I am sure that if you just rest and heal, then it will come back to you. For now, we will just focus on getting you better,” Doctor Blake said. I found his words reassuring, but the concern didn’t completely go away. I didn’t like not knowing who I am. “Do you have any questions for me?” he asked. I thought for a second, I had many and needed to decide which to ask first. “Why am I handcuffed to the bed?” I asked tentatively. Doctor Blake smiled kindly, “The circumstances that you were found in raised a few questions that need answering. We know nothing about you, where you came from or how you came to be in the condition that you were. So it was decided that restraints were necessary for your safety and ours while we try to figure things out,” he told me. I nodded. I guess it makes sense, but I didn’t exactly feel safe right now. “Where am I?” I asked. Doctor Blake paused, and the nurse glanced over at the big guy. “You are in the hospital, obviously. Umm… Well, you are in a small town, a village really called Vicus Lunae. We are the bordering village of Palatium Lunae,” he said, though he looked a little uncomfortable.
I didn’t really feel any clearer; in fact, if anything, I was more confused than ever. It sounded like he was speaking a different language. “Sorry, where?” I asked for clarification. He explained that the village was on the outskirts of a city. I recognised the name of the city, or at least I believed that I did. The nurse took my temperature and blood pressure while I listened to him. “Maybe you should try to get some rest. You might remember something when you wake,” he suggested. I nodded and lay back against the soft pillow. I was exhausted, and sleep sounded pretty good right now.
Doctor Blake adjusted the IV medication and wished me sweet dreams. He was followed out of the room by the nurse. I realised that the big guy was still here. I looked at him uncomfortably, unsure that I was okay with the idea of him just standing there watching me sleep. He seemed to pick up on how I was feeling and shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. “Would you prefer it if I went outside?” he asked. His voice was deep and gravely, exactly how I imagined that it would be. I nodded and thanked him. I was relieved when the door clicked shut behind him. My body felt heavy and actually kind of tingly. I figured that it was probably just the pain medication kicking in. I lay back and closed my eyes. It would be a lot more comfortable without the handcuffs, but I guess that I understood why they had put them on me. I didn’t even know who the hell I was.
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