Path back to healing

Three

A throbbing ache pulses through my skull, and everything hurts. There's an annoying beeping sound, constant, invading my head like a dull drill. I try to open my eyes, but the light is blinding, burning through my eyelids. It's too bright. Too sharp.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I manage to peel my eyes open.

The first thing I see is white—white walls, white sheets, white light. I'm lying on the floor, surrounded by machines that beep and hum, their wires snaking over my body like they're holding me prisoner. Panic surges through my chest, my heart hammering so loud I can barely hear anything else. I try to move, but everything feels stiff, wrong. There are tubes and leads attached to me, the sensation foreign and suffocating.

I have to get out. I don't know where I am, but I have to get out.

The heart monitor picks up on my panic, beeping faster and faster until it's deafening. My fingers fumble with the wires, yanking them from my skin. The sting of the adhesive burns, but I don't care. I need to be free. I need to run.

Suddenly, the door swings open, and several people rush in, dressed in white coats. The sight of them only fuels my panic. My breathing comes in short, ragged bursts as they surround me, trying to hold me down.

"Calm down! It's okay!" one of them says, his voice strained but gentle.

"Where am I?" I shout, my voice rough and cracking. My hands thrash, pulling at the last few wires as I try to push them away. "Let go of me!"

A tall man with glasses steps closer, trying to reach for me. "Please, you need to relax. You're safe."

"Safe?" I laugh, the sound brittle and hollow. "I don't even know where I am! What the hell is this place?"

One of the women steps forward, her voice soft but firm. "We're not here to hurt you. We're doctors. You were brought here after... an incident. We've been taking care of you."

I blink, trying to process her words, but everything is a blur. Memories flash through my mind—the alley, the attack, that man. The man with the black hair and piercing blue eyes. But nothing else makes sense. "Who brought me here?" I ask, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay strong.

She hesitates, glancing at the others. ," You're safe now. We just need you to calm down."She's avoiding the question.

I shake my head, the dizziness making everything spin. "I don't believe you. I don't... I don't trust you."

"We are not going to do anything to you," she says softly, crouching down to my level. "We just know you're hurt, and we're trying to help."

My hands curl into fists. "I don't need your help!" I snap, though my body betrays me, weak and trembling. My vision swims, dark spots creeping in at the edges. I feel cold, too cold, but I refuse to let them see how vulnerable I am. "Just... let me go."

The man with the glasses exchanges a look with the woman. I try to stand, but my legs won't hold me. My whole body feels like it's made of lead. Before I can protest again, I feel a sharp prick in my neck.

"W-wait... don't..." I mumble, my head slumping forward as my muscles go limp.

My vision starts to blur, and I hear the woman's voice, distant and soft, as I sink back down. "You're safe now," she whispers. "Rest."

But I don't feel safe. Not at all.

Darkness claims me before I can fight it.

*

The next time I opened my eyes, the room was dim, and the irritating beeping of the machines had quieted to a soft hum. My body still ached all over, but at least the blinding pain had dulled slightly. As my vision adjusted, I realized I wasn't alone.