Oxygen

Chapter 2

"Female, 17-year-old, 124 pounds, 5"6..."

Those are first words I can understand as I come into consciousness. Where am I? I wiggle my body around slightly so I can figure out why I feel so numb, and heavy. A sharp pain catches my breath in my abdomen. There are some aches and pains in my arms and legs, those are nothing new. My heart starts to speed up as I realize where I am.

"Oh!" My eyes flutter open to see a tall, muscular man with dark brown hair, listening to another man, who looks a lot younger in comparison. I notice the various tubes and bandages across my body, and the beeping noise on the monitor next to me tells me my heart rate is going up again.

"Hi Ali, my name is Doctor Sheldon and I just need you to keep still for a little bit... I'll explain everything in a few moments" the man said. 

"Okay" I try to say back, but there is a sudden commotion coming from outside the door.

"Tyler, can you please help Nurse Raddock with the other patient? I'm fine here" Doctor Sheldon says to the boy whom I now know is Tyler.

Doctor Sheldon walks around the room and reaches for the clipboard at the edge of my bed. I notice that there are various "get well soon" cards on the end as well, and a few teddy bears. I start to panic again, wondering what possibly could have happened.

"Ali, do you remember anything that happened before now? Do you know why you're here?" The doctor looks at me as if I was stupid.

"Uh... I'm not quite sure.." I lie quickly, remembering Sean. I always knew how to come up with excuses for the various other times he had hurt me, but they had never been this bad. I never had to be hospitalized. My stupid frail body, I could get him in trouble. 

"Well, you seemed to have had quite a beating to your body.. as a result one of your kidneys had been pierced.. just a tiny pierce. Thankfully your friend Sean found you, and called an ambulance. You very nearly almost died. I had to perform quickly on you. You will be recovering for a few months, so no more sports..."

I sort of tuned him out after that. No sports? I couldn't run? I was starting to think he probably should have just left me to die, it would have been easier for everyone. I couldn't deal without running. Running was what cleared my head, and helped me deal with stress. 

"...Probably shouldn't do anything strenuous at all in fact, I made sure your mother was fully informed about all of thi-" 

"MY MOM WAS HERE?!"

Oh no. Ohhh no no no. My mom really couldn't know about this. She had her suspicions on Sean, and I couldn't have her nagging me anymore about him. She'd be in a forever fit when I ever got home. Wait, when was I going home?

"Of course, she had to sign some papers. Her company while you're out also helps with the recovery, studies show."

He smiled at me with a big, dopey grin. I grimaced back. How could I possibly deal with this? 

A little tiny bit of me was saying "Ali, you know this is all his fault..." But I pushed it away. Sean was amazing, he helped me with everything and made me laugh, and sexually made me happy. I'd always wanted a boyfriend when I was younger, and I wasn't going to pass him up just because he hits me a few times... Besides, I deserve it. 

The boy named Tyler walked in at that moment, and told Doctor Sheldon that a patient named Kamela was going into liver failure, so he dashed out of the room with a few, quick goodbyes, leaving me with the boy.

"Hi"

"Hi"

"I'm Tyler, uh I intern here..."

"That's.. cool?" 

I didn't really know what this kid expected me to say, after just being told so many restrictions and worries now added to my life. I couldn't deal with a really good-looking, tall.. Oops. I can't be thinking of him that way. Sean would kill me. Literally.

"So, pretty bad fall you had there, how'd it happen?" He looked at me patiently, kind of uncomfortably.

"I don't remember." I answered simply, no need to tell this guy what happened. 

"Really? You didn't get hit in the head with anything though..." He looked smug. 

I wanted to smack him. Who did he think he was? It was my own damn business if I remembered or not, let alone if I wanted to tell him what happened. 

"Guess it's not really my business anyway." He grumbled.

Poor kid. He had to be around sick, old people dying everyday. It was probably weird for him, having a girl like me almost worse than most of his patients here. 

"I'll see ya around then, I guess" And he left. 

--------------

"Ali, I was so worried, I can't believe you don't remember what happened! What if you were raped! Oh my god!" 

"Mom, they checked that, and I wasn't, and I'm okay now. Calm down!"

It was a few weeks later and we were on the way home. I was content with my friendly's milkshake, and new pair of leather boots in the trunk, a gift for my coming home. I didn't need my mother already questioning and worrying me.

"I know, I just worry so much about you. And this was a pretty big deal, Ali. I really hope Sean didn't.." She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the look on my face. I mean I know she loves me and what-not, but I always tell her Sean and me are perfectly happy and fine. Which we are.

Speaking of Sean, I hadn't heard from him or seen him since the accident, except for the teddy bear and flowers he left me. I missed him, and wanted to be with him as soon as possible.

"Can I go see him?" I asked my mom, hoping she would notice the puppy-dog eyes I was glaring at her with. 

"No, the doctor told me you had to be at home resting, no physical anything." My mom started blushing eratically, making me blush. Did she really have to go there?

"Mom, please don't. Sean and I are still virgins." It was a lie, but at this point, I had lied so many times about his and mine's relationship that it didn't matter anymore.

Sean had taken my virginity a few months into the relationship, and with it my total devotion to him. He was a gentlemen about it, and never pressured me into anything. It was my idea in the first place. 

"He may visit you at the house Ali, nothing more." My mom turned the radio on, signaling she was finished with the conversation. 

I picked up my bag, and pulled out various items, searching for my phone. Finally I found the beat-up EnV 2, and turned it on. I had 55 unread messages. I glanced at who had sent them, mostly kids I knew, some numbers I didn't recognize, most were from my best friend Savannah. Shit, I'll have to call her too. She can wait. I found Sean's. His were all sweet, telling me he missed me and to get better. I quickly dialed his number, and on the first ring he picked up.

"Ali, oh my gosh baby, how are you?"

"Sean I miss you so much, I'm fine, I'm driving home from the hospital right now"

There was silence on the other end.

"Sean?.."

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" His voice was getting angrier.

I felt the lump rise in my throat.

"I-I didn't mean not to call, I just.. was sleeping when they got me" I lied. I rarely ever lied to him, but I was just so exhausted from everything that I couldn't deal with his anger right now.

"Oh okay, can you come over?" His tone immediately changed.

"No, my mom won't let me. You can come here though" I told him.

He said he loved me and that he'd be over in a few minutes, and I hung up. I started to relax. My mom set me up on the couch with my favorite blanket, picked Tom up and put him on my lap, and gave me ginger ale. 

The doorbell rang.