Guidance

Guidance - Chapter Eight.

Okay, this is the last chapter of Part 2. I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter yet, even though it isn't that long really. It gets a little dark in places, just as a heads up. Please let me know what you think :)

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As I walked to the phone, my heart grew heavier and heavier. I knew that the doctor wouldn’t be calling unless there was another serious problem. The dull ache in the back of my throat was the only thing holding back the stream of tears threatening to spill out.

I steadied my nerves as I placed my hand on the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Emily. It’s been a while since we last spoke,” he said. A twist of guilt burnt in my stomach.

“I’ve still been visiting,” I replied, trying to justify my absence.

“I know,” he said. His kind voice calmed me.

“How is she?”

I heard him take in a deep breath. I prayed that it would be good. The only news I ever seemed to get from him was bad.

“It’s not good, Emily.”

“How bad?”

“Annabelle woke up an hour or so ago, but the swelling is getting no better. Her motility is severely restricted, and so far we have been unable to ascertain whether or not she has retained any of her original speech capabilities,” he said.

“Wait, when did the swelling start?” I asked. I was confused. When I last spoke to him, it had seemed that Annabelle’s condition was somewhat improving.

“Yesterday morning. We transferred her to a hospital, where she slipped into a small coma. The good news is that her pupils are reactive to light now and she’s awake.”

“What? Hospital? A coma? Why didn’t you call me to let me know any of this earlier? Why didn’t you let me know it had gotten this serious?”

“We’ve had trouble getting in contact with you. I haven’t been in the hospital so I couldn’t tell the nurse to try Frank’s number.”

I was angry and hurt, but there wasn’t time for that now, and it wasn’t Doctor Cribb’s fault.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

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I borrowed Frank’s car to drive to the hospital. For the entire drive my mind was racing a hundred miles a minute. I couldn’t believe how selfish I’d been the past week. I hadn’t been to visit Annabelle at all since Alex had been attacked.

Alex.

Wow, I hadn’t even let her know where I was going or if I was okay. She was probably super worried about me. And when was the last time I went to work? My mind was slipping. I need a break.

I slammed the car into a space and scolded myself for not taking better care of Frank’s car and jogged to the hospital entrance. I avoided the aging lift and dashed up the four flights of stairs that I knew so well, where I found the door to Annabelle’s room. I stopped outside. The smell of bleach and disinfectant caught in my throat and threatened to push me into tears again. Steeling myself, I opened the door.

Annabelle was lying in a bed. Her eyes flicked to me and flashed with recognition.

“Hey little sister,” I said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her bed. I waved at the nurse, I didn’t recognise this one and I felt another pang of guilt for my absence. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”