Sure Thing • Gavi

Chapter 64: Waking Up

Couldn't wait until tomorrow, so enjoy! 😉

🎶 Only Time — Enya 🎶

My eyelids felt heavy. I had to try a few times before they finally fluttered open and I checked my surroundings. It was some kind of tent and I was laying on a bed with cables wired to me that led to a monitor, which beeped and measured my heartbeat. In my left arm I saw a needle which was supplying me with a liquid that hung above my head.

Suddenly, a young woman appeared and I flinched. She sent me a friendly smile, trying to make me more comfortable, but I was afraid.
"Where am I? Who are you?" I asked with a shaky voice.
"Ok, you speak English, great. You're in an UNHCR refugee camp in Jordan, you were brought here after you passed out. You've been seriously out for five full days, you must have been through a lot" she replied calmly and I studied her, debating if I could trust her, but her story made sense. I looked down on my body and started panicking, which made the monitor also beep faster.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't panic, what is happening, talk to me-" she said.
"MY SHIRT! THE SPAIN JERSEY, WHERE IS IT?" I shouted agitatedly. I immediately reached to my ears and was relieved to feel the star-shaped earrings that had been Pablo's gift.
"Ok, ok, stay calm, your clothes are all here" she said and pulled out a plastic bag from under the bag and I relaxed when I saw the light blue football jersey.

"Ok, I'll call the doctor and a camp employee and we can talk about the next steps" she said and looked at me one last time before walking outside. I let out a deep breath. I was in Jordan. I was alive. I was going to get back home. I was going to see Pablo again. Tears of happiness streamed down my face.
"Well, hello, young lady" a guy that apparently was the doctor, said as he came back with the nurse and another woman.
"Ok, first things first, you suffered some minor internal bleeding, which we kept monitoring, but your body healed well while you were out. You also suffered a light concussion, I'd like to do some tests now that you're awake to check that it's not severe and... well, you're quite bruised and... I believe that... you may have suffered sexual assault" he said and looked at me with a concerned face. My eyes welled up when my mind replayed those moments.
"Please... I just want to go home" I sniffled and the nurse gave me a tissue with which I dried my eyes and blew my nose.

"That's what I'm here for. What's your name and where are you from, darling?" the other woman, which didn't look like she was medical personnel, as she was dressed normally, asked.
"My name is Victoria Hernandez. I'm a Spanish citizen and I was abducted by ISIS." I stammered.
"Ok, very well. Since you have no ID, I do have to contact the Spanish Ambassador for any following steps. I will call him now and hopefully he can be here soon." she said and gave me a reassuring smile.
"Do you have a phone with which I can call my family?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, but we have strict security protocols, especially if what you claim is true. You can talk about this as soon as the Ambassador is here." she replied and I sighed. I knew how this stuff worked, I could be anyone claiming to be me.

They left again and after a while, I was told that the Ambassador would be here in the afternoon and I was anxious. I just wanted to get on a plane and hug my loved ones again. I was brought something to eat so that they could remove the intravenous line that was currently supplying me with nutrients.

Hours later, two men made their way inside the hospital tent and I was relieved to hear someone speak Spanish again.
"Good evening" the older of the men said and shook my hand. "I'm Miguel de Lucas, the Spanish Ambassador to Jordan, this is Mr Diaz, he also works at the Embassy." he said and pointed at his colleague, who must have been just a few years older than me.
"Thank God you're here. What do I have to do to get back to Spain?" I asked immediately.
"We have Miss Victoria Hernandez' documents with us. First, I'd have to ask you for a digital fingerprint so that we can assume it really is you" he explained and I nodded. Mr Diaz pulled out a small device for me to put my finger on and they ran my prints. They both smiled when they overlapped with the ones from my passport, which were saved in their system.

"My God, Miss Hernandez, you're alive" the Ambassador said and I swear, I saw a tear in his eyes.
"Ok, next step would be to ask for your discharge and take you to the Embassy with us. Since your whereabouts are a matter of highest national security, we need your family to also identify you as a confirmation. We will get them on a plane here as soon as possible. Then we will be able to coordinate your return to Spain with national intelligence and security" Mr Diaz explained.
"Can I call my boyfriend?" I asked desperately, I needed to hear his voice.
"Oohhh, yes, I've heard about you guys!!" Mr Diaz said excitedly. "She's *Gavi's* girlfriend" he told the Ambassador.
"Noooo, really? My daughters are huge fans, they will freak out when they hear this" he replied ecstatically.
"Hello?!" I asked, interrupting their fangirling over my boyfriend.
"Erm... sorry. Miss Hernandez, I'm very sorry, but we have to follow protocol here. Until you are back on Spanish soil, we have to keep your whereabouts secret." Mr Diaz said, having turned serious again. I groaned.

They went on to talk to the doctor and nurse to talk about my discharge, which was allowed and after that, they took me to the Embassy in Amman. Mr Diaz was constantly on the phone during the ride and I was told that my parents had been informed and were getting on a plane that would land in five to six hours.

When we arrived, they showed me to a room where I could rest and they asked if I wanted to have dinner with them or preferred staying alone. I accepted their invitation, I had been alone long enough and I wanted to hear my language being spoken. The Ambassador's wife and his daughters who were 12 and 14, as he told me, and a few other employees that had to work now because of my return (I hoped they weren't pissed they had to come in on a Saturday night) joined us.

"Oh my God! You're Gavi's girlfriend!" "You are so pretty!" "Can you tell him I love him?" "When are you guys getting married?" the girls swarmed me with questions and I was overwhelmed. Their father quickly told them off and they left me alone for the rest of the dinner. To be honest, I didn't talk at all, they asked me a whole bunch of questions, but I just wasn't ready to speak yet. After dinner, I returned to "my room" and waited for my parents to arrive. At one in the morning, someone finally knocked on my door and I turned around to see who it was.

"KIKE!" I shouted and ran into my brother's arms.
"VICKY! Oh my God, it's really you! Mum! Dad! Come in!" he shouted, with tears streaming down his face.
"Vicky!" I heard my mum's voice and she joined our hug and then I also felt my dad's strong arms around me. I broke out in tears.
"You're alive" my dad whispered and I managed to laugh in between sobs.
"I told you I'd be back. How is Pablo? How is his knee?" I immediately asked.
"He's... broken. He had surgery this week, prognosis is for him to be back in September... He needs you more than ever now" Kike replied.
"And I need him more than ever now too" I sniffled.

"Excuse me, I'm very sorry to interrupt this reunion, but I suggest that we all get some rest now. We have a packed day tomorrow as we have to discuss the details of your return to Spain." the Ambassador said as he lurked around the corner and I nodded.

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Next chapter will be out on Sunday after the game (Monday morning if I don't manage)! It will all start unfolding...