Once Upon a Time...

Part Twelve

Amelia- 18

            I woke up with a surprise: Matthew sitting on my bedside, passed out. From the dark circles under his eyes, I determined that he hadn't gotten much sleep. I, on the other hand, felt fresh as a daisy. I wasn't too fazed about the previous day's injuries. I had made it out with my life, hadn't I? All I hoped was that Matthew wasn't too freaked out. The way he had returned to my bedside in the middle of the night, though, didn't convince me that he, too, was as calm as I.

            About twenty minutes later, a nurse came in. Her eyes widened when she saw a man sleeping by my bed.

            "It's alright," I whispered. Since she knew who I was and didn't want to cause any trouble, or maybe just couldn't care less that Matthew broke the rules, she exited the room without a word.

            Another nurse came in shortly afterwards and tried to feed me. When I told her I wasn't hungry, she grunted in a way not unlike Anastasia's and set the tray of overcooked eggs and soggy cereal on my bed anyway.

            I rolled my eyes after she left and set the overflowing tray on my bedside stand. I looked down at Matthew, and it didn't look like he was planning on waking up anytime soon. I got out of bed (thankfully, I wasn't hooked up to all of those machines anymore) and got dressed in a pair of cheap jeans and a T-shirt from the hospital gift shop. Nothing concerning my parents occurred to me until I had brushed my hair and teeth and started to explore the hospital. When I finally did remember that I was supposed to call them, I freaked out.

            I was dead. So, so dead. And, to make matters worse, Matthew was dead too. If only I had called them when I said I would! But I had fallen asleep almost as soon as Matthew had left and never got the chance.

            Shakily, I walked up to a nearby nurse and borrowed twenty-five cents to make the call. I found an empty waiting room in the maternity ward and dialed the Grand Floridian.

Bill, the man who works at concierge, answered the call on the third ring.

"Grand Floridian, this is William speaking," he said properly.

"Bill, this is Amelia. Can you please connect me to my parents?" I asked impatiently. I knew what was coming...

"Well, Miss Amelia! How have you been?"

"This really isn't a good time, Bill."

"Any time is a great time to talk to my favorite Princess!" he joked. I looked up at the ceiling.

"Please, put my mom or dad on the phone. It's serious."

"What could be so serious that you don't have time to make an old man's day? So, what have you been up to lately? Haven't seen you around the hotel in a while," he continued.

By then I was almost in tears. I was never going to be able to see Matthew again. If I had any miniscule chance of getting to live in the real world, it had disappeared in just one night. I was a total idiot.

"Miss Amelia? Still there?"

I sighed. "Put my mother on the phone, Bill, or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. And if that does happen, I can guarantee that you will not be getting that raise my parents were considering." I hated to boss him around like that, but it seemed to be the only way to get his attention.

"R-right away, Miss Amelia," he stuttered, shocked to hear sweet Princess Disney get strict.

Within seconds I heard a beep and my mother's cool voice, which was a little shaken up, speak, "Hello?"