Generation Infinosil

Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven - Kaitlyn

2050

My surroundings had a very clinical smell about them, which isn't surprising, really, considering I was in a hospital. The thought of that word sent a cold shiver down my spine, the kind you get when you hear nails on a chalk board. I hated hospitals, I avoided them with as much effort as I could muster. Hospitals, in my opinion, were the worst places in the world. Every single one of them reminded me of waking up after the accident.

A nurse had been cleaning the wound on my face, but he had to leave when a more urgent injury needed his attention. I wished that I could just leave like he did, I didn't want to come here anyway, but Cassy and Aimee insisted. They didn't ask much of me, so I felt obliged to do this for them. They wanted to come and sit with me, but I asked to be left alone. There was only one person that I wanted to be with.

I led down on the hospital bed, deciding to rest my eyes for a few minutes; the events of the day had left me exhausted. As soon as I closed my eyes, images of being surrounded by flames filled my mind. I couldn't escape. Every where I turned was blocked with destructive fire. There was a man. A man dressed in black, laughing at me, cackling at me. I jolted up in the bed.

Someone was rustling with the curtains that were drawn around the bed. Someone was coming for me. The man was coming for me.

"Kaitlyn?"

I sighed in relief, it was only Shane. I don't know why I said "only" as if it wasn't a big deal, it was a huge deal, I was unbelievably grateful, his arms around me were exactly what I needed right now. "Shane!" I exclaimed happily, running towards him as soon as he pulled the curtains back.

"Woah, hi," he laughed, seemingly shocked at my outburst of affection, "someone's happy to see me."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I can go if you like?" He asked, but he was smiling, he knew I wanted him here.

"Don't you dare." I warned light-heartedly, walking back to the bed and sitting down on it. I patted beside me, gesturing for him to join me. He slowly walked towards me and perched on the edge. "You can sit closer you know, I won't bite." I laughed.

"It's good to see that you're feeling better." He said, shuffling towards me. His gaze shifted to my rather ugly looking injury, which resulted in me turning away from him.

"It'll probably scar." I state.

"I'm not sure, the surface area is large but the damage doesn't seem too deep. There are creams they can give you now a days to help it heal." He placed his forefinger gently below my chin and slowly turned my face around so that he could inspect my burnt skin. Then he looked me in the eyes and said something that took my breath away, "you're very beautiful Kaitlyn, even if this does scar, I want you to know that you'll still be beautiful."

I could feel my cheeks redden. No one had ever called me beautiful before, except maybe my parents when I was an infant (not that I remember that) but most parents call their children beautiful, so that doesn't count. Shane just called me beautiful.

"I don't know what to say." I said.

"You don't have to say anything, just know that I mean it." He replied, almost whispering.

He was still looking at me, still with his finger in contact with my chin. He stroked my jaw bone ever so slightly with his thumb and followed it with his eyes, as if he were admiring the shape of my jaw and the tone of my skin. Then his eyes fell on my lips, his head seemed to tilt closer to mine, and ... We were interrupted when my phone rang and made us jump out of our skins.