SOUR

Brutal

The steady beeping and whirring sounds played in a never ending loop.

Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep Whoosh Whoosh Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep

My eyebrows furrowed together, confused and disoriented as my eyes tried to flutter open but even the dim light was proving to be too much. It felt like I was staring directly in the sun. I lifted my hand, trying to shield my eyes against the brightness, feeling a strange tug as I did so.

Finally, my eyes managed to open and I could feel myself starting to freak out. The fluorescent tube lighting of a hospital with it's sterile, blinding white beam was splashing me in the dim setting, enough light to see where I was.

My heart caught in my throat as I realized the beeping sound was coming from me. The nausea of my anxiety building in my throat as I tried pushing myself up into a seated position, wildly looking around and getting more nervous as I did so.

A strange man, slumped over asleep, was in the corner. Tall thin legs, black cowboy boots and a mess of blonde hair, half covered by a short hospital issued blanket.

Who was that? Where was Nikki?

My eyes landed in the beige telephone at my bedside and I carefully picked up the phone, holding it to my ear as I dialed my apartment number hoping above all hopes that Nikki was there.

"Hello?" At the sound of his voice I could feel myself breaking, the anxiety from the situation and fear overwhelming me. A soft sob escaped my lips, "Hel- Angel? Angel, is that you?" I was nodding stupidly as if he could see me. Wiping the tears and shooting looks at the man in the chair. Trying to quiet myself and not wake him.

"Nikki, what's going on? I'm scared and there's a stranger in my room. I remember being at the bar with you. We were going to go away to Mexico for a couple days and i was thinking if I should pack that new black bikini I bought and-" I stopped rambling as I saw the blonde waking up, his eyes searching the room. "Please, Nikki. Please I'm alone and I'm scared. Please come." I hung up the phone quickly. He surely knew where I was. He would come and fix all of this.

The blonde was standing up, his eyes on me, soft and scared as he reached for my hand. I felt frozen, shocked and unsure.

"Baby, oh my God." His lips kissed my hands causing me to flinch. A hurt look was on his face, "Do you feel okay? Can I get you anything? I should get the doctor. Give me one second." He was rushing out of the room, his tall limbs seeming to bump into each other as he went into the hallways.

Who was that and why was he calling me baby?

Nikki POV

The car whizzed through LA traffic, my heart beating as I urged the car to go a little faster. Just a little faster, please. I thought.

She had called me. Her voice came through the telephone after almost a month of being in a coma. But even before that when had she called me before this?

Was it the winter of '87 after we broke up? Has it really been three years since it all went to hell?

Slash had called me after the car accident. The day I had locked myself in my house, thinking about how badly I wanted to numb himself with heroin. The drug would

Surely take away the pain. But I had been clean for two and a half years. Still drinking on occasion but not on all the shit that left me spiraling, not knowing who I was.

I had let the phone go to voicemail but when I heard the frantic tone from my friend I had picked it up trying to make out what was going on.

The details had been fuzzy. Coming out between sighs and groans and swears. But I remembered the words that hit me the hardest. Piercing my heart and making me take a choking breath.