Chapter 11
The darkness consumed me, but I knew I was safe somehow. Whatever I was on was soft to the touch against my back. I knew I wasn’t with Dani or Lucy, but some things were confusing. I knew someone kissed my cheek, but who the hell was it? Tingles shot through me like a jolt, like I was being electrocuted. The smell around me was musky; I couldn’t place it. I didn’t move; I was too scared to open my eyes. After what felt like hours, I moved slightly and slowly began to open my eyes. I blinked a few times to get rid of the blurriness. Once I could focus, I looked around. I was somewhere different and not with Dani and Lucy. I looked around and down at my hands, I had tubes sticking out of me, and some machines were on either side of me. I must be in a hospital, but where was everyone? I noticed movement outside the door, and the door opened slightly. A woman walked in with a tray but stopped once she realized I was awake. “You’re awake?” she said, sounding surprised. I cleared my throat. “Where am I?” I asked groggily. The woman looked at me and gave me a small smile. “You’re at the…hospital,” she said. “I will get the doctor to speak to you now.” I stared at her, but she quickly turned on her heel and left. I guess she was the nurse then, I thought. I leaned into the pillow behind me, but my head felt heavy. I moved my hand to my head and felt something there, bandages. What the hell happened? I could feel my anxiety sweep in as I started to panic. The door opened, and a man with a younger girl who looked the same age as me walked in. “Hi, I’m Doctor Reed,” said the doctor. “You gave everyone a scare.” “What happened?” I asked, but my mouth felt like sandpaper. I needed water. I licked my lips. Doctor Reed stares at me for a moment, but the girl next to him walks around him and walks to the side where the table is. There was a jug of water and a small cup on the table. I watched her closely as she poured water into the small cup and placed the jug back down after she was done. She turned around and walked over to the bed; she held the cup out and put it to my lips. “Take a sip,” she said with a small smile. I did as I was told and sipped, my eyes never leaving her, but as the water slipped down my throat, I closed my eyes and accepted the coldness straight away. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and looked at the girl, but looked over at the doctor, who smiled. “Better?” he asked. I gave him a slight nod, which didn’t help matters; my head hurt slightly, which made my eyes close again. “Ah,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that.” I opened my eyes slowly once the pain subsided and looked back at him, but he continued. “You might have had a concussion or something. We did some scans to find out if there was anything on your brain, but there wasn’t. You need rest, and you will recover fully,” he said. 2 I stared, confused but also frightened. “Where am I?” I asked, clearing my throat. The doctor stared at me for a few moments, but it wasn’t him who spoke next. “You’re at the hospital,” the girl said. “Your mum brought you here from your hometown, and you collapsed before you even left.” I looked over and stared at the girl who spoke. I could feel anger sweep in at the mention of my mum, but I didn’t retaliate. My head was hurting, and I was still feeling slightly weak. “Where is she?” I asked calmly as I could. The girl looked at me and smiled. “She is resting, but she will be here soon,” she said. I stared at her blankly but turned my attention to the doctor. “I don’t want to see her,” I said. The doctor stared, but I noticed a frown appear across his face. “I can’t stop your mum from coming here,” he said. “But you need to rest, and you can see her when you are up to it.” I frowned. “I take it she told you; she took me against my will then,” I said. “I don’t want to see her.” The doctor stared, but he looked blankly. After a few minutes, he looked back and nodded. “I will tell the nurse to make sure she doesn’t come in,” he said. He looked at me. “I think you should meet with her though; she was a mess when you were brought in, and she never left your side until we asked her to go while we checked your vitals.” I stared at him. I don’t know whether to believe him or punch him in the face. I didn’t really care if she did; I didn’t want to be here. The room was filled with an awkward silence. The doctor clears his throat. “Well, I have other patients to see,” he said, turning on his heel to walk out the door. I watched him leave, and as the door closed, I turned my attention to the girl. Her eyes were on me the whole time I talked to the doctor. I frowned. “Who are you?” I asked. “I don’t know you.” The girl smiled. “I know that, silly,” she said. “My name is Cassie, and I live in this small town. I know your mum; she’s good friends with my mum.” I stared at her. I didn’t know what to make of this. “Why are you here?” I asked. Cassie looked at me briefly, cocking her head to the side. “You look like your mum. I mean, you have her eyes,” she said. I didn’t say anything. I had my father’s skin tone and features, everything was him apart from my eyes. They were just like my mums. Cassie sighed and pulled the chair to her. She sat down; I couldn’t help but stare at her. “I thought you could use a friend,” she said as she leaned back into the chair. “I knew you didn’t want to be here and wanted to stay home.” How the hell would she know that? I take it my mother liked to talk about her personal life then, or is it a small town that likes to gossip? “I think you should give your mum a chance,” she blurts, which pulls me back from my thoughts. I looked at her dumbfounded. Cassie shook her head. “I don’t mean you should forgive her,” she said. “I mean, give her a chance to explain things. You don’t know her reasons as to why she left.” “Do you know?” I asked her bluntly. Cassie stared at me for a few seconds and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “And even if I knew, it’s not my story to tell.” She knew the reason. I looked away and stared at the wall ahead. I’m in a place I don’t know, with a woman who abandoned me for eight years and who I don’t want anything to do with either. How the hell was I going to get out of this one? “You know she has a family,” Cassie whispered, which I caught. I looked at her. My mum had a family. I closed my eyes as memories of my father’s funeral returned with force, replaying everything that happened. The man from the other night was there, but there was another man. He looked at my mother with affection and love. That must have been her partner. I guessed he was, but something made me think I had seen him before. I don’t know where though. “Leah,” called out Cassie. I opened my eyes as a stray tear escaped my eyes. I looked over at her. Her eyes were holding so much emotion, but there was one that I knew more of, especially in the last few days, sympathy. I cleared my throat. “I think I need to sleep,” I said as I turned over, facing away from her. A few tears came, but I never let on; I was crying. I missed my Dad. I wanted him back. “I’m going to stay here,” she said. “I want to make sure you’re okay.” I didn’t say anything. I kept my eyes trained on the wall ahead, letting the tears come silently. My headache was gone, but a cloud made it foggy for me to think. I closed my eyes and let my body slip into darkness again, but I was greeted by the yellow eyes again. Will this dream ever leave?