Focus

2. Focus on waking up

"The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last."
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
•••

April groaned groggily as she slowly opened her heavy eyelids. Her head was pounding and her body felt heavy and slow and weak. The first thing the woman noticed were the bountiful bouquets of brilliantly hued blooms, the big balloons and the brown bears that blanketed the room. The second was the beeping of machines.

She took a deep inhale and was immediately assaulted by the smell of sanitizer, speedwells and snapdragons. She hissed at the strong scents as she clutched onto the expensive sunflower shaded sheets.

The different smells coupled with the bright lights of her room caused her headache to worsen.

"Easy now." She heard a silvery soft spoken voice speak. The person who was speaking was standing to her right. April couldn't see the individual because her eyes were still closed, reeling in from all the visual stimuli. It took a few breaths before April gathered the strength to force her eyes open but once she did, she realized where she was.

Viceroy Medical. She wondered who would be footing the bill. Viceroy was one of the most high-end hospitals in San Andreas, known for its luxurious amenities and world-class medical facilities so it definitely wouldn't be cheap. April recalled walking into the halls of the building two years ago when she tried to get a job as a doctor, before ultimately deciding against it in favor of pursuing a career as a singer and content creator.

"March." She gasped out, ignoring the ache in her throat as she was reminded of her YouTuber brother. The cage, the bridge, the water. Her experiences with her brother and Joe Goldberg hit her all at once.

April tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her head made her groan in agony. A gentle hand on her shoulder pushed her back down into the
bed.

"You need to rest Dr Fooze."

A wave of nausea washed over her as memories of almost drowning flooded her mind. The sound of beeping machines and muffled voices filled her ears, as she struggled to make sense of what was happening.

"Where's March? Where's my brother?" She cried out hoarsely. She didn't even care that the hospital seemed to have intubated her, which was most likely the cause of the discomfort in her throat.

"He's fine. He's safe. You're safe April." The nurse in navy uniform went on to calmly explain that March had been sent home a little over ten minutes before she woke up so that he could take a shower and change into clothes that weren't covered in blood.

Apparently her younger brother had refused to leave her side throughout her stay, even going as far to name drop their father August, threatening to expose Viceroy Medical on all tv and radio platforms for mistreating patients if they wouldn't let him stay past the visiting hours.

"Visiting hours are in 30 minutes so he should probably be here by then." The nurse, who introduced herself as Kazumi Furukawa said. April verified her words by studying the time on the ticking clock that was to her left.

The worried woman still wasn't satisfied without seeing her brother for herself but she was soothed by the information that he'd be at the hospital soon.

"Who brought all these?" April said, voice raspy, nose scrunching, as she pointed to the flowers and gifts with her eyes.

"All of your loving fans of course! Some young lady named Winter and a guy with a blue shirt who insisted he wasn't your fan marched into the hospital with an entire shopping cart filled with this stuff." The chubby lady continued talking, smile wide as she recounted how Dr Plum was pushed to the side in order for them to leave the gifts for her. April couldn't even muster the strength to force a smile at her words. The celebrity was appreciative of her fans' (and Sal's) loyalty and support but a part of her was disappointed. She'd expected them to be from Ramee.