Introverts

Prove It

C O N N O R
I groan and lift a hand to my head. What the hell? A pounding sensation fills my entire body and I can feel tears as they stream down my face. I open my eyes only to close them a fraction of a second later. Too bright.

Where am I? What happened? A pinching sensation comes from the inside of my right elbow and I subconsciously lift my left hand to touch it. My hand is slapped away. I force my eyes open and when they adjust they're greeted by a nurse in a blue shirt and white pants, her hands on a tub that's stuck in my skin. An IV. She gives me a rehearsed smile and turns to my heart monitor that's making an awful beeping noise, right alongside the ticking of a clock overhead. Then she proceeds to sigh frustratedly before stomping out of the room. I lazily reach for the cup of water on the night stand and take a gulp, the cold water against my sore throat making me shudder. The nurse reappears with another one in tow.

"Okay, so the stupid thing won't let me enter the right codes." She says to her friend who just rolls her eyes.

"The machine won't what?" I ask, fear and anxiety filling me. "Is that bad? What's going on?"

"Quiet kid, I'm trying to enter your check up times so you can go home." She says. A hospital, I'm in a hospital.

"Oh, thanks I guess." Someone's moody, I think. I mean, you signed up to help people don't be rude. Just as I'm settling back into the uncomfortable mattress to maybe get some sleep, I hear a knock at the door. The first nurse slips out quietly and i watch as she talks to some people through the window. I soon realize that it's my parents. They both look worried, but the expression doesn't last long. Pure joy twists their features and my mom flings herself into my dads arms, tears soaking soft skin. What's so great about me being in the hospital? Then it hits me.

The beeping
The nurses
The clock
The sound of the water as I drank it

Holly mother of God those are SOUNDS. I CAN FUCKING HEAR!!! These thoughts attack me as my parents come running through the door. Neither of them speak, they just stand at the edge of my bed starring at me exactingly.

"Well say something!" I say, my own voice sounding odd and foreign to me. My mom breaks first.

"Oh Connor! This is a miracle!" She engulfs me in a tight hug and me and my dad exchange a look.

"What happened?" I ask once she pulls away.

"A patrol car found you around the block from our house, you had passed out. So he brought you here and called us. The doctor says that whatever it was blocking your hearing before has passed. He said it might when the accident first happened, we just didn't want to get our hopes up." I ignore the fact that they forgot to tell me this gigantic piece of information 4 years ago and just listen to the sound of my moms voice. It's sweet and rich just like I remember it.

"Oh!" She says suddenly. "I almost forgot! I called Mrs. Mellet, her a Troye are on there way over." My eyes widen and my mind goes into overdrive.

Troye. The boy I like. The boy who likes me. The boy who can read minds. My stomach ties itself in knots and I look up at my mother.

"Why'd you call him?" I whisper, fear returning and replacing my previously calm state. It's not that I don't want to see him, I'm just scared to. I'm scared to confront him after leaving like a coward, I'm afraid to disappoint him. I'm afraid....I'm afraid to let my feelings heighten at the sight of him like I know they will. Seeing him won't only distract me from the obvious joy that's existing around me, but will ruin the moment all together. I won't be thinking about being able to hear again, I'll be thinking about how many of my thoughts he's read. I won't be chatting it up with my mother, I'll be wondering what happened with his last boyfriend and how his gift works.