Running Red: Lost Moon

Chapter 2: White Ceiling

As Levi slowly woke up, he could hear familiar faint beeping, and he let out a loud groan. He opened his eyes to glare at the white hospital ceiling just as the door to the room opened. A woman walked in holding a paper cup of coffee. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a messy half-bun, wispy strands of stray hair framing her face. She looked tired, and when she looked up with green eyes, she gave a relieved sigh.

Levi gave her his crooked grin as he croaked out, "Hi, mom."

"I think we should put a limit on the number of times you can scare me in a year?" Rhea took a drink from her cup of coffee and sat down in a chair next to his bed. Her green eyes squinted at the cup of coffee. "I'm getting worried that I'm actually getting used to this questionable coffee." She was in an oversized college sweatshirt and jeans covered in white powder. It took Levi a minute to realize that she must have come straight from work.

He shrugged and said, "You're the one who drinks that stuff," as he slowly sat up in the bed. "So, how long was I out this time?"

Rhea hummed and sat her cup on the side table. "Not even a full twenty-four hours."

"When did I get to the hospital?"

"Gray told me the Hemmings found you about three in the morning when their dogs started barking." Rhea reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "He came to get me an hour later after making sure you made it to the hospital. You've been out all morning and most of the afternoon. Also... I kind of panicked."

Levi stared at the wall. It took him a second to catch on, and then he looked at her with wide eyes, "Mom, what did you do?"

"I... may have... called Michael."

He let his head roll to the side with a loud groan. "No, mom, why?"

Rhea spoke over him. "Levi, you have a mild concussion, don't move your head too fast." Once Levi sunk back into the pillow, she sighed while her shoulders sagged. "He said he'll be here at the end of the week."

Levi grumbled as he looked away.

"Look, Micheal is... he's trying to fix whatever happened between you two. And it's just us three now."

"He seemed fine staying with his aunt out on the east coast."

Rhea sighed, "Levi. I really wish you found out about everything in a different way."

Levi slumped further into his pillows and gave a soft sigh. "I don't think Dad was planning on me finding out about everything that way either." He could still remember the words written out on the letter hidden in his dad's old office. "I still remember the words. 'Happy 17th birthday'. And to think I found it after I was seventeen and more than a year after he died."

Rhea reached out and squeezed his arm. "I'm going to go get a nurse to page your doctor so we can get you out of here."

"Sure."

She gave his arm one last squeeze before leaving the room. Levi let his arms fall to his sides, wincing at the pull from the IV needle. He wouldn't be surprised if he got stuck here overnight. He could barely remember what happened past his truck breaking down. He went to move his feet when pain flared. He yanked the blanket to the side to find his lower right leg in a cast. A groan of frustration left him. He hated crutches.

Levi glanced around and found a TV hanging in the corner. He started searching for the remote to the TV. It was better than sitting in the dull room bored out of his mind.

Levi was minutes from pestering a nurse about getting something else to relieve him of his boredom when the door opened. He looked over to see a fair-skinned woman in scrubs walk in holding a plastic bag with items inside and a clipboard tucked under one of her arms. Sitting up, he winced and pressed his hand on his tender side. Right, the doctor told him about the bruising on his ribs. The nurse gave him a raised brow. "I'm going to be your nurse for the rest of the day and most of the night. You can call me True." Her auburn hair was pulled into a messy tail. Green-brown eyes looked tired as she held the plastic bag out to him. "I figured you'd want these now and not later."