Youth's Mist

Youth's Mist Ch 15

Pann

"Sweetheart, my sweet Pann, put your arms around me," Joven murmurs. "That's hard to do since we are lying in a city park," I reply but move my arm across his lower chest. Under my fingertips I can feel his muscles, tensing as I drag my nails across. My head moves into the bend between his shoulder and arm.

"Look up, Pann, I'm going to kiss you, unless you say no," he whispers leaning down towards my face. I feel his right-hand slide across my abdomen and tug my hips, tilting me into his firm body. Closing my eyes, pushing my body closer to his, wanting — no needing that first kiss. I'm so close I can hear his heart beating...Beep. Beep. Beep

Beeping, beeping, beeping, what is that beeping noise?

My body is adjusted, turned, poked, prodded, why can't I open my eyes? More beeping, am I dreaming? Ouch! Someone moved my arm.

Sleep, just need to sleep....

Hazy, blurry, where am I? I am definitely not a blanket in Burlap City Park with Joven. I turn my head to the left as the beeping gets louder. I want that beeping to stop, its reverberating in my skull. Stay awake, Pann! Sleep, more sleep, darkness surrounds me, and I miss being in Joven's arms, where did he go?

White, I feel brightness on my face. My fingers feel a soft blanket, and I can wiggle my toes, as I start testing to see if each body part is still connected to me. Slowly my eyes open, everything is blurry but I can see monitors. That must be the reason for the beeping noise. Someone needs to throw the inventor of that horrible noise into a locked room with its musical nightmare playing over and over again.

Sleep, more sleep.

I smell alcohol, disinfectant and perfume. Perfume? I open my eyes, there's a nurse moving around the room. Slap me in a slingshot, I'm in a hospital!

"Well, good morning Ms. Charity, how are you feeling?" she asks.

I look up to her face, her smile is comforting. Clearing my throat, she gives me a drink and I try and talk. It feels like I haven't used my vocal cords for a year.

"I hurt a lot and all over. What happened? And please, please, please turn down the torture device that keeps beeping," I plead.

"The doctor is on the way, but I can tell you, you had an accident Parasailing. You were brought in Saturday afternoon and we've been taking care of you, my name is Kim if you need anything," she says, as she adjusts the volume on the cursed machine.

A few minutes later the door opens and in walks an elderly gentleman. I'm assuming my doctor. Finally, I'll get some more clarifying answers. Everything is so hazy. I've already counted to a 100 to make sure my brain didn't fall out during my accident and then recited the alphabet backwards, just for further confirmation.

"Ms. Charity, I'm Dr. Kliner; How are you feeling?" He asks, while adjusting his glasses and motioning for the nurse to hand him my medical chart. Or, at least, I think it's my chart, it could be his bucket list for all know.

Why does everyone keep asking me if I'm "okay"? I'm in a hospital, alone and I hurt, a lot. Why do they ask a person in an actual medical center how they feel? Obviously, the answer will be "I feel pathetic, thanks for asking." Instead, I try and focus on what he's saying, and not try and come across as a yammering idiot.

"You were brought in by ambulance on Saturday, unconscious. We x-rayed your right wrist, and you have a distal radius fracture. As a safety protocol, we also did an MRI on your brain. While you have no internal bleeding, you are suffering from a concussion. You were actually quite lucky, after you took such a hard fall into the ocean."