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Third Person POV - at the Hospital - October 22nd

Fallon blinked her eyes open, the hospital lights nearly blinding her as she slowly woke up. She adjusted to the bright atmosphere, squinting.

"Hey, sleepy head," Liam said, sitting in the chair to the left of the hospital bed.

She groaned as she reached her hand to her face and pulled off the oxygen mask; she was required to wear it when she slept. She set it down beside her.

It has now been three days since she's been shot, and she was making a fine recovery, but it was requested that she stayed in the hospital for a week before being discharged.

"How are you feeling?"

Pressing the button to make the bed move her into a half-sitting half-laying position, she faced Liam and softly smiled.

"Tired and in pain."

He chuckled and reached over, grabbing her hand and stroking it with his thumb. Fallon rested her head back down on the pillow with a slight frown.

The past couple of days have been difficult. Yeah, she and Liam were getting along for the first time in a while, but they both knew that they were avoiding the obvious tension floating in the air. She felt like she was going insane, between the occasional awkward silences and not leaving the hospital room, it was like she was suffocating. Suffocating in, what she believed, her own guilt. The pain she was in also didn't help.

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The doctor entered the room.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked, somewhat joyfully.

She repeated, "Tired and in pain."

He tapped his clipboard with his pen.

"Love the positive attitude! Let's get today's tests over with and then I'll leave you to rest."

Internally, she rolled her eyes. The last thing Fallon wanted was more rest; she's been resting for days.

Keeping to herself, the doctor checked up on all of the machines and wires that she was attached to, occasionally writing down some notes in his documents. Placing the oxygen mask back on her face, he recorded her breathing rate and checked for any murmurs in her chest. He observed the heart monitor, took note of a few other things, and then sat his clipboard near the bottom of the bed.

"Okay, so far so good. Now we're going to lower you down and check the stitches, okay?"

Fallon nodded, familiar with the routine.

The doctor laid the bed flat, making Fallon lay straight on her back. He undid the middle part of the hospital gown, revealing her stomach and the long wound along her abdomen. She shivered at the touch of his cold hands.

"Does that feel okay?"

Nodding, she kept staring at the ceiling above her as the man softly pressed on her stomach.

The doctor continued to feel around the stitches and observed the tender area, carefully sliding his hands along her skin.

"Okay, now tell me, how does this feel?"

All of a sudden, the doctor dug his fingers into the wound, tearing it open once more. Blood seeped out as she shrieked in agony.

Eyes full of pain and terror, she looked at the doctor, who was smiling evilly. She shifted her fogging gaze to Liam, who was now stood next to the doctor, and her eyes widened with horror when she saw that he was laughing at the scene.