Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Four - Fractures and Bruises

When I woke again, I woke slowly and to a strong amount of discomfort. 

My lungs seemed to burn with every breath, but the painful suffocating feeling of ice water sloshing around inside of them was gone. With slight hesitance I peeked my eyes open, gazing at my surroundings from under my lashes in a daze.

I was in a small room with pure white walls. A large gray curtain hung from a slightly curved metal track on the ceiling just a foot to my left. It was pulled open, allowing me to partially see the door and a generic painting of forestry hanging from the wall.

The standard papery hospital gown rubbed uncomfortably against my skin. It only served to preserve my modesty rather than offer warmth. A thin sheet was pulled up to my chest and under my arms, in what I assumed to be an attempt to do what the hospital gown could not.

Why am I here? 

I felt my lips twitch into a frown as I fought to push my eyelids open further. They seemed resistant to doing so.

I could hear muffled whispers outside the door, and the sound of someone pacing. Even simple sounds like these - as quiet as they were - managed to make my head throb in pain. However the loud repetitive sound of a heart monitor annoyed me the most.

I have blood flow, just shut up. I thought with an internal sigh, shooting the thing the best glare I could muster in my drugged state. The beeping continued without a care.

"Glad to see you're awake." A familiar voice spoke, making me jump and bite my lip against a small yelp. Pain shot through my body from head to toe in that split second, and I had to fight the urge to curl in on myself.

I took a small breath before turning my head to greet them. I fought a cringe as my cheek touched the other side of my pillow. My bed was already at a small incline, and I could feel the uncomfortable sensation of tiny tubes laying over my arms.

I felt like a mummy

I was greeted with the brown eyes of an oddly familiar man, and my cheeks heated as he scanned my frame. He seemed to nod to himself before striding across the room to my right side, planting himself in one of the characteristically uncomfortable hospital chairs.

Now that he was closer, I allowed myself a tiny flash of a moment to study him. He was tall and muscled, dark skinned, with natural deep set dimples. His hair was short, reaching just above his ears. His jaw sported a faint five o'clock shadow, giving his features a slightly more rugged edge to them. His shoulders were broad and muscled, reminding me vaguely of a body builder.

He wore a black tee that stretched to fit the broad expanse of his chest. His jeans were lightly colored and worn from every day wear and tear. A pair of black gloves hung out of his back pocket.My eyes met his own once more, and I noticed he was sporting a small grin. He looked humored by the knowledge of my obvious appraisal, and I felt my cheeks turn red.

"You've been out for quite a bit." He finally said.Then he looked at me for a moment, eyes flickering past the curtain to something I couldn't see. He held up a finger, standing once more to stride back to the other side of the room. I heard the faint flow of water and the squeak of a valve.

A small plastic cup was in my face a moment later, filled nearly to the brim with water. And suddenly I'd never felt more thirsty in my life.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out as I tried to speak. He then glanced back toward me with a question in his eyes when I didn't move to take it immediately. And soon the question came out, almost as if he was worried he would spook me.