*2*

“Well look who’s finally awake,” a woman says in an all too cheerful tone. I turn my head to look over at her. She’s an older woman, thin, with red hair. I watch as she flips through what I assume is my charts, making sounds of approval. “Looks like you’re finally stabilizing. That’s good to hear.”

“How bad is it,” I ask, looking at my arm. There’s nothing there. Not a bandage. Not a stitch. Only two pink star-like scars where I swore that thing bit me.

“Not too bad,” she says, and my jaw drops I surprise. “It seems you passed out from exhaustion after running too long on caffeine. There was a bunch of that in your system.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling confused. I don’t understand how that is possible. Using the remote thing, I move the bed up so I can look at her better and not feel so awkward lying down.

“You’re lucky that couple saw you instead of hitting you with how dark and foggy it was last night,” the nurse says, sounding a little molested now.

“The couple? How was I found?” I ask her. I’m getting more and more confused by the minute. The nurse smiles at me and I feel like it’s a patronizing smile.

“Mister and Misses Jones found you shortly around four in the morning laying out in the road, unconscious. They tried to wake you but when you wouldn’t wake they called an ambulance,” she explains to me but it didn’t make any sense. Didn’t they see the blood from the bite because I had to have bled from it? Maybe since I was laying out on the road for nearly three hours it was washed away by the rain but what about the wound its teeth surely must have made on my arm.

I look at my arm again. Still nothing there but the pink star-like shapes. “So there was nothing about an animal attack?” I ask, feeling silly for asking her that. The nurse gives me a strange look that turns to one of suspicion.

“Miss Willows, did you take anything else last night but coffee or energy supplements?” she asks, her expression is one of concern. I don’t miss the underlying tone of disapproval though. Great, she thinks I’m a junkie now.

“No ma’am…just red bull and energy shots. It must have been a nightmare,” I say, feeling relief at the news. I didn’t see a monster or nearly die. It was just a nightmare. I gave her a bright smile, wanting to show my appreciation for the relief she’s given me but by the look on her face I think I just weirded her out.

“That’s good. Now, I need to take your blood pressure and temperature,” she says, pulling the cloth cuff off the cart next to the monitor. I watch her as she takes my temperature and blood pressure. A small frown forms on her face with an ominous “hmm.”

“What? What's wrong?” I ask, worry trickling down my spine and settling into the pit of my stomach. She smiles at me but it looks a little tight to me.

“Oh nothing hun,” she says, patting my hand. “Your blood pressure and temperature are a little high that’s all. It seems you might be getting a cold from this.”

“If a cold is all I get for my carelessness then I’ll call myself lucky,” I tell her and her smile relaxes into an easier, brighter one. It seems I won her over with that one. As she’s preparing to leave she says “The doctor will be in soon and he’ll be able to explain more about what happened last night.”

“Is there a way I can get something to eat? I’m starving,” I ask and once again she smiles at me. “Dinner will be in two hours.”

Dinner? The news hits me hard. First, I was really hungry and don’t think I could wait for two hours. Secondly, dinner? Did I sleep for the whole day?  Wow, I really must have been exhausted. I watch her leave with a sigh, leaning back against the bed but I feel anxious like I can’t sit still. Makes sense I’ve been sleeping all day.

I get up and realize, much to my horror, I’m wearing one of those hospital gowns that’s open in the back! There is no way I’m going to stay dressed like this. I look around the tiny room, hoping to find the clothes I was wearing last night or at least some pants. They weren’t in the minuscule closet but just as I was going to continue to search I heard the door open. I dived for the bed and threw the blanket over my lap. “Good evening Oliva, I’m doctor Sanders. How are you feeling?” asks the middle-aged doctor. At least it’s a woman so I don’t have to feel awkward about my backside being possibly exposed.

“Great honestly. I’m ready to get out of here…no offense,” I joke, trying to ease some of the awkwardness I’m feeling.

“Don’t worry I don’t take it personally,” she jokes right back and I feel a little more relaxed. “Everything is looking good. You do have a slight fever and blood pressure is kind of high. It’s probably from the stress of the situation. I want you to schedule a checkup with your doctor just to be sure everything is as it should be. Until your blood pressure is back to normal stay away from the red bulls and Five-hour energy shots, please.

They can cause your blood pressure to rise even further, give you heart palpitations, chest pains, insomnia, or as in your case the crash can cause you to pass out. I think I don’t need to stress how dangerous that is. I recommend you take it easy, get some rest, and if you must ingest caffeine stick to the home-brewed stuff. It won’t impact you as hard,” she says and I give her a nod of understanding. “With that said, your parents are here to see you.” I cringe briefly and give her another nod to let them in.

“Great,” she says and gets up and opens the door. My parents rush in. “Oh my baby girl, did I not tell you?” my mom cries out loud. She slaps my dad on the arm. “Didn’t I say it, Greg?” She didn’t wait for him to answer but instead charges over to me. “I told you, you’re working too hard Oliva. You have any idea how lucky you are?” I knew she was going to say it. My mom couldn’t pass up a chance to tell anyone that she was right.

“Yes, mom. You did and yes mom, you were right,” I reply, knowing that is what she wants to hear.

“How are you feeling baby girl?” My dad asks in his deep smooth baritone voice, coming over to kiss the top of my head. I lean over, hugging him, and I relax instantly in his large arms. A feeling of warmth and safety fills me, and his new cologne smells nice too.

“I feel great, I hope the doc will let me out soon,” I tell him then look over at mom. “Yes, don’t worry I’ve learned my lesson. No more super cram sessions,” I tell her, and I do mean it. This was one experience I didn’t want to repeat ever. That nightmare was so real. Mom seems content with my answer and starts rambling on about her plans for Memorial Day weekend. She wants to invite dad’s usual old military buddies. I only listen to her halfway, lost in my head as I watch her talk and dad listen.

They are my inspiration. They made their life on their terms, not anyone else’s. I hope one day I can find a love like theirs one day. Maybe I already have with Kirk. We have been dating for a year and have started talking about moving in together. He’s a smart, sensible guy so I am keeping my fingers crossed that he might be ‘The One.’

A half an hour later the doctor gave me my walking papers and I could get out of here. A different nurse brought me my clothes in a plastic see-through bag. “Don’t put those on, they’re filthy,” Mom says and wrinkles her nose as she looks at the bag. “We brought you some fresh clothes from the house.” She takes the plastic bag out of my hands and hands me a paper bag instead.

“Thanks, Mom,” I say, carefully getting up so I don’t flash my parents. “You’ve thought of everything again. You’re the best,” I tell her and go into the bathroom to change.  I pull out the clothes. They are clothes I forgot at their house last Christmas. I was afraid she would bring me clothes from my long lost Goth teen days. I dress in the gray college sweatshirt and jeans, feeling much better. I walk out of the bathroom and toss the paper gown onto the bed. “I’m ready,” I say, feeling oddly pumped.