Change of events (gxg)

Chapter 47

Steffie POV

Black, black,...black,...it's all I see, nothing else. I try to lift my hand, to wave in front of my face, just to maybe see a difference, but then I realised, I couldn't. Was I trapped? Tied up? Bound to a pole? It sure felt like it, since I'm stiff everywhere and everything hurts. I tried again, but nothing, not even my other hand or legs for that matter. Am I dead? Wait, dead people can't think or feel, can they? Don't be ridiculous, dead people don't have a functioning brain, you've studied that before, dumbass. So I'm alive, but why can't I see a damn thing? Why can't I move? Stop thinking, I think I heard something! So I have to stop thinking, so you can think? Ugh, you're being selfish you know? Who are you talking to? To you, duh... You do know, I am you, right? My brain finally became silent enough to hear what was going on around me. Besides the beeping of machines, I heard some people talking;

"So when is she going to wake up doc?" "The machines show her brain is active and the monitors are showing that everything is alright with her vital organs, so it could be any moment she opens her eyes" "Alright, thanks, I'll just text the others to let them know" "Miss, you are in a hospital..." "Uh, go ahead, but just one text, one"

For a moment there was nothing to heard, but the slow rhythmic beeping of the machines, then a door slammed open. "Did I miss it? Is she awake yet?" "Ssh, the text said, any minute"

Those voices, they sound so familiar, but I can't put a face to them. The first sounded a bit raspy and the other more nasal, but still no connection with the face.

"Oh my god! Did you see that?! Her hand, it moved, I'm sure of it!" "Relax miss, it might have been a twitch, a little reaction of her muscles"

No no, I really moved my hand, at least I think I did. Am I allowed to think again? Idiot, it's you, you're talking to. Oh right, right. Hello? They must have left...

I commanded myself to open my eyes, but they felt heavy and painful, why did everything hurt so badly? Come on, open. I blinked several times, my eyes finally opened a little bit, but it was still pretty dark.

"Doc, now I'm positive, her eyes are open!" My eyes searched for the sound my ears caught up. Dark blonde hair, deep brown eyes, darker skin tone and a raspy voice; "N-Nay?" I whispered, blinking frantically, trying to make my vision clearer. I heard a squeal and then I felt a crushing sensation over my chest. "Oh Lord, I'm so glad you're awake Steffie" Something wet slid down my cheek, it was hot, but tickled my skin. "Nay, give her some space, at least let the doc do some final check-ups" Again my eyes tried to find the voice that I heard. Neon blue hair, chocolate brown eyes, a more nasal tone together with an angelic smile, that person could only be Demi. "Dem?" Her smile grew wider when she heard her name. "Hiya there" I managed a smile, looking back to Naya, searching for her eyes, while the doctor was doing some check-ups.

A little moment later two officers walked in the room, making a small conversation with Naya and Demi, who both nodded, but looked worried. Then one of the officers walked over to the bed; "Good evening, Miss Vanmuysen, we're glad to see you're awake" he then turned to the doctor who nodded quickly.

"So Miss, do you remember anything?" he asked, pulling the chair next to my bed closer, sitting on it, a pen and clipboard ready in his hands. "Eh, I don't really know what you want me to tell you" I spoke, my voice rough and dry. "Here, drink some of this" Naya offered, giving me some water. "Thank you, Naya" I managed to croak out, before taking some slow sips. Taking a couple of breaths, I returned the now empty glass, looking at the officer.

"Right, we want to know what you remember from before you ended up here in the hospital" he said, looking at me intently. "Em, I eh, I remember being on set and dragging this guy off of it, eh what's his name again,..." I looked up at Demi, but she shook her head with a sad smile. "Sorry, I can't help you, you have to do this on your own"

Nodding, I thought back, closing my eyes for a moment, going back in time. "He was the one who won the contest, Ryan thought it'd be funny if he kissed Naya" frowning I kept thinking, which was pretty bad, since I was tired and I felt my head pounding. Slowly I opened my eyes again, looking at Naya this time. "Was it Rick?" she nodded, giving me a small smile, encouraging me. "Well Rick, I dragged him off, then this other security guard came to help me, at least that's what I thought" rubbing my head I tried to remember more. "Can I have something for my head? It's pounding like crazy"

"I'll give you some painkillers, but please try to tell us more, it's so we can clear out memory loss and it'll help the police with their investigation" the doctor replied, screwing the cap of a little bottle, taking out a few pain relievers.

"Okay, em, so after I dragged Rick out, they pulled me towards a car, the other guy, eh... Jeff, no Julian...no, oh my god, this is frustrating. John, that's his name, he pulled out my phone and made a call to Naya. He was asking for a lot of money, then I got a gun pushed against my back. They then put a bag over my head and put me in the back of a car. I think I blacked out, because I can't remember the ride in it" I tried searching for more, but found nothing of the carried. "Sorry, I can't remember the car ride" I looked at the doctor, who handed me some pills. "Carry on from where you remember, please" the officer asked, looking up from his notes.

"I woke up in a dark room, only one window highly placed in the wall so there wasn't really any light to light up the room. I crawled around a little, but like I said, there wasn't really any light, so I gave up and crawled back to the mattress." I rubbed my head again, hoping the painkillers would work soon. "When I was back on my mattress, I heard a door opening, it was Rick, he...h-he..." I looked down, shutting down. I remembered it all, the smell of the room, the old mattress I was lying on, the shallow lighting and his rapid breathing, his excited breathing. I closed my eyes again, taking some deep breaths to calm myself down. Only my breathing didn't slow down, it went up. Fast. My whole body started shaking and trembling and I felt like the walls were closing in. My mouth was becoming dry. I didn't know where I was anymore.

"What's going on?" Naya shouted in panic. "Doc, do something!" Before anyone could move, Demi was beside me, holding my hands. "Shh, it's alright, I'm here with you. Listen to me. Try to copy my breathing. Slowly, in and out" I fixed my eyes on her, trying to understand her through the ringing in my ears. "That's it, slowly, in and out" she said, eyes fixed on mine. Gradually my breathing slowed down again, my body regained its calmness again. "T-thanks" I whispered, not letting go of Demi's hands. She just smiled, gently pulling a hand back, to reach for a glass of water. "Drink this, just a few sips" she told me, her eyes still on me. "Wow, Miss Lovato, I've never seen anyone react that fast" the doctor broke the silence. "Well, since I've had my fair share of panic attacks I recognise one when I see it" she said, looking back at him. "Don't you think she deserves some rest? She's only just woken up" she looked over at the officers, who looked a bit taken aback. "Of course, my apologies, Miss. But know we have to continue this conversation as soon as possible" he said, looking at me. I barely managed a nod.

"We'll be coming back tomorrow around 10am, have a good rest, and I hope you have a speedy recovery" the officer wished me, when he walked out with his colleague. "Thank you, we'll see you tomorrow then" Naya replied, shutting the door after them, the doctor had left together with them, talking a bit more of my injuries. When the door was closed, Naya walked over to my bed, getting in next to me, wrapping herself around me, but pulled me on top of her a bit. "Naya? What...?" She put a finger against my lips, shutting me up. "Close your eyes please. I just want to hold you, have you safe with me. I haven't slept properly since you were gone, so please let me sleep here with you?" I smiled at her, resting my head on her chest, taking in her scent, which soothed me, soon falling asleep on her.