Run

Chapter Sixteen

The world was a blur of red and white and black, voices running together, rising and falling over a low growl of a rumble. One face after another appeared over mine, none recognizable.

"Female. GSW to the abdomen. No through and through." I shut my eyes against the blinding light hovering over my head, drifting in the pain. I was still so cold. The noise was incredible and constant, voices tumbling over the beep of machines. Keeping my eyes closed seemed like the best option, so I lay there, half-numb from pain. There was an elevator ride, and a mask over my nose, a kind-eyed woman instructing me to breathe normally.

I woke some time later, still in a considerable amount of pain. My body was stiff and achy, pulled tight in all the wrong places. The room was dimly lit and empty, quiet but for the beep of a machine next to the bed.

Someone had stuffed cotton balls in my mouth. I ran my tongue over my teeth, trying to get rid of the fuzzy, dry feeling, wishing I had some water. I tried to lift my head and found I couldn't. Too heavy. Thirsty and uncomfortable, I plunged into sleep.

The crack of the bullet.

Someone shouting my name.

Warmth spreading over my stomach, fog creeping in and stealing my strength.

The dirty, dirty ground, arms like iron clamps keeping me from it.

All those lights and faces and voices, blending together.

I slit open an eye and found the room still mostly dark. I still couldn't move my head. I groped around, tried to close my fingers around the railings along the sides of the bed. My fingers bumped over a ridge of plastic, buried in the covers, and pulled it free. A call button. It had to be. If I'd had any tears, I would have cried. I pushed the button once, twice, three times, willing someone to come through the door.

The dryness in my mouth had reached intolerable levels by the time a scrub-clad man walked in. "What can I help you with?"

"Water." I rasped out the word, tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

"Ice chips first." He ducked out, returning with a large plastic cup. When he brought it over, I saw it was full of slivers of ice. "Can you help yourself?"

I managed to lift a hand enough to dip my fingers into the cup, fumbling to grip a shard. The instant it hit my tongue, I whimpered. Several chips later, the worst of the dryness had subsided, and I registered the deep, throbbing ache in my stomach.

The man, who must have been a nurse, took the cup and set it on a nearby table, one I could reach if my limbs weren't encased in cement. "I'm going to see if I can find the doctor and bring him in, okay?"

I managed a nod, then shut my eyes as he squeaked out of the room.

I don't know how long I slept that time, but when I woke, I was able to reach for the cup of ice myself, only to find it mostly melted. Tipping it to my mouth would have resulted in a soaked hospital gown, so I was reduced to pressing the call button again.

A different nurse responded. "You're awake. Good. Let me get the doctor."

"Wait." My lips smacked together on the word. "Could you help me sit up, please? I'll probably fall asleep again if I stay like this."

She showed me the buttons on the side with the arrows, and the top half of the bed lifted, shifting me into a mostly sitting position. As she strode out of the room, I reached for the cup again, hand trembling. I could manage a few sips without spilling. I had to.