After I Fall

Ch 13: Caterina

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

My eyelids are heavy, and it feels like an 18-wheeler ran over me. Slowly, I try to open my eyes, but to no avail. So this is it. I'm dead. Yet, there is no bright light at the end of the tunnel. No spiritual being is guiding me to the afterlife—just an annoying beeping sound. I relax the muscles in my face and focus on slowly opening my eyes.

Bright lights and white ceilings.

Clearly I'm not dead, because I wouldn't be in Heaven if I were.

"Caterina?" Lex's face comes into view, hovering over me.

"So, I'm in Hell." I croak.

"Glad to see you still have that sense of humor." He shakes his head, but I see the concern in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

My body aches as I sit up. "Like death, can I have water?" He grabs the water bottle from the table, unscrewing the top. When I think he is going to be caring and help me drink the water, he hands me the bottle. "Thank you. What happened? The sho—"

The door opens, and in comes a Doctor. His eyes widen when he sees me sitting up.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" he rushes to my bedside. "I'm Dr. Gonzalez, by the way, and it's okay if you can't speak right away. You've been sleeping for twenty-four hours now. We were about to run another CT scan."

Did he just say twenty-four hours? I don't drink as much, and I was unconscious for an entire day. I look down at the bed. Did I get shot? I remember hearing shots and Lex pushing me back. I rip the blanket off my legs. I have both legs, but do they work?

"You didn't get shot," Lex says as if he is reading my mind. "You can't hold your fucking liquor. How are you Italian and can't hold your liquor?"

"I'm Italian-American. The legal age is higher in America, and I don't like drinking. So, can you stop judging me?"

He nods. "Don't remind me."

There's nothing wrong with being an Italian-American, but to Italians, it is. I never understood nor cared about why it was a big deal. We all bled red.

"Let me check your vitals." the Doctor says, and I welcome his interruption. Lex stays quiet as Dr. Gonzalez checks my vitals and asks me questions. After all is said and done. I'm told I can be released today, and it lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm not a fan of hospitals ever since my mother passed away in one.

Lex leans forward in his chair once Dr. Gonzalez leaves the room. His brown eyes study me, and I don't like the way he is looking at me, examining me.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answers, standing up. "I'm going to let Dante know to get your discharge papers."

"Wait." I don't want to be left alone in this room.

"If you want to stay another night, you're on your own. I have better things to do. I already wasted a day here with you." He stares at me as if I'm an inconvenience to him. "What?"

"Forget it. Just go ahead." I cover myself with the blanket and snuggle into the pillow. He is an asshole, and this is a marriage of convenience. Another thing is that I shouldn't be seeking out comfort from the enemy. I close my eyes and try to think happy thoughts. Unicorns, coffee, Christmas, damn near anything that makes me happy. My chest tightens, and the happy thoughts are slipping away. Knowing where I am and the memories attached to hospitals has me straddling the fence of a panic attack.