Second Chance

Aftermath

My head is spinning and all cloudy like I've been underwater too long. Sore muscles and stiff joints riddle my body. I try to open my eyes but I can't. They feel like lead. I try sitting up but my head's too heavy. Everything feels weighted down. I try to remember what happen but I'm drawing a blank. Why the fuck can't I remember? Where the hell am I? What happened? I hear someone crying, sounds like it's not too far away. Shit, I wish they would stop. It's making my head pound even harder than it already is. My mind is racing, trying to figure out what the hell happened. I'm too lost in my own thoughts to notice there's someone in the room with me.

"Hush sweetheart. It's okay. You're going to be fine. Shh." The woman is whispering comforts in my ear as she strokes my hair and gently rocks me causing my whole body to move as well, in an attempt to soothe me. It works, kinda. I start to feel a little calmer. Maybe I can start to think a little straighter now. I try to ask her where I am and what happened. My words come as a string of babble. I must have hit my head pretty fucking hard if I can't even form coherent sentences. My eyes are still blurry and heavy and it's still hard to keep them open right now. The crying from earlier has slowed to small whimpers now and sound like they're coming from bed right next to me.

"That's right sweetheart everything's okay. No need to cry anymore. You must be hungry after the week you've had. And with all that noise you were making I'm sure you need something in that little belly of yours before you cry yourself sick. I'm going to go make you a nice warm bottle. I'll be right back so no more fussing while I'm gone." With that she walks off before I have a chance to argue that I'm not even hungry.

Wait. Did she just say bottle? What the hell is she smoking to think I want a bottle. I'm a grown ass adult. I don't need a fucking bottle. What I need is to find out what the hell happened and why I'm here in the first place. Where the hell is here anyways? I try to get up again but this time the blankets are tangled up pinning me to the bed and with how heavy my limbs feel right now, there is no way in hell I can fight to untangle them. Seriously this is starting to piss me off. Struggling a little I manage to get my eyes to stay open this time. Looking around I can barely turn my head but at least I can see enough to know where I am.

A hospital room. I can hear the beeps of machines now that I take the time to listen. They have me in a bed with clear sides so everything looks distorted. Fuck someone must have picked me up and brought me here. Voices in the hall catch my attention before I can finish taking in my surroundings and forming a plan. I try calling out again in hopes of getting someone to come in here and tell me what's going on. I'm greeted again by a stream of babble, fuck. I hear footsteps approaching and turn my head to see a figure standing just outside the door with what looks to be a bottle in their hands talking to two other blurry figures. I can't quite make them out. My eyes are having a hard time adjusting and these clear sides nothing seems right.

"Her vitals are strong and she's awake." So the woman from before must the one with that bottle shape in her hands. At least that's an upside now that I'm awake and have strong vitals. "We found her in the aftermath of the lab explosion downtown. Quinn Fertility. We contacted you as soon as we ran her chip. It seems to have been wiped clean in the explosion. You were next on the list for suitable placement once we decided to process her for adoption. She's been in and out of it for the past week, but she seems to have come around now." Well at least that explains why I'm so fucking fuzzy. Quinn Fertility? That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name before? And what's all this talk about adoption? I'm twenty fucking two years old. I don't need to be adopted. "We called you as soon as she woke up. The only thing on her chip was a name. Brooklyn. Not sure if it's her name or parent's name. We have taken to calling her Brooke. I was just going to feed her. Would you like to?" She offers to one of the figures in the hall. And of course my name is on my chip, everyone's is.