Swans Don't Quit

Again

 I started to stir to the annoying sound of something beeping. I took a swing to left in an attempt to stop the noise, but ended up getting caught in some sort of wire. I slowly opened my eyes to see that I had an IV hooking me up to a machine. I groaned and lowered my head back down on the pillow, closing my eyes again. I was in the damn hospital again! I heard shifting on the other side of the room and opened my eyes again. Dad was walking toward me from the plastic chair across the room with Alex sleeping soundly in his arms.

"Please tell me I wasn't out for another month in a coma." I pleaded and grimaced at the pain it cause the upper left of my face and the pain echoed through to the back of my head. I ignored the pain and looked up at dad. He had cracked a small smile, but I could still see the worry etched all over his face. I looked down at Alex and tried to smile without grimacing.

"No, they only sedated you for the night, nothing more." He replied and I sighed in relief as I tried to relax into the uncomfortable hospital mattress.

"Where's Leah?" I asked as I looked around the room to find no trace of her anywhere. Dad's face turned grave at the mention of Leah and I it had to be bad. Something bad had to have happened if it kept Leah here from fussing over or killing me.

"Harry had a heart attack last night." Dad said before turning away from me and tried to hide that he was wiping away tears. Dad hated showing emotion since Renee had left him and he saw it as I sign of weakness.

"Is he alright? Is he here, too? I have to get to Leah." I said as I tried to sit up and get out of bed.

"No, no, no! You stay in bed till the doctor checks you out." Dad said as he pushed me back down onto the bed as he held onto Alex with the other.

"Harry's not here. He died at the house." Dad said and the impact of the news caused me to fall back onto the bed. I was speechless as I stared up at dad. Harry died? I had just asked his permission to marry his daughter not even twenty four hours ago and he was dead?

"Leah needs me more than ever then." I said with a new determination as I hurried to get out of the bed. I was almost half way up when the room started to spin and I fell back, cringing at the pain it cause in my head. The heart monitor raced and a doctor came running into the room with two nurses right behind him.

"Hold still Mr. Swan. You can't move too fast. You have a concussion from your head trauma." The doc said as the one nurse checked the machine and the other started pulling at the bandages that I hadn't noticed where on my face and ran to the back of my head.

"I have to get out of here! Leah needs me!" I insisted as I struggled. The nurses each grabbed one of my shoulders pulling me back down onto the mattress.

"I need to get to Leah!" I stated as another nurse came in and injected something into my IV. I could feel the cool liquid run through my veins and my lids started to droop as I fought. Leah needed me I couldn't give up. Leah needs me, Leah needs me, Leah needs me! I chanted as I fought till darkness over took me.

I woke again to the sun in a different side of the sky. I tried to lift my hand to block the sun that was shining through the window, but found that my hands were strapped to the bed rails. I tried to remember why I was tied down and remembered my fight with the nurses. They were making sure that I didn't leave without their permission. I looked around the room to see dad over in the plastic chair, sleeping without Alex.

"Dad." I said. He didn't stir so I tried it again but louder.

"Dad." I said and he twitched before settling back into the chair.

"Dad!" I called and he spring from the chair. His hand twitched to the gun on his hip as he searched the room for an intruder.

"You're awake." He said and looked guilty as he moved to my side.