Beep, Beep, Beep
Those were the noise Nikolai woke up to hear. His body felt heavy and weak. And he felt scared, so scared.
"мама !"
Nikolai cried out even though the soreness in his throat made it painful. Tears swell up as he turns his aching head to the side.
"мама здесь, мама здесь!" Mom's here, mom's here
Nikolai's mother's warm hand caresses his forehead. As if she were magical, Nikolai felt better knowing she was there. His sight was so blurry his eyes couldn't be bothered to open.
"мама kак я до сих пор жив?" Mama, how am I still alive?
" A little girl saw you fall, baby, saw it and saved you. Oh, how grateful I am for her ... " Nikolai could hear the gratitude in her voice. He could feel her hand tremble as if he was going to melt then and there.
"I am grateful too, мама. "
With his mother around, Nikolai got lulled to sleep faster. He didn't have a nightmare of being swallowed alive. Or nightmares of that one girl purposely leaving him to die. He slept peacefully that day.
It was the next day when Nikolai felt a bit better. He didn't feel as dizzy as he had before. Sitting on the hospital bed, coloring on a blank piece of paper. He drew cars, the sun, his mom, and his grandma. His head looked up when he heard the door open.
It was a little girl around his age. She had tight curly hair, and pink beads at the end of her hairstyle. She had chubby cheeks and big eyes that stared up at him. He saw her holding a bedazzled pink stick. Next to her side was an older version of her. More mature looking, with a slick back puff. They both had hospital gowns on as he did. Nikolai could only stare like a deer at them.
"Hi, I'm Nana and this is my mommy!"
Nana introduced with her eyes darting around the hospital room. She then got closer and stood at the side of his bed. "What's your name?"
Nikolai chewed at his lower lip. And couldn't say a word. He just looked everywhere but her. He felt nervous. Nikolai's face felt as warm as it did when he had a fever. He didn't want to say anything, he was afraid she'd mock his accent.
Seconds turned to minutes of silence until she spoke again. "It's okay if you don't wanna speak. My mama told me it's because you're scared. And I didn't want to speak too when I fell in after you."
His eyes widen in alertness, turning his head toward her quickly. She also fell in?
How?
Wait...
This is the little girl who saved me?
"Now you're looking at me!" she smiles at him. To which he immediately looks away in embarrassment. "You ears are turning red! Mommy look!" Nana giggled, pointing to Nikolai's pink ears. He swiftly cups his ears with his hands. "Princess stop it, you're gon embarrass that boy to death," her mother scolds.
"Die?! Oh no... I'm sorry, don't die okay?" She says apologetically to Nikolai. Even as a non-native American, Nikolai knew she didn't mean it literally. He couldn't help but giggle.
Nana looks at him and smile, as giggling was contagious she giggled too. "What's so funny?" Nana's mother asks, confused as to why the children were so gigglingly. "Did they drug my damn baby..?" Nana's mother mutters a little too loudly. Their eyes meet and wet they burst out laughing.
