Trapped in the Afterlife

Chapter 10- First Beat, Last Memory

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How about an update after just one week? Yay!

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I gasped from the pain that throbbed throughout my body, causing me to wake up so abruptly. I couldn't seem to move much however and as much as I struggled to open my eyes it didn't seem to be doing much. There was an annoyingly, irregular beeping noise near my head and I willed it to stop but it didn't. It just kept beeping, each beep causing my head to throb more and more as I felt a headache building.

I managed to moan from the constant and increasing pain flowing steadily throught my body from head to toe. It felt as if every inch of my body was covered with one big bruise. I kept struggling to open my eyes until they finally fluttered open. I couldn't keep them open and they kept closing but I did manage to see that I was in a dark room whenever I did open them.

The beeping noise was accompanied by a bright red glaring light at my side and even if at the moment I had no real memories to pick at, I recognized this machine as the ones used to record one's heartrate. With this knowledge I realized that the beeping noise was indeed, my heartrate. I looked down to my hand and noticed the small object wrapped around my index finger that was also giving off a light red light. I frowned, this meant I was in a hospital. Why was I in a hospital?

The beeping sped as with my heartrate as I started panicking. Why was I in the hospital? What had happened for me to be in so much pain? Where was I? And most of all, WHO was I? Tears started building in my eyes and slipped down my cheeks. I couldn't even remember who I was – what in the hell had happened to me?

My heart beat faster as more tears came. I didn't bother trying to re-open my eyes again and just let my body weep away the loss that it didn't even know it had lost. I heard soft shuffling beside me before a sweet voice whispered beside me. ''Shhh, ma'am. Its alright. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe now.'' I was too concentrated on the mental and physical pain I was going through to bother figuring out whether this person comforting me was a man or woman. Their light touch stroking my arm was however calming and reassuring as if my body recognized the touch and trusted it. I heard a soft 'whoosh' and shortly after the physical pain started to dim out.

It was numbed enough for the tears to stop and for me to open my eyes and look at who was caring for me. A man dressed in a white nurse's uniform stood beside me. It was too dark for me to make out any details and my eyes weren't focused enough but I tried to say thank you with my eyes. It couldn't numb out the mental pain but it was starting to make me feel drowsy. I didn't fight the urge to sleep that crashed into me; instead I willingly let it take me down. At least asleep, I wouldn't have to face the facts that I currently knew nothing and hopefully I would dream of something that would clue me in on who I was or what had happened.

''Alright, now to the bicycle.'' the doctor told me as he took the weights from my hands and helped me off the hospital bed.

I made my way slowly to the stationary bike, climbed on and started a slow and regular ride. He stood in front of me, watching the screen that showed my speed, the time I have been pedalling and the kilometers I've done. He took notes on his clipboard while continuously looking up at me. ''You're doing good.'' he encouraged.

I had woken up two weeks ago. The first few days had consisted of mainly seeing how my body was reacting to the long slumber; the doctors still refused to tell me exactly how long I had been in a coma. Once the basic evaluations were done, they started the daily excersises to get me back in working shape and the shrink evaluations. Every day consisted of the morning bath or shower with the nurse, breakfast, my one hour meeting with the shrink and then the physiotherapy. At first the physio only lasted thirty minutes but as my capabilities grew, so did the length. I was now at one hour of shrink followed by two hours of physio. I did weights, bike, walks, stretches and other simple things like writing and reading. Apparently, all my muscles needed to be re-strengthened.