When the Clock Strikes Midnight

9:30 a.m

I turn over, groaning. It's too bright in here. There is a steady beeping that is annoying the hell out of me. I rub my eyes, sighing. I open my eyes and look around. I see my parents sleeping in chairs beside my bed. Keira is sleeping on my mom's lap. I turn to the other side of the room and see Jackson and Hailey sleeping in chairs in the corner of the room. I sigh, looking around. I see a clock on the wall and see the time. It is 9:30 a.m. I want to get up and walk around, but I don't know if I can. I decide that I may as well try. I slowly use my arms to help myself prop up to more of a sitting position then I slowly swing my legs off of the side of the bed. There is a slight stinging in my legs but besides that it doesn't hurt too bad. I slowly push myself to stand up, grabbing onto the railing on my bed for support. I eventually stand up and just hold still for a second, my head spinning. Once my vision clears up I timidly take a step forward. I close my eyes and hold my breath, hoping that I stay standing. Once I realize that I am not going to fall over I take another step. And another. I am about to take another step when I feel a tug on my arm. I look down and see an IV attached to my arm that is keeping me hydrated. I slowly turn around and look at the pole. It has wheels on it, so I can bring it with me. I walk slowly towards the pole and grab on to it, pulling it away from the wall. It pulls towards me with ease and I grip the pole tightly, using it as support. I walk faster towards the door, the pain becoming more and more tolerable. The doors to my room open and I step outside, breathing deeply. I look around, trying to take in my surroundings. I see a desk with a ton of nurses at it. They smile at me politely and one of them stands up, walking towards me. She puts her hand on my forearm to help me support myself. I smile at her weakly, appreciating the support.

"Hey Peach. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" I nod my head slightly, doing so causing a shooting pain in my neck. I quickly bring a hand up to my neck, wincing slightly. She notices and starts guiding me towards a chair in the hall. She helps me sit down and lifts my chin up gently, exposing all of the bruises on my neck. I wince, the movement causing a lot of pain in my throat. She frowns, gently touching all of the bruises on my neck. I wince every time she does. She lowers my chin back down and looks at me.

"Well sweetie, it looks like your vocal cords are pretty bruised. You should avoid talking whenever you can. It will help you heal a lot faster. I can get you a whiteboard and marker so that you can talk when you need to. But for now, let's get you back to bed. Does that sound alright?" I shake my head, not wanting to go back to my room. She frowns and stands up, walking away. She returns a couple of minutes later with a whiteboard and a marker. She hands it to me and I quickly start writing. I turn the board around to her and she starts reading it out loud.

"I don't want to be lying in a bed. I want to walk around a little bit. If that is ok." She smiles at me, crouching down in front of me. She grabs my hand gently and I flinch, but I don't pull away.

"Honey, it's gonna be hard for you to walk. You can walk around, but at least let me get someone to go with you. It can be one of your friends if you want." I start to nod but a shooting pain goes down my neck. She seems to understand and stands up, helping me up with her.

"Ok. I will help you walk to whatever room you want to go to. Can you walk alright?" I open up my marker and write 'yes' on the board. She nods and we start walking down the hall. I look through all of the doors as we pass, looking for someone who is awake. I look into one room and see that the person is awake. I quickly start to walk towards it and the nurse helps me get into the room. After patting me on the shoulder she walks out, leaving me alone in here. It is Jack. He has just woken up and is looking around in confusion. Once his eyes find mine they instantly tear up, making my eyes blurry too. I stumble over to the chair, sitting down. Jack instantly leaps out of the bed and latches onto me, tears already starting to soak my shoulder. I instantly latch onto him, holding him close to me. It hurts to cry but I still do, not being able to control myself. We stay like this for a couple of minutes until Jack pulls away. He manages to get back onto his bed, laying down with a sigh. I uncap my marker and start writing. Jack looks at me curiously but doesn't interrupt me. I finally finish and I flip the whiteboard towards him, revealing what I wrote.