Bad Blue Woebegone (Fourtris AU)

[10]

"Good to see you awake," Someone tells me, patting my blanket clad leg.

I groan, clutching my pounding head, my mouth letting out streams of every curse known to man.

"Hey, don't be like that. You're lucky to be alive," the man says. My vision clears and I notice he's a police officer.

I scoff. Lucky to be alive? More like wishing I was dead and floating away to some island where monkeys can get good use of my shriveled flesh.

"You know, you're friend Tobias Eaton is in some trouble because of you," He walks to the window, looking out into the city.

"Huh?" I gasp, finding it hard to talk and having to sit up so I don't choke on my own spit.

"His nickname is Four, I think. Yep, he's got to pay some fines and had to go to court because he took a suicidal patient, released her from the hospital, and let her run across the country," He grins slightly.

I panic. He shouldn't be in trouble. It was my doing, I ran away again and tried to kill myself, again. I've ruined yet another life.

"But some security cameras from a local shop caught you jumping out of his car. And because you tried to drown yourself, well that helped him with his case. He won his court hearing, turns out he won't have to go to jail. You must be wondering how I know this," He gives me a look, "You were all over the news. CNN wants to interview you, along with ABC. They're waiting in the waiting room."

"How-?" I can't finish my sentence.

"About two months." Those two months should have been an eternity. "Your still in North Carolina. They found out Four really cares about you, you'll be in his care once you go through some procedures with a doctor. They can't keep you long, hospital policy."

"Why are you-" I cough, bending over as a bucket is shoved in my lap.

"Doctor says you'll be coughing up a lot of water, don't hold back. They have to get the water from your lungs. They got majority of it out already."

I gag, water spilling from my mouth. The air gets sucked out of me and I heave into the bucket. Even still, I can't get my racing heart to slow down or find the air that has run away.

Gasping, I make weird noises in my throat as the room starts to tilt.

"We can't drain the fluid if she hasn't taken antiseptics!" Someone shouts.

"Put the mask on her before we lose her!"

Everything goes black.