Whisper in the Shadows

some kind of nerve

My eyes slowly fluttered open, white walls and a bright overhead light made me clamp them back shut tightly, and I moaned from the pain that was rushing to me suddenly. I tried moving my hands, and when I realized them were free, I put them over my eyes. My head was pounding. I lifted my hands, trying to shield the overhead light, and cracked my eyes as small as possible. I looked around the room, and the first thing I saw in a sea of all white, was a man dressed in a green shirt that matched his eyes. He was staring directly at me. I jerked forward, ready to give him a piece of my mind, and the room started swaying.

"Don't overexert yourself, you're still recovering from a traumatic event", he said under dramatically.

The room stopped spinning and I opened my eyes to him again. This time he was glancing at a newspaper, uninterested in me.

"You have some kind of nerve showing your face around here." I mumbled, trying to keep my head from splitting open. I hung my head my in hands.

"Do I now?", he asked as if he had forgotten about our last encounter.

I didn't reply. I opened my eyes again, they were getting used to the bright room at this point, and took in everything. Flowers on the table beside me, and more on the shelf near the door across from my bed. I looked down at my arms. One of my wrist was bandaged tightly, the other had a IV taped on top.

"What happened? I don't remember much...", I trailed off, not wanting to give him too much information.

He looked back to me, thinking how to answer. "Well, what's the last thing you do remember?", he finally asked.

"I had a meeting with a firm in California, I don't remember what happened after that", I lied.

"Hmm, well, I supposed we need to wait until your memory starts coming back.", he said, shaking the paper and went back to reading.

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you even here? Couldn't get the information you wanted from the notebook you stole from me?" I asked sharply and he stared intensely at me.

I stared right back. He knew he did it, and it seems like he couldn't figure out what it meant either.

He didn't respond.

"Why are you here? Why would they let you in my room? I have met you twice", I asked, trying to send the hint that I wanted him to leave.

"Because, as head of The Descendants of Màni advisory council, I have a right to be here, there are questions I need answers to regarding a member of your law firm, the same member that attacked you and put you in this hospital. You're lucky to be alive.", he said with a richness in is voice. Could that be pride from his position? He thought I cared he was head of some organization? I turned the corners of my lips downwards without even meaning to.

"Where is Miles?", I demanded.

"Oh, so you do remember what happened?", he shot back.

I leaned back and roll my eyes, "Ugh, I cannot stand you!"

"The feeling is mutual." He murmured under his breath, thinking I wouldn't be able to hear him, and I gave him an icy glare.

We sat in silence for a while until I finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Fine, I remember. Geri confronted me in the lobby. He chased me down to the garage and Miles was there. Geri and he shouted at each other and Geri started choking me until I passed out. That's all I remember.", I told him.

He smirked at me, as if he was waiting for me to say more. He finally spoke. "Allow me to fill in the blanks. Geri ripped your wrist open and you almost bled out. After he got what he wanted, he tossed you to the side, which caused your concussion. Miles then attacked him, and they destroyed the parking garage. In the midst of all that, a bystander called it in, and here we are." He finished and waved his hands out as if presenting the hospital room.