Shadows of Redemption

Chapter Six

Opening your already open eyes is such an uncanny feeling. Your once dry eyes suddenly become teary and sore. Though the exotic feeling doesn't last long when you realize you never opened your eyes. There's a metal clamp holding each of my eyelids open. Liquid drops down from a small dropper to lubricate my eyeball. I guess I was only waking up.
My spine is unnaturally straight and my legs are nowhere to be seen. I look around for a moment, but my head does not move, only my eyes. I seem to be on my back, but I couldn't be sure. I slowly scan my field of vision and I see the top of two people's heads. Both wearing a pink cloth over their hair. Their muffled voices are incomprehensible. The ceiling is white and tiled. My nose and lungs are back to normal, allowing me to breathe in the smell I could only describe as burning flesh. I look up and see four thick metal bars coming from above my eyebrows. I only see little slivers of metal, but it gives me a small idea of what the burning sensation was before.
More eye drops.
The being to my left is wearing white latex gloves. I only know this because Ruth used to bring them home to me as a gift when I was younger. I loved to blow into them to make balloons.
Whatever I'm laying on suddenly begins to move, my upper half of my body slowly sitting up on its own. As I move, many new things come into view. Two metal trays on rolling trays on both sides of me. Many tools lay on the trays, some stained and soaked in blood. The walls are the same color of pink that the men on both sides of me are wearing atop their heads and as a uniform. They have a mask over their faces with the strings around their ears. It's all the same hue of pink.
My legs are visible to me now, and I wish I had just stayed laying down. The pink man to my right is wiping down my bloody legs, but keeping away from the tubes sticking out from my calves, three of them on each leg. My heart drops from my chest to my stomach. The tubes are thick and look to be filled with my blood. Some taking blood and some returning blood. There're many machines in front of me that the tubes are connected to. My legs are stained red even as he wipes them down. The rough, blood-soaked rag makes my leg feel raw and bare. I'm surprised I still have skin. Every inch of my body feels suffocating. My back, forehead, and legs feel the heaviest. It wouldn't surprise me if my spine and head also had the same tubes.
More eye drops.
The man on my left keeps my eyes from drying out with the drops. He suddenly takes out what feels like cotton or cloth from my ears and a rush of fresh sounds enters my mind. The sound of blood exiting and entering my body overpowers all. There's light beeping sounds coming from both sides of me and my heartbeat still pounds throughout my entire body, feeling the throbbing sensation everywhere.
"She's moving her eyes around a lot." The man to my left explained. "Should I take off the clamps?"
"No, we have to wait for Natilee. She just wants us to keep it clean and hydrated." The man on my right has a much deeper voice. "I'm not risking my job because she's looking around."
"Why call her an 'it'? That's a bit dehumanizing."
"If it's actually who Noelle is saying it is, then I think it's better than giving it a pronoun."
They're talking about me. They're cleaning me off and keeping me pristine like a toy. I can't open my mouth or move any part of my body other than my eyes. It's torture having to endure something so suffocating and not being able to scream and call for help.
"True. Her blood tests haven't yet declined either. So it's very likely."
My head can hardly comprehend when they finally leave. The constant gushing of my blood through my head, back, and legs is a draining feeling. My eyes feel like they're bulging out of my head. I can't even swallow my saliva.
A woman with gorgeous honey blonde hair, down to her chest, walks in. She's smiling at me like she's known me my entire life. Her teeth are beautifully white and her lips are the loveliest pink color. Comparing myself to her at this moment would be like comparing a supermodel to a blobfish. "Hey! I'm Natilee Carter and I was your surgeon." She's grinning from ear to ear as she looks at something to the side of me that I can't yet see. "Perfect.. You're doing great." Her murmured voice trails off as she sits down at the end of whatever I'm on. In a long pink coat with buttons and white pants, she looks stylish. She reaches into a pocket of her coat and pulls out the same eye drops the man from before was putting in my eyes. She looks at me and her face twisted into a sour expression before putting away the drops. "Your eyelids should be working properly now." She reaches forward and takes the clamps from my eyelids and pulls them out.
I close my eyes immediately, squeezing them shut. Tears line my waterline and I so badly want to rub my eyes and just stretch every part of my face. My eyes flutter open and a couple of tears escape down my cheeks.
"Good job." She speaks softly as she wipes away my tears. "I'm just here to check up on you. From what I'm looking at, you're doing perfectly." Natilee is still grinning. It's hard to look away from her smile. "I know you must be a little confused, so I'll tell you everything you need to know." Her voice is low but light. Every word she says escapes her mouth smoothly.
"Your body is temporarily paralyzed from something called psychogenic. It's a physiological response from your brain caused by an immense amount of pain without anesthesia or any numbing medication." She explained as she interlocked her fingers on her lap. "The surgery I had to operate on you was a necessary medical procedure. It's very common under your circumstances. Though I am sorry I put you through all of that pain, you should be able to move your body around soon. Within the next few hours, I'd assume. Your body wasn't quite prepared for the amount of damage I had to do, so the pain won't subside, but after some weeks of rest, your body will be pumped up again!" She seems very excited about whatever she did with my body. She's talking to me like I'm some sort of test subject. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to call for any visitors right now. You're stuck with me and the few other nurses I approve to monitor you. You're safe in my hands. I won't let anyone hurt you." She laughed as though she was telling me a joke I should remember. Once she realized I had no idea what she said, she cleared her throat and stood up. "If you have any questions when you regain mobility, there is a blue button to your right. We will provide food at eight in the morning and eight at night." Her voice is still light, almost a whisper.
I stare at her. It's really all I can do. The constant pain shooting through every vein of my body makes me wish she could unplug whatever machine I'm hooked up to. Looking down at what she's done to me, to my body, makes me ill. I look at whatever skin I can see, and I can't possibly believe that this is actually me. The clear veins in my legs and the red irritation compared to my now pure white skin are enough to make you think you're looking at a dead body. If Natilee never told me I'd be able to move soon, I'd really think my body was already dead.
"Please don't move around too much when you regain mobility. Don't leave this chair without pressing this button or a nurse's help. Your body is still very early in recovery." She then murmurs something under her breath that I can't hear. "You are a confusing girl. I look forward to watching your healing process. It is an honor." She smiles a little wider before turning and leaving the room. I hear the door close behind her.