Chapter 4: Hospital Bed

The putrid smell hijacked my nose, and my body did not respond. I hated that smell; I don’t need to be conscious to know that.

I felt my pinky finger twitch. It felt heavy. I would need to put all my strength into lifting that hand, and I feel spent already. I willed my brain to move my head next. Nothing.

It was dark, the smell was sickening, and I couldn’t move. The scent was accompanied by annoying beeps that I couldn't ignore.

Where am I?

“Thank you very much—I’ll just stay back with her. Yeah, thanks.”

I tried to identify that voice. It sounds so familiar, so far yet so near.

I felt the bed dip beside me, and I released a sigh of relief; at least one of my senses was working.

“What the—” I asked. I tried asking because I knew nothing came out, and my lips probably didn’t move.

Then I felt it, a hand wrapping around mine in a comforting manner. To comfort them or me, I don’t know. But I welcomed it.

“Hey, you in there?” Her voice drifted to me in my vegetative state. Zoey.

A splitting headache caused me to groan, and I think that it was loud enough to draw a gasp from her because she shifted on the bed and tightened her hands around me. “Lee… Oh my god. Lee”

I disregarded the headache and tried to rack my brain as to why I was where I was and with Zoey.

I did leave her house, didn't I?

Of course not, silly. If I did, I would not be in her room.

The headache returned this time with more intensity, and that must have alarmed her. I did not make a noise; I didn’t have the strength to.

I felt her warmth leave me; the cool breeze made me shiver even though I was cold.

I tried lifting my hands again, and then I felt them. The tubes. Around my hands and my face, too.

“She squinted like she was in pain and murmured something.” The footsteps stopped my squirming, and I focused on them.

“Miss Alkings?” Another soft voice called out to me. “Wave your pinky if you can hear me.”

I hear shuffling, but it wasn’t coming from me. The bright light from a window, I guess, had my attention. Making me deviate from the command to figure out where I was.

I wiggled my pinky just as she was about to call my name again. I felt her come close, then a cold metal on my chest. “Her vitals are good. I am surprised she is conscious, well, semi-conscious, at this hour. Strong woman, that one. You can keep an eye on her and alert me if anything.”

If I can just open my eyes, then I will figure out why in Zoey’s house, there is someone discussing vitals.

“You are hanging in strong; you should have seen the state of him.” She chuckles.

Him?

Who’s he?

“Hold on.” She left again and returned; this time, I felt a poking against my lips. “Channel your strength to sucking; it’s an energy boost.”

The cool liquid running down my throat is a contrast to the burning heat of my body, and I embrace it.

“It was silly, what you did, but I cannot for the life of me fault you.” He hands drag up to cup mine again. “Don’t do it again.”

“What?” The fumbled word came out groggily. I mentally pat myself on the back for summoning that much courage to speak.

My body is screaming in pain, from my head to my neck to my toes. Each thought or movement comes with a shitload of pain that is life-questioning. I noticed how semi-hard the bed was, and I know that Zoey’s bed was the softest thing mankind has ever known.

I tore my left eyelid open; the blinding light made me shut it so fast it could have taken off my eyelid. That came with an earth-shattering headache.

“Oh no, no.” She presses me back to the bed. In my struggle, I didn’t know when I came up. “You stay back and rest; you need a lot of it.”

“Where am I?” I managed again, more clearly this time, and my eyes flickered rapidly behind my lids.

“Safe. Tied to tubes.” I felt her shrug.

“Tubes?”

“Mhmm. Bold move to kill him. You could have at least told me first. Maybe I would have suggested something that would have kept the police nose out of this.”

“The police are here?” My lids finally tore open, adjusting fast to the brightness of the room. I hungrily took in my environment, the white walls that had patches at their sole edges. The pillow behind my head was propped high enough that I didn’t have trouble stretching my neck to see below. The table close to the bed I lay on was filled with syringes, bottles, and a large cup with a straw. Where Zoey fed me the boost from, if I took a wild guess.

Then I took in Zoey's tired eyes, frizzy hair, and black gown hugging her body. “You look like shit.” It came out as a whispered observation, one I couldn’t help, and that propelled a chuckle out of her.

“You should see yourself.”

I turned my head again, my eyes darting over anything and everything, and I made the move to sit up again.

“You can be very stubborn, I know. But not now, tiger; at least get some rest.”

“What the fuck happened?” She saw the confusion on my face because she then sighed and began to spill.

“You crashed yourself, the bastard, and the car.”

It wasn’t lost on me, the name-calling.

“Josh”

Then it all came crashing down, LiHe's

His cheating on me.

Us in the car.

Then Black.

I jutted up so fast, it made me dizzy with intense pain. I lay back down without having to be told.

“Told ya,” Zoey murmured, looking me up like she was assessing my well-being.

“Where is he?”

She raised an eyebrow at my question.

I sigh, adjusting on the bed, looking for comfort.

“I don’t care. I am just wondering why I’m alone in the hospital.”

“He’s in worse condition. Kudos. I’ll give you that.”

She has been condescending towards him, now I figured, while praising me. I haven’t told her about what he did, and I know she doesn’t fancy him, but I am surprised at her tone.

I gave her a questioning look, willing her to tell me everything, to stop me from thinking so I would not have splitting headaches as a regular.

“I know.” She looked up at me. “I happened to call when you had the accident. The police called me as a last-known contact/emergency contact. I rushed here as soon as I could.”

“When was this?”

“About a week ago. You were in bad shape. I wondered if you were going to make it. I was scared. You scared me.”

I now feel like a shitty person, not thinking about people around me, people like her, and letting deadbeat men decide my life for me. This time around, I was the one to reach up to her and hold her hands. “I’m sorry.” My voice cracked.

“It’s okay. As I said, you did a number on him.”