What's Out There?

Chapter 14

I woke up before I opened my eyes. There was a soft humming to go along with the soft sunlight I felt on my eyelids. The sound was quiet and slow as it rolled over all of the notes of the song. There was also a quiet murmur of people talking in the background. I quietly open my eyes to see that I'm lying on my back. I see a pale blue colored roof. I start to sit up and the lullaby ends.
"She's up," some one, male, said.
There was shuffling around the room as I sat up all the way. The walls were pale green with a pale blue trim and light tan floors. Once again I was lying on the cot, the other cots next to me, all empty. There was a chair pulled out at the foot of my bed. In that chair sat the boy who looked around my age. The boy who had just spoke.
I tried to ask who he was, but when I tried to speak it came out sounding like a croak.
The boy smirked. He knew what I was trying to do. I glared childishly at him.
Then I looked to the right of the cot, and there was a small nightstand with a glass of water. I grabbed the glass and took a small sip. I didn't realize how dry my throat was. I moved the glass down from my mouth.
"Who are you?" I managed to croak out.
He smiled, "Clay."
Clay. I knew a Clay, but it couldn't be him. He died when we were five. I ask, "Clay Marley?"
"Yeah," he answered. He looked sad. Depressed even.
"But how? You died when we were five," I questioned.
"I never died. I only went missing, and they never found me," Clay explained.
I absentmindedly drank a large gulp out of the glass, making it empty. "How did you survive?" I ask.
"I can tell you that later. I should go because blonde hair over there keeps giving me the stink eye," Clay stands up and move the chair to a table that I hadn't seen before because it was behind him. He walked away and out of the door.
"Fern," I say looking over to her.
"What? I need to take care of you it's my job, and he was getting in the way," Fern walks towards my bed, "First things first, you slept for almost three days straight. You may be dehydrated. Are you feeling alright? Is there anything I can get you? Food, water, anything at all?"
"Fern, I feel fine, but um could you get me some more water. And uh I have to use the bathroom. Can I walk yet?" I ask. It's been almost three days. That should be well than enough time, right?
"I can get you water, but I think you might be too weak. Plus the ankle isn't completely healed. It's still swelling," Fern explains.
"I have to get to the bathroom," I say.
Fern sighs, "Okay." She helps me turn to the side and put my left foot on the floor. I kept my right foot off of the floor. "Yeah, your not gonna want to put that foot on the ground," Fern grimaced.
She moved to my right side and supported part of my weight. Fern took a small step forward. I took a hop on my left foot that was twice the size of her step. Together we made into the bathroom.
"Now what?" I ask. She was not about to stay in here while I use the bathroom.
Fern didn't say anything; she just walked out, set me on the wall with my left hand on it, and closed the door. I quickly use the bathroom and hop back to the door.
As I open the door, I ask, "Now what?"
"Now we try to get you walking," Fern said.
"You're kidding right?" I ask desperately.
"Nope," she replies.
I groan, and she smiles. This is gonna take a long time, I think to myself.
Then we start walking.