Chapter 57 Waking Into the Unknown
POV Scarlett:
The smell of alcohol irritates my nose and makes me wake up, and without opening my eyes, I try to move. But I feel trapped, unable to move at all. I try again, and still I can’t move anything; my body refuses to obey my commands. I open my eyes slowly, feeling a strong pressure in them that forces me to shut them again immediately. When I try opening them once more, I blink countless times to adjust to the harsh light.
What happened?
I feel like I’m having the worst hangover ever. My head is a complete mess, my body is numb, and I have no idea where I am. I search my memory for the last thing I can remember, but nothing comes to help me understand what’s going on. Did I once again fall for the talk of…
A sound of a door opening makes me want to turn my head, and panic rises when I realize I can’t. My heart races in fear of what might happen to me. I breathe slowly, trying to calm myself. I want to ask who’s there, but my mouth doesn’t move; my eyes burn, clueless about what’s happening to me.
Why won’t my body obey me?
“Oh my God,” a woman’s voice says. “You’re awake, I’ll call the doctor.”
A doctor? What happened to me?
I don’t know how much time passed; the anguish in my chest didn’t ease at all—in fact, it only grew worse. All I want are answers. When I hear the door opening again, my heart pounds faster. Unable to move or speak, I wait for whatever the doctor has to say. A loud noise of something being dragged makes me shut my eyes at the unpleasant sound; everything about me feels overly sensitive.
“Hi, Scarlett, I’m Doctor Weyden.” A man who looked to be in his early fifties appeared in front of my face. “You must have many questions, and I intend to answer all of them. First, I ask that you stay calm—everything will be all right. Before we talk, I need to perform a few tests, standard procedures for any patient who has been through what you’ve been through. I need to assess your level of comprehension, so I’m speaking as slowly as possible.”
I blinked, my eyes burning; I want to cry.
“I ask that you trust me. Everything will work out.”
I kept my eyes fixed on his, wanting to believe his words.
...
As soon as I was brought back to the room, I was exhausted from keeping my eyes open. My head throbbed with a dull pain, and I couldn’t even ask for something to ease it. I didn’t want to cry when I tried to speak and couldn’t, but once I was left alone, I couldn’t hold back anymore.
What is happening?
Why can’t I move?
I closed my eyes, unable to bear feeling this way.
I must have fallen asleep, because as soon as I woke up and opened my eyes, four men were standing around the bed, staring at me. One of them smiled and came closer. I closed my eyes in fear. My mind is a mess; I don’t know if I even want to know why these men are so close to me.
“Scarlett, you really woke up.” His voice sounded so happy, yet I didn’t dare open my eyes to see if he was still smiling.
Is he kissing me?
I feel my forehead get wet, confirming it—he is kissing me.
“I still can’t believe it. I prayed so much for this.”
I opened my eyes and saw his tear-filled ones, but he stepped back before I could try to understand why.
“Noah, go easy, remember what the doctor said?” a more serious voice said, and for some reason, hearing that voice sent chills through me.
“I’m just happy, Damian.”
Two men leaned over me, both kissing my forehead. I shut my eyes, not wanting to look at them. I’m scared. I don’t know why they’re here; I don’t know who they are. I just want my parents, my boyfriends. I need someone to tell me what’s happening. I opened my eyes wishing they were gone, but they were still right there, hovering over me, their eyes studying my face.
“She looks scared,” one of them said, and I didn’t care which.
“Everything is different for her. The doctor told us this would happen.”
I closed my eyes, feeling my tears run down the sides of my face, unable to wipe them away so they wouldn’t see me so fragile and apprehensive.
“She’s crying.”
I don’t want these men here seeing me like this. I want my men, my parents—not strangers I don’t recognize.
“I’ll get the doctor.”
I cried for I don’t know how many minutes. The silence of the room made me believe I was alone, but every time I opened my eyes, they were still there, watching me. When I heard the door again, I prayed it was the doctor, prayed that he’d tell them to get out of my room. As soon as his face appeared over me, I felt immense relief wash through me.
“Scarlett, are you all right? Blink once for no and twice for yes.”
I blinked once.
“Okay. Are you in pain?”
I blinked once again.
“I said we would talk, and I planned to do it tomorrow. You seem tired from the tests, and I don’t want to overwhelm you.” He held a light over my eyes, moving it so I’d follow it, and I did. “However, I believe it’s better for you to know what happened now.” He glanced to the side—probably at the four men—then looked back at me. “You were in a car accident.”
I took a deep breath.
“My shift had ended when I was called to attend to you. You suffered a cranial trauma, and I had to operate immediately or you wouldn’t survive.” He inhaled deeply. “When you arrived, we knew nothing about you, couldn’t contact any family. I had to make a choice, and the choice I made left you in a coma.”
My heart rate spiked, and the machines next to me began beeping rapidly.
“She doesn’t need to hear this now,” the serious man said, overshadowing the alarms.
“She does, Damian.” The doctor kept looking directly at me. “Scarlett, you were in a coma for over a year.”
I shut my eyes, not wanting to hear anything else.
“I knew the risk, but I had to take it.”
I didn’t open my eyes even when I felt his hand touch mine.
“Do you want to be alone? We can continue tomorrow.”
I opened my eyes and blinked twice.
“Okay.”
I want to be alone to think about everything I’ve just been told.
“I’m not leaving.”
“Damian, she needs to process this conversation. Now begins a long recovery, and it won’t be easy—I warned you of that.”
I blinked several times, trying to get the doctor’s attention.
“Scarlett… do you want to know something?”
He noticed my desperation, and I almost sighed in relief at being understood.
I looked toward the men from the corner of my eye.
“About them?”
I blinked twice.
“What do you want to know?”
I looked at them, then back at the doctor.
“Scarlett… I… I don’t understand… It can’t be.”
“What is it?” one of them asked, but I didn’t care which.
“Scarlett, do you know who they are?”
I blinked only once.
No, I don’t.