Dolphin Tale 7

Chapter [2]

An oppressing thicket of silence consumed the oxygen particles in the air, pushing their lungs to their utmost limit as they struggled to breathe, their heart rates so slow it was as though they had stopped entirely. It was like lying on a bed of needles, trapped beneath the heavy weight of truth and fact and a jumble of big, incomprehensible scientific words.

Every second was drawn out into a paralysing period of whirling emotions, until it felt as though time was nothing more than a mythological construct—all that existed was a relentless continuum that revolved around nothing but severe agony and silent disbelief, the question of "why?" remaining unanswered despite everyone's desperate pleas for a fathomable explanation.

There simply was no answer that could console them; no explanation, no matter how much detail was included, would ever be enough to help them come to terms with—to understand—what was happening.

Shell-shocked at the abrupt discovery that his grandson was unlikely to survive, Dr. Clay had sunk to the floor in the corner of Hazel's recovery room, listening to the steady heartbeat of his daughter on the heart monitor; it was the only thing that truly made sense—the mechanical beeping that never faltered, staying steady as Hazel continued to awaken from the anaesthesia.

Phoebe had joined Lorraine Nelson in the NICU, keeping a close eye on the newborns. It pained her so much to see them hooked up to ventilators and many other various machines; with all the tubes and wires connected to them, they looked more like robots—machines—than human beings. The UV light they were under made them so pale, so ghostly, almost like otherworldly creatures that didn't belong on Earth.

Sawyer hadn't moved from Hazel's side ever since he has been allowed to see her. Even when his mother had told him to go home and change, or even to go and get something to eat, he hadn't budged. Instead, he sat and waited for the love of his life to regain consciousness.

It took what felt like an aeon, but seventeen minutes later, Hazel started to stir, her fingers curling, a soft, guttural moan eliciting itself from her lips as her eyes flickered open.

"Sawyer?" she asked drowsily, panicking slightly as darkness gave way to a distorted pattern of monochrome colours.

"Hey, I'm right here," Sawyer said hastily, gently squeezing her hand in an attempt to calm her down.

"What's happening?" At long last, her vision cleared and she was able to see Sawyer staring own at her with concern splashed all over his face. There was also something else; a disconcerting mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. There was concern and relief, and a tinge of determination, but there was also something that resembled pain and heartbreak, which caused her heart rate to plummet.

"You're okay. Everything's going to be—" Sawyer cut himself off, forcing a feeble smile onto his face to conceal the solemnity of the situation. Unable to continue speaking, he simply leant forward and pressed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Hazel—you're awake!" Dr. Clay exclaimed, jumping up from where he had been slouched against the wall and rushing over to the bed.

"Hey, Dad," Hazel said hoarsely, studying his face closely and detecting the same mixed emotions in his expression as Sawyer's.

"Hi," Dr. Clay said softly, a small smile only accentuating the tired lines that had embedded themselves into his face. His smile soon faded, replaced by concern as he noticed that she was shivering. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little cold," Hazel said, now conscious of the fact that she was trembling uncontrollably, "and nauseous," she added, feeling a metallic tang settle in the back of her throat. "That doesn't matter, though. How are—" she was cut off by Sawyer, who pressed the call button for a nurse.