The Black Box

5

I wake up to the sound of voices and I feel groggy and dizzy and everything that causes pain.
"Wait, he's waking up," I hear. I open my eyes just enough to see my mom with the doctor.

I'm in a hospital bed with one of those cheap gowns on. I've never worn a dress before. Not even a cheap one in a hospital. Why am I in the hospital? I can't remember for the life of me.

"How do you feel honey?" asks my mom.

"I'm ok," I mumble. My tongue feels like lead and my eyesight is in and out of focus every couple seconds. It's like I'm on the verge of death, but I'm not.

"Hello Peter. What can you remember?" says the doctor. He has brown hair that is trimmed nicely and combed to the side. He looks like he's young for a doctor like he just got out of medical school.

"I...I remember getting into...the car...getting driven to the hospital and...then I...I blacked out," I say, trying to remember what happened earlier. "Who are you?" I find myself asking him.

"Oh sorry Peter. My name is Doctor Warren and I have been observing you for the past couple days," replies Doctor Warren.

A couple days? I've been out that long? I got into the hospital from getting hit from a car trunk. My head still feels fuzzy.
"Hey mom," I start.

"Yes honey?" She replies.

"Did you ever get a speeding ticket?"

"No Peter I didn't," she says, laughing afterwards. I still wanted to get the message to her that my personality was still intact.

"How long have I been out?" I ask Doctor Warren.

"Well by the looks of your chart," says Doctor Warren, looking at his clipboard,"you have been out for the past three days."

Three days?!
"I've been out for three days?!" I say surprised.

"Yes Peter and yes, you will be missing school for a while," says Doctor Warren calmly.

Missing school for a while? What does that mean? I don't like missing school 'cause I don't want to make up the work.
"Why am I missing school for 'a while'?" I ask.

"Because Peter, you have a very serious injury," says Doctor Warren, very seriously.

"A serious injury from a car trunk? Are you kidding?" I say and I find myself laughing afterwards like I'm on hysterics.

"I'm not joking Peter," say Doctor Warren. Now I know he's serious.

"How bad is it?" I ask.

"Pretty bad, but you have recovered faster than any other injuries I've seen from any other patient," he replies.

"Can you tell me on a scale 1 to 10?" I ask him. I find myself asking so many questions because I'm curious of what happened to me and why I healed quicker than normal. Maybe it's just my genetics.

"Uhh Peter, it was a 7 on your scale," says Doctor Warren slowly.

"A 7 from a scale of 1 to 10? This is ridiculous!" I say, it comes out almost sounding sarcastic. I didn't mean to be sarcastic but serious.

"You better get some sleep Peter, I don't want to overload you with information," says Doctor Warren. "I'll be checking in to see if you're ok but I'll be on my way for now," says Doctor Warren as he leaves my hospital room.

My mom was observing me while I was talking to Doctor Warren.
"Have I actually been here for three whole days?" I ask her.

"Yes you have Peter," she replies. She sounds very worried. I wonder how worried Danny, Saige, my dad, and Toby are. Toby probably doesn't care at all, knowing that he's only four. She leaves the room as I close my eyes. I know this 'cause I hear the door click shut. Does that mean I'm locked inside this small room?

I try to go to sleep but sleep doesn't come. Then I feel a panicking sensation. I feel like I need to get out of this place. But I can't. There's no windows in my reach but there are some near the ceiling, letting light in besides the ceiling lights. I need to get out. The sensation becomes stronger and stronger. I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE.