Evelyn

Chapter 3: Evelyn

I woke up to a pounding reverberating through my skull as light shined into my eyes. Groaning, I pushed my elbows into the bed, moving to sit up and look around the room. I was in my bedroom with a small portable monitor beeping next to me, connected to my finger and chest through wires. In addition, an IV drip was connected to my arm. As I shifted around, I looked down and realized that my clothes had been changed to a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Oh my goodness, you're awake!" my mother exclaimed, rushing over to hug me. As she pulled away, I noticed that she had deep purple circles under her eyes and a crinkled forehead. She looked entirely drained.

"Oh, let me grab Dr. Grady! Kayla is here as well, I'll make sure she knows!" my mother exclaimed before rushing out of my room.

Below my bedroom, I could hear muffled but loud masculine voices arguing, although I wasn't sure what it was about. I pulled back the covers, thinking about laying on the ground to try and listen to the conversation. Before I could though, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" I called, quickly pulling the sheets and bedspread over my legs.

Dr. Grady, the only doctor in our small town, walked in with a slight bow to her head. Her black hair was pulled into a unique braid, a semblance of her Inuit heritage.

"How are you feeling Mrs. Evelyn? You had quite the fall."

"Um," I paused taking a moment to think about how I felt, "My body feels a bit...strange. A bit tingly and my forehead aches a bit."

"I see." Her eyebrows knit together as she reached into her bag and pulled out a stethoscope. Blowing hot air onto it, she brought it to my chest, moving it around my heart and lungs.

"Everything sounds normal," she stopped and glanced at the monitor, "and your vitals look good. You're going to be just fine."

She smiled at me and patted my shoulder before removing my IV and packing up the monitors. Then, she walked to the door and paused, "That being said, I think there is someone here to see you."

My eyes widened and I smiled, looking as a girl with black hair and caramel skin pushed past Dr. Grady and dashed through the door.

"Kayla!" I squealed as my best friend launched herself on me.

She squeezed me into a tight hug, "Oh I was so worried about you!"

"Kayla Amaruq Grady, careful! She passed out a few hours ago!" Dr. Grady exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes as I giggled at her, "Okay, okay, mom, I'll be careful with Apaay."

"Apaay" was the Inuit nickname Kayla had given me when we were children. She told me it meant "sweet." When we were younger, I used to share the cookies my mom had sent me to school with, with Kayla, leading to the nickname. In turn, she let me try arvik, whale. t wasn't my favorite, but I tried to pretend to like it so that I wouldn't offend her, leading to her saying  I was as sweet as the cookies were.

"So how are you feeling Apaay?"

"I-I don't know," I paused trying to collect my thoughts, "what even happened?"

"I- I'm not entirely sure," Kaylas gaze left mine, looking to the bed absently, and in my gut, I felt the stinging sensation, almost sickness, that she was lying. Kayla never lied to me.

I grabbed her hand, forcing her attention on me. "Kayla do you know something?"

She sighed, "I think you should ask your parents." She offered a dejected half-smile.

I sat there silently, trying to comb through my memories for answers. I remembered my fathers business associate walking in and after that it was a blur. I couldn't remember how I fell, how I got to my room, nothing. In the fragments of my memory, all I was left with was the sharp, almost stabbing feeling, that something was missing from me. I glanced around my room, eyes searching for answers but I couldn't seem to find one. Looking around the room absent-mindedly, my eyes made contact with a suit coat sitting on the corner of my bed.