Unthinkable

Unthinkable ~ Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning to see Damien's cheerful face facing mine, a chuckle leaving my lips as he contorted his features to make me laugh. It always worked. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips when he saw me laugh, and he pulled a chair next to my bed.

"So, how you doing Manny?" He asked, propping his head on the palm of his hand with his elbow jabbing his knee.

"Pretty good," I replied, adding a little smile just for him. "I've just been really tired."

"Yeah, I can tell." His gaze shifted to the floor as he started to chew on his lip, a sigh escaping his lips. "You have no idea how happy I am you're okay."

I stared at him for a minute, my eyes watering slightly. "I know," I whispered. "I'm sorry. But, I'm okay, now. So, everything will go back to normal now."

"No, it won't." The directness of his voice frightened me a bit as I sucked in my breath. He gazed into my eyes. "I know it's been hard, Manila, but you're strong and I believe you can get through this. So, just, please, don't ever do that again."

I didn't know what to say. My stare locked with his, a fire burning in his eyes. His seriousness scared me to such a degree that I averted my gaze immediately, blinking back tears. I didn't even know what I did, but I had obviously hurt Damien.

And that's the last thing I wanted.

"I won't," I replied, my voice quivering slightly. Clearing my throat, I tried to speak with more conviction.  "I promise."

~~~

A new doctor walked in a few hours later, adjusting his spectacles at the bridge of his nose before looking towards me. He gave me a reassuring smile.

"Sorry about the confusion yesterday. It seems that your fall induced a minor concussion, but nothing severe. We're assuming that the concussion was strong enough to give you slight amnesia regarding the events before your fall, but I'm sure with a few triggers, your memory will be back again."

I nodded, thanking the doctor quickly before shifting in my bed to face the wall. I didn't really want to talk to any doctor right now, I just wanted to see Damien's face again, sitting on that empty chair beside me. I heard footsteps slowly pad the floor, suggesting that the doctor was walking away, when suddenly I remembered something.

"Wait, did you say fall?"

The doctor whipped around in mid-step, cocking his head sideways at me as I turned back around to face him. I guess he remembered the "slight amnesia" I had and nodded.

"Yes. You had fallen from the top floor of an outdoor shopping center."

My eyes widened at the doctor as he gave me a sympathetic look. Glancing over at my body, I realized that one of my legs was bound in either gauze or a cast. My arms seemed pretty okay, but I could make out many patches covering the areas in which scrapes and cuts were probably still settling into my skin.

"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice growing quieter.

"A little less than a week. Something must have broken your fall, because you were very lucky--"

"To not die, right?" I cut in, rather rudely. I shook my head, muttering an apology and turned back to my side, fingers tracing circles on the sheets.

"How long will I be here?" I asked, not bothering to face the doctor. I know I was being immature, but I thought I deserved to be a little out of it for now.

"It depends on your progress. Your leg is healing rather quickly, but we need to make sure you can properly function with a weak leg. This could mean a week or two of physical therapy."

"Okay." There was silence for a moment. "Thank you," I added, for sake of saving my manners. I think the doctor nodded before shutting the door as he left the room.

~~~

The day was rather boring, as it dragged on for hours and hours. I spent the most of it watching television and reading comic books that Damien had left, with little naps here and there. The sun was just finally dipping below the horizon, a golden hue painting the sky, when a knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," I said, tentatively, not really knowing how these hospitals worked with visitors. The door creaked open, and there in the doorway appeared one of my best friends, Kania.

"Hey!" I exclaimed as she rushed over to me, a balloon held in her hands. "I'm so glad you came."

She didn't say a word, just grinned at me like crazy, and wrapped her arms around my neck. When she came up a few seconds later, tears streaked her face.

"Oh, come on, Kania. I'm okay! I'm okay." I smiled at her, patting her shoulder and forcing myself to not wince at the sharp pain that shot through my arm at the slight movement. I have a feeling I failed, because Kania's brow furrowed with worry as she set my arm on my bed.

"I have no words to say, Manny. I'm just so happy you're okay." She shoved the balloon in my face to distract me from the tears that continue to stream down her face. My head tilted slightly, a sympathetic smile adorning my face.

"I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you..." She whispered. I just gazed at her, remembering the summer water fights, the sleepovers, and the countless hours spent on the phone. I couldn't believe that it could've all ended so fast.

"Oh, Kania. Listen, you are my best friend. I wouldn't do that to you. Okay?" I stretched my arms to her, despite the pang of pain, and enveloped her in another warm embrace. "Thank you so much for coming. I'll be back to normal real soon, okay?"

She nodded, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips. There was silence for a moment, and I was about to offer her the seat next to me when her soft voice croaked out a few words.

"You can always come to me, you know."

I cocked my head sideways at her, my brow furrowing. "I know, and the same goes for you."

I was about to ask what that had to do with anything, but obviously there was a reason she had said it, so I just waited for her to explain instead of looking confused. Her gaze shifted to the floor.

"You could've come to me that day. We could've worked it out."

At this point, I was far too puzzled to say anything reassuring. What day? The day I had fallen? I mean, surely talking to her couldn't have stopped an accident like that.

"Kania, what the heck are you talking about?" Kania just looked at me, biting her lip.

"Never mind."

In that moment, a doctor (or nurse?) waltzed in and politely asked Kania to leave. It was probably "saved by the bell" for her, but for me, it just made me even further perplexed about everything. Maybe, if I could remember how the accident happened, I could put all the pieces together. But I didn't know, and all I could do for now was just wait for someone to explain something to me.