So Strange

First Impressions

  There's a sharp pain in my side. Actually, there's a sharp pain in my whole body. I'm trying to open my eyes, but everything is so heavy. I feel like I'm floating in water. I can't feel the ground below me. And I hear a sound off in the distance. What, is that...gunshots?

  My eyes open and are greeted by a dimly lit hospital room. I don't think this is my hospital. Where was I before? I was walking. Walking...through Shibuya crossing. And then a light went off in the sky; or a fire more like. What happened?

  Just then, a nurse walks into my room. When she sees that I'm awake, however, she runs off to tell the doctor. I have to wait until she comes back before I can get any answers. I just survey the room silently. There's not much to see. I'm in a very standard hospital room. There's a bedside table, a curtain, a chair. Although I doubt the chair will get any use. My parents will be too busy to visit me. That's fine. I'd rather them not visit me at all than listen to them complain about missing work because of me. My parents are so ignorant.

  Scanning the room one last time, I finally look to the patient beside me. I can only see his upper body due to the curtain obstructing my view. He seems to be in bad condition. But he does also seem to be bandaged up well. Cardiac arrest and severe burns on his arms. I wonder if he'll pull through. I hope so. It'd be a shame to be woken up by a flatline in the middle of the night.

  The nurse comes back into my room, much calmer than she was when she first saw me. I waste no time in asking questions.

  "Am I in Shibuya Central hospital?" The nurse seems taken aback by the bluntness of my question.

  "Yes, and you've been asleep for quite some time. The doctors were afraid you wouldn't pull through when they heard you had a cardiac arrest." Yeah, that would be cause for concern.

  "Exactly how long was I asleep?" The nurse takes a seat in the chair beside me.

  "Two days. Don't worry, though. We contacted Metropolitan Hiroo, and they know you are going to be absent until you recover. If you'd like, we could arrange a relocation. If it makes you more comfortable being in your place of work while you recover." I sigh.

  "No, thank you. I'll be just fine in this facility." I wouldn't dream of letting my colleagues see me like this.

  "Actually, would you mind informing me on how I got here?" The nurse swallows. That can't be good.

  "A comet struck Shibuya station. You are part of the lucky bunch that survived." Wow, a comet. That's rather unexpected.

  "Well, if there's anything you need, you know what to do, Doctor." How condescending. The nurse stands up to leave, but I keep her just a moment longer.

  "Excuse me, before you go. What is the name of the patient beside me?" I ask without looking at her cheery face.

  "Oh, that is Suguru Niragi." I hum. Suguru.

  "When is he predicted to wake up?" The nurse taps her chin cartoonishly.

  "I'm not quite sure. The doctor said he should be awake by now. He must be lost in a good dream." The nurse concludes, then walks away.

  If that were true, then he's got the easy street. Dreaming your days away is better than laying in a hospital bed. I would sleep, too. But I've only just just woke up, and my body is profoundly sore. If only I had my phone or really anything to keep me entertained. Though I doubt my phone survived the impact. Oh, and my favorite white jacket is fried, too. No matter, I have more.

  I take a deep breath and close my eyes. The light is starting to give me a migraine. I really shouldn't be in the hospital for too long. I only have a sprained wrist and minor hemorrhaging. And I expect that I was already tested for concussions. I should be permitted to leave in a few days. For now, I must simply survive the boredom of my hospital room.

7 hours later

  I am awoken by the sound of stirring near me. I force open my weary eyes and search around the room. What's making that noise? It's like..a shuffling or a murmuring. Or both.

  I jerk my head to the right to find that patient, Suguru, squirming in his bed. He's grunting and whimpering. He must be dreaming. I lay my head back and try to relax again, Suguru's breath picks up. I look over again. The male seems to be panicking. This won't be good. I can hear him whispering unintelligiblely and- Oh, no, he's clawing at his bandaging. It's the middle of the night, so there won't be many nurses around. I sigh.

  I sit up in my bed and wince. My back pain is unbearable. I throw the covers off of myself and slide the IV needle out of my forearm. Standing up is going to be tough, but it would be a disservice to leave Suguru how he is. I slowly ease my legs over the edge of the bed, and they dangle. Once my feet come in contact with the ground, I slide the rest of my body off. As I stumble towards the patient, I notice the tears streaming down his face. It's clear that Suguru is having a nightmare, but jeez. I wonder what kind of demons haunt him in the night.

  Finally, I reach the guard rail and put all my weight on it. Sleeping for two days is terrible for the body. I feel like I have muscle atrophy. Before Suguru can claw at his bandages again, I pin his arms down as gently as possible, making sure to be mindful of his burns. The patient only resists for a few seconds before going limp. Now, he's just crying. I haven't dealt with a nocturnal panic attack in a while, but I still remember what to do.

  "Suguru san, calm down. You are in a safe place. Nothing here will harm you. Just listen to my voice. Listen to my voice." And then I repeat.

  I repeat the mantra until the patient's panic subsides. He's just breathing heavily now. And there are still tears rolling down his cheeks.

  "Take deep, slow breaths, Suguru san. Breathe slowly; you'll make yourself lightheaded." Finally, Suguru has calmed down.

  I draw my hands away from his arms cautiously. When the patient opens his eyes, there is an instilled terror present in them. Oh, what now?

  "What is it, Suguru san?" I ask, trying as best I can to be polite. Seeing as he majorly disrupted my resting period and then inconvenienced me even further.

  Maybe I should have just called a nurse. Now that Suguru is awake, he looks even more distraught. I can't imagine why.

  "Y-You...you were..." He stutters out. Well, that doesn't tell me anything.

  "I was what?" The patient backs away as much as he can in the small bed.

  "You, uh...," he swallows, "n-nothing. G-Get the hell away from me." Wow, great first impression.

  I nod and hobble back to my bed. I'm looking forward to sharing a room with Suguru. I can tell he's not gonna like me. And that's just fine.

-

*Gasp* The first chapter of book two is already complete? That's psychotic if you ask me. But you didn't. Please comment stuff. It's fun to read and respond to. Or don't. I don't dictate your actions.
Byeee

1298 words.