Cigarettes and Valentines

Chapter 14

Allison's POV

The familiar smell of desinfectant, mom's parfume and for some reason chlorine was filling my nose when I woke up.

Missing the scent of nicotine, I didn't even want to open my eyes but forced myself to do so.

White. A white ceiling in a bright room.

Trying to put the pieces together, I was pretty sure that being in heaven doesn't mean to have an annoying repeating beep-sound in your ear.

Letting my hands wander towards my face to rub my eyes, I noticed they still had dried bloodstrains on them.

I furrowed my eyebrows, turning towards the source of the beeping just to realize it was an ECG-monitor, minuting my heart-beat.

So, I was in the hospital; that was not too surprising, since I sure wouldn't be in pain the way I am right now if I was dead.

I took a deep breath and faced, that I passed out apparently, since there was hardly any memory after the phone call I had with the police.

Nothing. No memory at all and it bugged me.

Suddenly, I flinched in shock, grabbing the white sheets beneith me with my fists.

The kids!

"Allison!" Mom now spoke loudly to why I was jerking up in bed and making the ECG go mental.

My head swung over and I loosened up.

"Jesus, Mom, how long were you sitting there, you scared me to death?"

She walked towards me, gently pressing my head agaist her stomach, stroking my head.

"I scared you?" She asked disbelieving and with an upset tone. "I just had the most frightning 24 hours of my life" her voice was shaky as she now let go off me to kneel down in front of the bed.

"I will tell a nurse that you're awake" she spoke and reached for one of my blood covered hands just to drop it seconds afterwards.

"Please wait." I begged. "Can you tell me what's happened first?"

Mom turned around. "I think you should get better first; it won't be much of a nice story"

Biting my lip, I once again held her back. "What about Michael?... Was... was he here?"

Her eyes became sad. "Michael is the last person to care about others, Allison"

With that, she left.

She was right. Michael would have no intentions to see me for 4 weeks and he told me I meant nothing to him; why would he show up? Why can't I accept what an asshole he truely is? I acted so chidish and pathetic when it came to my feelings towards MIchael and that pained me more than my leg did.

Still, I wondered why mom knows that as well - was she now believing the stories people were telling? She wasn't that kind, actually.

My mother always told me to always be true to yourself and give everyone a chance of doing it as well and knowing that this was her attitude, made the whole situation even more confusing.

"Hello Allison, I'm Dr.-"

"Brown" I finished her sentence. "You're Mr. Brown's wife, if I'm not mistaken"

She nodded smiling and was about to shake my hand.

"I wouldn't reccoment that. You could get HIV, and Hepatitis B or C"

Mrs Brown laughed. "Good thing you're that informed" she spoke, putting on gloves to shake my blood-strained hand.

"Do you want to become a doctor someday?"