Purposefully Accidental: The Interlude

Chapter Fourteen

Standing under the shower head, icy water slashed at my skin. I turned the knob all the way to let the water heat up, but all I got was a rainstorm of ice, chilling me to the bone.

I shivered in bed violently, my arms jolting as my fisted hands gripped onto my blanket tightly.

One blink, and I was no longer in the shower. A bed of dried, dying grass filled my vision. I looked around, trying to find an exit path. The vast field seemed endless, edgeless. There was nothing around me except the yellowing grass. I looked up to a darkening sky, gray clouds moving in, as if surrounding me, blocking out the sun.

My body was still rain soaked.

"Hold her arms down, please. Gently." I heard Nurse Terry's voice, the exact moment I felt an even colder chill breezing past me as she uncovered my blankets. Freezing air pricked my bare skin as she lowered my pajama pants.

I made one more turn and finally spotted a shadow, standing at the edge of the cliff I hadn't seen before, halfway obscured by the tall, yellowing grass.

I called out, "Hello?"

The shadow stood, unmoving. I walked slowly, finding my limbs stiff as if from disuse. Or as if something was physically holding me back. But I had to reach them. They'd know where I was, what exactly this place was. They could get me out of here. They could help me find my way back home.

My arm reached out just as the shadow turned their head over their shoulder. They reached back out at me, and as our fingers touched, the slightest bit of light caught the side of their face.

I saw dusky, bloodless white skin, and violet-purple lips curling into a small frown. I gasped at the familiar face—

And my mouth opened with a pained cry as cold fingers pressed against the skin around my stitches.

"Easy, Miss Hannah," a man's gentle voice soothed me.

Tears filled my eyes. I didn't know if it was from the flaming pain in my abdomen, or the chill that was still shaking my shoulders, or if it was because I'd been missing his voice. "Garcia," I found myself whimpering.

"I'm here, Miss."

"Garcia," I mumbled.

"I'm here," the butler repeated gently. His fatherly tone only brought more tears to my eyes. I missed Dad. Garcia spoke again, but it wasn't directed at me. "How is it looking, Miss?"

"Just a slight inflammation around the area," Nurse Terry answered in a hum. "There's no blood or pus. Just slightly warm to the touch."

I heard Garcia sigh, and felt his fingers gently brush my thinning hair. "Poor Miss Hannah."

I groaned as I felt pressure against my abdomen. Nurse Terry said, "Please hold her again while I clean up and re-dress the wound. She might feel a little discomfort. Can you check her temperature for me?"

A thermometer was stuck into my mouth, and I could only grunt in protest. A while later, I heard Garcia say, "101.3°F. That's not too awful, Miss. Just a light nap and you'll be right as rain."

A cold compress was placed on my forehead. I drifted to sleep after a while, and woke up to Nurse Terry's voice again. She was on the phone, taking notes onto her small notebook. I looked around the room, finding Garcia on the other side of my bed, placing a teddy bear on the empty spot next to me. I'd never seen it before.

He brightened up when he saw me awake. "Miss Hannah. How are you feeling?"

I hummed. "A little tired."