Dawn Of The Day

Chapter 6. Elevator

Panicking, I pressed the emergency button again and again. There was no response. I moved on to the others on the board before punching and kicking the door with all my strength. I cursed everything and everyone I could think of. Today could not get any worse.

I dropped to the floor, sweating like a pig. The walls seemed to close in on me. The elevator became a coffin, and I would soon be a corpse in it. Tears rose in my eyes, but I tried not to let any of them fall. I was determined not to be weak.

The gloomy thought of dying and being mummified in the elevator upset me. I ripped the jacket that Robert had lent me earlier this morning and threw it at the door, imagining it was his face. He should've not stopped at his company to retrieve those damn files. Who cared about work when the whole world went to shit? We could've been on our way. Hell, we could've been home by now if we didn't stop there. It was all his fault. Then he left. Robert, once again, had abandoned me.

A few seconds later, I crawled to the coat and wrapped myself in it. It smelled like him. I pictured Robert's face, then Vince's and Dad's. They were out there somewhere. They would come to save me eventually. I just needed to stay alive until then...

I lay in the pool of my sweat, not knowing if it was day or night. It must have been hours? Or a day? My head hurt. My ears were ringing. The forgotten hunger came back and intensified with every breath I took. I saw stars, like fireworks in the dark. Heat rose from the inside out. I wondered how long I could've stayed conscious like this. I started tapping on the elevator's wall, not with Morse code. I had forgotten most of what my dad had taught me. It was just the beat of "Thunderstruck" to keep me awake.

I chuckled at the memory of me, Vince, and Robert. We used to drive around in Vince's old Camaro, blasting music. We had shared many great moments. "Thunderstruck" had been our number-one favorite song. It had played when we drove two states away to watch a baseball match, on repeat when Vince got dumped by his high school girlfriend Cathy McCalister, and then again when we went to prom. I remembered that rainy summer night, under the bridge, Robert had kissed me...

Right now, I missed it. The rain. I was parched.

Then I heard something. Voices and footsteps. I thought I was dreaming at first. It was muffled but got clearer and clearer. I got up and crawled to the door. I banged on it and shouted with everything I got.

"Help...help me...I'm in here..."

My voice came out barely a whisper. I wasn't sure if anyone heard me, but I had to try. Death would not claim me so easily. In the pitch-black space, I could taste my fear and desperation.

"There's someone inside!"

The voice and footsteps approaching were music from Heaven. I sighed and dropped my head on the floor...

***

Cool air tickled my face. Something smelled odd, but familiar. Sterile, cold, and bitter. It made me want to sneeze, and then cry.

The first thing I saw as I opened my eyes was a bright yellow light orb hanging right above me.

I must have died.

This must be Heaven.

There was nothing in the world that could be so perfect. So round and bright. Perfect. I smiled. If I could reach out and catch it...

"You said it's just exhaustion, why hasn't she woken up yet?"

The jarring voice yanked me right back to Earth. I knew that voice. It gave me a headache.

"Please calm down, sir! She will wake up soon. We have given her fluid and..."

"Fluid? That's all? Don't you see how she looks? Is there anyone I can talk to? Where is the doctor?"

"Sir! If you can't remain calm, I will call security!" The woman sounded soft but authoritative.

"Call security? Why don't you just go ahead? Do you know who I am? I know I should've transferred her. It was your director who begged me to stay...."

"Oh my God, Dad! Please! You're making a scene...This is so embarrassing!"

They went back and forth before moving further from where I was. I wanted to call them but couldn't. I couldn't open my mouth or move a limb. They must be here because of me. Why didn't they just come in and check if I was awake instead of arguing like children? It was frustrating and terrifying when you were all alone, trapped inside your own body, and your loved ones were inches away, unaware.

When I got up, I would give them a piece of my mind.

With determination, I focused on moving one finger at a time. It took way more energy than I had expected. The little phalanges felt like logs. I clenched my teeth. My breathing was all over the place.

My movements must have triggered something because, within a few minutes, the nurses rushed in. I tried to smile at them, but no one smiled back. Maybe they didn't see me doing that, or I didn't look very presentable. I tried to make some noises, but all that came out of me was huffing. I sounded and probably looked a lot like a strangled animal. A cool hand pressed on my forehead, stopping my actions.

"Mom?" I asked with tears in my eyes. My mom had passed away for such a long time that if it wasn't for the photos, I wouldn't have remembered how she looked. This felt like her, however. It must be. No one had the touch that tender.

"Lou..."

It was not Mom.

I opened my eyes wide and blinked. Robert leaned forward in his chair and smiled at me. He must have been here the whole time. I didn't see him coming in with the nurses. He still wore the same outfit as the last time I saw him, a black puffer coat with khaki pants. His face was haggard. Dark circles under his eyes and stubble on his sharp jawline made him look different. He must have not slept for quite some time.

"You look like shit," I muttered. My 'filter', the very little of it, had completely gone. I had wanted to ask him many questions. Where I was, what happened, why he was here, where my dad and Vince had gone, but all that came out of my mouth was "You look like shit." Great job, Louise.

"I know," he chuckled softly while scratching his barely-there beard. "You, on the other hand, don't look so bad."

"Oh, that doesn't work, sir." I snorted, didn't even know what I had found so funny.

"Tenth grade, recess. It worked then, remember?" Robert smiled again and removed his glasses. No one could tell how much those beautiful brown eyes had suffered.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, suddenly feeling bad for him.

Robert's expression sobered up quickly.