Forever lost

6

December 17.

Hearing is the first sense she regains. Faintly, she can hear a ringing sound, but with each passing second, it grows louder.

Gradually, touch and taste return to her; she feels as if she's lying on what could perfectly be the most comfortable bed in the world, like she's on a cloud. Her hands feel strangely warm, and her mouth tastes of pure rust; she tries to swallow to get rid of the sensation, but her mouth is dry.

Smell comes next; she can smell the sterile environment around her—it's clean and pleasant, but she still can't identify where she is.

Sight takes time to appear. As she opens her eyes, all she can see is dark spots swirling around, but after a few seconds, those spots transform into people—four worried faces hovering over Lilly, trying to get her attention.

"Lilly, can you hear me?" a beautiful woman attempts to capture her attention, but Lilly can't muster a response, still too groggy. Slowly, her eyes close, and she falls into a comfortable sleep.

The next time Lilly wakes up, she is much more aware of her surroundings. She lies in a hospital bed, with cables protruding from all over her body, connecting to numerous machines behind her.

The room is quite large and spacious, with a private bathroom and even a seating area. Lilly has never been in a hospital like this, so she has nothing to compare it to, but from what she's heard, hospital rooms aren't usually this elegant.

Apart from Lilly, there's no one else in the room. She can assume that someone was there before, as there are some jackets and coats on the sofa, vaguely remembering a lady.

Outside, by the door, two men dressed in black suits stand with their backs to her, so they can't see that she's awake, but she can't see their faces either.

Lilly's inspection is interrupted by a plump woman entering through the door, pushing a cart with a tray of food.

"Oh, hi, it's great to see you awake," she casually remarks upon seeing Lilly.

"Where am I?" Lilly asks.

"You're in the hospital. You've been very sick, but it's good to see you're better now," the woman explains while fiddling with some cables hanging from the wall.

When she finishes, she moves to the cart, lifts the food tray, and places it on the portable table, then brings it closer to Lilly.

"Here, you must eat. You're very thin, and this will make you feel better," she orders.

Lilly looks at the plate and can't help her stomach growling with hunger. The tray contains an incredibly looking soup, a piece of bread, and a yogurt.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Start eating."

"Sorry, I don't have money, I can't pay for this meal," Lilly responds sincerely.

"Nonsense, please eat; it will get cold," the woman says sternly but with a maternal tone.

Slowly, Lilly reaches out, grabs the spoon, and scoops up some soup, bringing it to her mouth.

"Mmm, this is delicious," Lilly comments.

"Well, thank you, dear. I think you must be the first person who says that about hospital food."

Lilly doesn't get the joke but continues eating, enjoying every bite because she doesn't know when she'll have a meal of this level again.

Satisfied that she made Lilly eat, the woman brings a chair to the bed and sits on it. Lilly follows the woman's steps with her eyes but keeps eating, too hungry to stop.