Her eyes began to droop and she could feel the darkness closing in once again. Just before it claimed her she heard a low, clear voice whisper, "Please God, let her be all right."
The next time Alex opened her eyes, the head of her bed was slightly raised and sunlight was streaming through the blinds covering the windows, allowing her to see the room clearly. She slowly looked around and realized it was a rather spacious private room. She carefully lifted her right hand and inspected the intravenous line taped there, then ran her hand through her hair. She was startled to feel the soft, short hair, slightly more than stubble, along the left side just above her ear. Under the soft hair she could feel the ridge of a long scar that hadn’t been there before.
‘How long have I been here?’ she thought. She quickly checked for other injuries and noted a vague soreness in her left leg. Tired, she closed her eyes and tried to remember what happened to bring her here. She could remember working all morning and deciding to go for a jog before meeting Emily for drinks and dinner. She vaguely remembered her run through town, but not much after that. She was confused by the haziness of her memories, and wondered what caused it.
Her eyes shot open when she heard the squishing of rubber soles as they entered her room. Alex watched as an older woman, with hair the color of autumn leaves, began to check the various machines that surrounded her. Their eyes met and the nurse jumped back. "Oh my, you startled me, lass. I didn’t realize you were awake." Alex wondered if she was Irish or Scottish, and listened closely trying to place the gentle accent. "I didn’t expect to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours for another day or so." She gave Alex a smile. "Let me just go tell the doctor you’ve joined us." She gave Alex’s shoulder a gentle pat before she turned and left the room.
Alex closed her eyes and waited for the doctor, as the sounds around her slowly began to fade away and sleep claimed her. She was startled awake when a man entered her room speaking loudly to the nurse she’d seen earlier. She groggily looked up at him as he gruffly explained her injuries. As her head cleared, her anger grew at the doctor’s lack of tact and horrible bedside manner. In an effort to hold her temper, she turned her head away from him and stared out the window. She ignored them as she ran through her memories of the day of the accident, trying to remember what happened.
He turned to the nurse and said, "Since she apparently has no family to take care of her, she will become a ward of the state. Prepare the paperwork and I’ll sign it. Now that she’s awake they can move her out to the mental ward tomorrow, there’s no need to keep her here any longer than necessary. Should have moved her there weeks ago." With a shake of his head, he walked out the door.
The nurse stepped up to the side of the bed between Alex and the window, effectively blocking her view. "I hope he’s wrong lass, for your sake." She took a look at the clock and said, "Well, it’s almost time for your daily visit from Dr. Pierce. Maybe she'll have better luck." She straightened the covers at the foot of the bed. "My name is Alice. Ring the bell if you need me." She showed Alex which button would summon her and began to turn away.
Alex quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. When Alice turned back to her, she grimaced and touched her throat. "Throat’s a bit sore, huh?" Alex nodded. "We removed a tube yesterday. It’s bound to be a bit sensitive for a day or two." Alex pointed over to the small plastic pitcher on the table and raised her eyebrows in question. "Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? I bet you’re parched. I’ll be right back." Encouraged by her attempt to communicate, Alice grabbed the pitcher and walked quickly from the room.
A couple minutes later the door to her room reopened and Alex looked up expecting to see Alice. Instead she looked into the startled brown eyes of a stranger. Before her stood a woman in her late twenties to early thirties with shaggy black hair just long enough to brush her collar, and an olive complexion most would pay good money for this time of year. With a stethoscope around her neck, and a white coat with her name embroidered over the left pocket, this woman was clearly a doctor, but Alex could already tell she was drastically different than the doctor she saw earlier in the day. The dark green scrubs under her white coat instead of a suit, made her seem far more open and approachable.
"Hello, I’m Dr. Nicole Pierce. How are you feeling today?" Nikki asked as she walked up to the side of the bed. Alex found herself staring into the dark brown eyes that looked down on her, and felt her heart rate increase when the doctor smiled. She quickly looked away, embarrassed and confused by her body’s immediate reaction to this woman.
Nikki watched as Alex turned away from her and looked down at the intravenous line taped to the back of her hand, a look of confusion on her face. Hoping Alex's reaction wasn't a negative
