The Reaper's Assistant

*4*

When I woke up I felt like I'd been drugged and my head pounded with a migraine.

My tongue and mouth felt fuzzy and swollen.

I felt peckish, like I could eat but probably shouldn't.

Fuzzy voices spread through my ears making me curious. I felt like I was at home on the couch. It was uncomfy and I wanted to move.

Wait, yesterday was Wednesday. What time was it?

I sat up and looked around, holding my head against the migraine creeping up my neck. I tried to drop my feet over the bed and noticed a few things when my knee bumped into iron rails.

For one...

My bed never had iron rails.

My room was never painted white.

And Lilytail was nowhere to be seen.

The room smelled like fake lemon and alcohol-based hand sanitizer and it made my head hurt more. I groaned a little and tried to stretch only to be stopped by the IV in my arm.

I huffed under my breath at the annoying thing and instead pressed a call button for a nurse.

As the little bell dinged over the PA, mom came into the room with Lilytail in her arms. The cat jumped into the bed and sat in my lap. Mom jumped a little seeing me awake and sat in obe of the chairs with a smile.

"Hey honey. How ya' feelin'?" She asked handing me a bottle of water.

I shook my head and took the water. "I can't remember a whole lot. What happened?"

Mom chuckled and stroked Lilytail's head. "You came out of the school with blood soaking your hair and it looked like you'd spit up blood. You were covered in the stuff. I went back to the school today and demanded to know what happened. Ms. Keys told me what happebed. That girl Tiffanny has pending aggravated assault charges right now."

I sighed.

Knowing her too well she would try to blame me for this. With her dad's influence she would say I taunted her with obscene jestures and hateful words. A lie of course, but likely to bump down her sentancing a little.

I sat in the bed for a minute listening to the clock tick and stroked Lilytail, thinking to myself.

  I smiled and began petting her downy soft fur again.

     Before long a doctor came in with a clipboard and pen.

  "Well Mr. Xaviar, you have a few broken ribs and a mild concusion. How'd you hit your head kid?" He spoke in a formal, undemanding tone. Simple questions.

  "Ah, about that, I didn't hit my head, I had a book thrown at me." I rubbed my sides and went back to petting my cat.

  His face gave nothing away but his eyes danced with curiousity and concern. "How do you feel? Any dizziness or blurred vision?"

   I shook my head. "No, but I've got a killer migraine. Can you guys do anything for that?"

   The doctor hummed and wrote something on his clipboard. "We can give you some Tylonol with your next meal. Other than that I can't do much. Anyway the main thing I came here for. Your getting discharched in a few hours. Mrs. Xaviar, your tests came back...I'm afraid I have bad news. Would you like to discuss it in another room?"

   Dread dropped like a stone in my stomach.

  What had happened now?