Trauma's Ghosts

Trauma's Ghosts
Isaac's new world was the antiseptic smell of the intensive care unit, Evelyn's vital signs remain unchanged for several days, He alternated between the deathly silence of Evelyn's bedside and the icy efficiency of the NICU, where he held the small, breathing wonder of Aurora, His eyes and thoughts were burdened by the heavy mantle of tiredness,
"Isaac, you appear to be warmed over by death, Return home, With concern written on his friend's face, Marcus leaned against the sterile wall and persuaded him to get four hours of sleep,
Isaac ran a shaking hand through his hair and shook his head, "I am unable to, What if I'm not around when she wakes up? What if I'm not strong enough to raise Aurora when she needs me?
"That is the precise issue, Marcus pushed off the wall in response, saying, "You haven't slept well since the shooting, " "You were strong enough to take down two assassins, but you’re no use to them as a ghost, "
"I must be present, Isaac's voice was raw as he demanded, "I have to protect her, " "You can’t protect them if you collapse, "
"I refuse to give up, Marcus, I'm fighting the stillness, It's louder than the gunfire and the helicopters, And I detest it,
Evelyn was not sleeping in the deep, impenetrable shell of the coma, From the last moments of the attack, her mind was imprisoned in a frightening, never, ending cycle, She was constantly racing through dim hallways with a metal and gunpowder odor in the air,
She kept replaying Vivienne's threats, A continual, phantom sensation was the horrible, chilly push of the gun against her stomach,
She imagines herself standing on the brink of a pitch, black abyss, where the air is thin and alluring and the space is vast and limitless, Opposite her, a smiling, immaculate Vivienne was standing and pointing to the empty space,
"Darling, it's too much work, You must be exhausted from fighting so hard, don't you? Vivienne's voice echoed in the darkness, whispering, not loud, but sneaky, "Go, sweetheart, It's simpler, You'll feel calm, The youngster will be looked after by us, The life you took from her will be hers, Knowing that peace meant giving up something, Evelyn resisted the subtle draw,
Anything familiar, anything that could bind her to the living world, and continuous stimulation were all recommended by the experts, This instruction became Isaac's only responsibility, He went back to the intensive care unit every day after spending the designated hour with Aurora,
Every day, Isaac sits next to Evelyn's bed, his fingers softly entwining with her bandaged, limp hand, She pulled his tired, scratched face to hers,
He played a brief, twenty, second audio of Aurora's gentle sobs and the feeble, kitten, like noises of a small, preterm baby pleading life on his phone, He repeatedly played it in the hopes that her daughter's voice would hold the secret,
"My dear, did you hear that? She is that, His breath is warm against her ear as he says, "She has your stubbornness, " He smoothes the dark hairs from her pale forehead with gentle strokes,
"We gave her the name Aurora, It's the sign of daybreak, He went on, putting all of his love and desperation into the words, "Our new beginning, " "Evelyn, return to us, You are necessary to us, She needs you to fight for her, Please return,
Except for the green glow from the monitors, the hospital room was black, Isaac was still holding Evelyn's hand and resting his eyes, fatigued, as the small baby monitor that Marcus had given him lay on the bedside table, its light flickering dimly,
Abruptly, the silent gloom was broken by a loud, indisputable sound, Through the baby monitor, Aurora starts to cry, not the soft coo of a happy infant, but a full, throated, demanding scream that demands comfort and milk, The sound was one of unadulterated life,
Isaac was startled awake by the sound, and his heart leaped into his throat, Concerned that the sound would disturb Evelyn's fragile condition, he reached for the monitor right away to turn it off,
However, a small, nearly undetectable tremor passed through his fingers before he could make contact with the gadget, It was a conscious action, a reaction, not a spasm,
Evelyn's finger twitches for the first time, It was a tiny flex, the slightest defiance of the black, abyss, Isaac's blood turned to ice and then rushed hot through his veins as he froze,
The sound of a daughter begging for her mother filled the room as the cries on the monitor persisted, Isaac's whole attention was on that one tiny twitch in Evelyn's hand, Fearful that the moment would be lost if he talked or moved, he held his breath,
Isaac looks on in shock, his eyes flaming and wide, the adrenaline swiftly erasing the weariness from his thoughts, His heart was beating so forcefully against his ribs that it felt like a stone being struck by a hammer,
"Evelyn? Did you experience that? In a hoarse murmur, he begged, "Please do that again, "
The finger didn't move, The small infant's demanding wail was still being relayed on the monitor,
"Evelyn, Aurora needs you," he said, drawing their clasped hands to his cheek, "She requires her mom, Take on the darkness,
The same finger flexed once again, a second, distinct movement, after a lengthy, excruciating wait that seemed to go on forever, Isaac felt a tear trickle down his temple and land on their clasped hands, Is this the initial indication of recovery?
Aurora's wail causes Evelyn's finger to twitch, acting as a little link to the living world, Will the darkness of her trauma drag her back into the everlasting silence, or will this tiny, frail movement be enough to mark the beginning of her conscious return?