American Pyramid

Starting Over

Zak

Another slowest week in my life had passed away slowly, but by the end of the second week waiting for any type of news, I was finally granted the best news I had heard all day: Tori was fully conscious and alert, which was the greatest blessing I had received in a while. 

I rushed to the hospital when visiting hours were open, the hospital hallways being ingrained into my brain by how many times I had been there recently, a smile spreading across my face when I walked into the room to see her bed inclined to sit her up and a nurse tending to her. "How're you feeling, sweetie?" I asked, unable to stop smiling the closer I got to her, leaning over to press a kiss to her hairline, grasping her hand that was reaching for mine. 

"What day is it?" She mumbled, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her hoarse voice. 

"Hopefully, this is a good day for you." 

"Yeah, but I wanna know what day it is, Zak." She sighed. 

"It's Christmas Eve." 

"What?! How long have I been here?!" 

"A couple of weeks, but what's important is that you're awake and getting better." 

"W-What happened?" 

"You had an accident with Arson, sweetie. He stepped on your head and fractured your skull." 

"Where is he?" 

I sighed, looking down at my feet as I shook my head, "I don't know. He must've ran off and got himself lost. We're still looking for him. Hollie put out a post for all of her horse friends to keep an eye out."

"What?!" She gasped, immediately trying to lift herself off the bed, the nurse and I immediately stopping her. 

"No, no, you don't need to be moving around so frantically like this!" The nurse gasped, helping Tori sit back into her bed. 

"What happened, Zak?" 

"Hey," I frowned, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Everything is going to be okay. Hollie and her husband are out looking for him." 

"Where's Dallas and Dakota?" 

"Hollie took them to her house to tend to them while I'm with you." 

"I-I want to see them." 

"You'll see them, I promise. We just have to get you out of here first, okay?" 

"When can I leave though?" 

"Well, your medical stability has improved within the last few days," The nurse answered. "Your doctor will probably want you here for a couple more days to make sure you're okay before you're discharged. You've improved a lot, but you still have a long way to go." 

Tori sighed, rubbing her temple before sinking back down into the bed, and I knew she was feeling defeated. "It's going to be okay, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere." 

"I'm grateful that you're here, but I don't want you to be stuck in a hospital for the Holidays." 

"You're not going to sit here for the Holidays, either. If your doctor wants you to stay for a couple of extra nights, then me and my mom will be here for tonight and Christmas." 

"Well, hopefully I'm good enough to go home." She sighed. 

"We'll leave that up to your doctor, honey," The nurse reassured her. "He'll be here shortly." 

I stayed with Tori while the nurse assisted her with her daily recovery exercises now that her normal motor functions were coming back to normal, but what I worried about was the swelling in her brain coming back like it did when the accident first happened. When her doctor came in to examine her, I was relieved to know that she didn't show any neurological signs of seizures, acute loss of memory, and she was able to perform basic needs as if she was taking care of herself, though I wasn't going to let her once she was home. 

"Alright, Ms. Mackey, I'll tell you what," Her doctor smiled at her. "If you can walk on your own to the door of your room and back without any help, you'll be going home tonight." 

"I can easily do that," She scoffed at him playfully, stumbling for a moment after she stood up on her own, yet I was standing right there alongside her to catch her just in case, but I knew better - when she set her mind to something, not even God himself could stop her. 

"Don't hesitate to grab onto me if you feel like you're losing your balance, sweetie," I reminded her, my hand extended towards her arm just in case she was to lose her balance again. 

She took her time, but she was able to successfully walk back to her bed once she reached the door to her room, her doctor doing a final vitals check on her before he made his decision. "How about you get to go home for Christmas, darling?" 

"I would love that." 

"Good, because I think you're capable of going home. I'm going to ask you a few basic questions, okay?" 

She nodded. 

"What's your first and last name?" 

"Victoria Mackey." 

"Good, do you remember what day it is?" 

"Yes. Christmas Eve. Only because Zak told me when he first got here." 

"That's why I asked," He chuckled. "How many horses do you have?" 

"Three." 

"Good. What're their names?" 

"Arson, Dallas, and Dakota." 

"What city do you live in?" 

"Las Vegas." 

"What state?" 

"Nevada." 

"What city and state did you live in before you moved here?" 

"Springdale, Utah." 

"Great. What state did you grow up in?" 

"Wilder, Kentucky." 

"Over achiever here. I just asked you what state," He chuckled. "What do you do aside from riding your horses?" 

"I sing." 

"And what do you do as your primary source of income?" 

"I-I work on Zak's show." 

"And what's that role?" 

"Production assistant and researcher." 

"Zak, is she right with all of her answers?" 

I nodded, "That she is." 

"Good. I'm going to go work on her discharge paperwork. If you have to take a plane for travel, I would like to examine her beforehand. She will need to avoid overexposure to sunlight - anything to avoid headaches because we don't want her brain swelling. No horse riding for a long while, and when you do get cleared to ride again, I want you to wear a helmet, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Great. I'll be back shortly. In the meantime, get excited that you're going home!" He smiled at her, grabbing his clipboard on his way out.