Apricity #Wattys2016

Chapter Three: Claudia

"There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory" -Josh Billings

When I awoke I felt a pain in my neck and back. I stretched out and almost toppled off the chair. I was still in Rebecca's room. She knew about my situation as we like to call it. She use to freak out and when I woke back up she would be in tears but she is use to it now. Rebecca had covered me up and had fallen back asleep one hand tucked under her cheek and the other held to her chest.

I sighed pushing myself slowly to my feet and stretching listening to the multiple cracks throughout my back I grabbed the blanket which had fallen to the floor shook it out and covered Rebecca up. I hobbled back to my room holding my back like an old person. As I was halfway down the never ending hall a wave of dizziness washed over me and I leaned against the wall holding my head. It was like when you get up and everything is black for a moment but this was way worse my head was pounding and everything was still black. I shook my head trying to get the dizziness to go away. Bad idea. With my back against the wall I slid to the ground and put my head in between my legs taking deep breaths.

Sweetie are you OK?" I heard a soft voice ask and a cold hand gripped my arm. I glanced up trying to hold my head which felt like it weighed a ton. It was a nurse probably in her fifties.

"Just a bit dizzy." I answered giving a weak smile.

"Well ill help you back to your room" She said wrapping her arm around my side and pulling me up. I leaned heavily on her and trudged to my room my sight was blurry but at least I could see again.

"Will you be OK or do you want me to call the doctor?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No ill be OK for tonight I'm just tired." She helped me lay down on my bed and covered me up.

"Are you sure?" She asked her eyebrows furrowed together making creases in her forehead, she reminded me of my mom. I nodded and watched as she left.

I didn't sleep a wink that night I was tired but every time I closed my eyes I became dizzy and saw colorful blotches. Maybe I should have told that nurse to bring in the doctor after all I thought to myself but then shook it off. I started at the ceiling almost all night thinking about nothing in particular.

Then I started think about her, well technically me. Victoria. Was she real or was I, well Claudia. I reached over and pinched my arm as hard as I could. I winced well I was real, but their was only one problem. When Victoria pinched her arm, she winced too.

I rolled over instantly regretting it when my stomach flipped and I jumped to my feet and ran to the bathroom to empty my stomach into the toilet. I flushed and laid on the bathroom floor. The cold tiles felt good against my flushed cheeks. After about an hour of laying in the bathroom I was sure I could go back to my bed. I stood and made my way back to my bed holding on to things to support myself on the way only to run to the bathroom a while later.

By the time I made it back to my bed the second time my throat burned I had an awful taste in my mouth my stomach rumbled and the dizziness had faded but was still their.

I repeated that routine every night for the next 5 days getting only an hour or two of sleep each night. I never told the doctor or the nurse though I just wanted to go back home.

I got tired of my room and decided I needed to get up. I ended up outside of Shaun's room with tears already blurring my vision.

I opened the door quietly and shut it behind me. There was a lamp on in the corner giving off barely any light but enough to see a figure laying on the bed in the middle of the room. I pulled one of the chairs close to the bed and sat down. He looked so peaceful if I didn't know he was in coma i would of thought he was just sleeping, but he wasn't and thinking about that was enough for the first tears to slip down my cheeks and fall off my chin. I grabbed his hand and held it in mine and did something I haven't done in a while. I prayed, I prayed for him I prayed for Rebecca and my mom and just everything.

I sat their for a while with my head bowed and by the time I said amen my cheeks were soaking in a river of tears. I sniffled and wiped my cheeks. I looked back up at his face and my mind wandered back to that night.

"I can't drive Claudia!" Rebecca half screamed in my ear. I sighed Rebecca had definitely had way too much to drink.

"Shaun can you drive?" I asked Shaun who was quietly sitting on the porch staring off in thought. He snapped back to attention.

"Yes I haven't had any to drink." I nodded and threw the keys to him and caught my balance. Rebecca was half awake leaning against me. I pulled her down the driveway to our car. I put her in the back seat and rolled the window down just in case dinner decided to make a second appearance. I hopped into the passenger seat as Shaun was starting the car. Rebecca swayed with the movement of the car.

I was sure Rebecca had passed out in the back seat so I turned on the radio to fill the silence.

"Oh my gosh I love this song!" Me and Shaun both jumped at her loud voice. Rebecca's hand gripped my shoulder as she sloppily tried to reach the radio. I went to move forward forgetting her hand gripping my shoulder for balance. I reached for the volume to turn it up for her when she fell forward. Kicking Shaun hard in the head. She screamed sprawling around. I heard a horn and looked up from trying to get Rebecca in time to see bright headlines in front of us.

When I snapped out of the vision I was literally sobbing into my hand which was still intertwined with Shaun's limp hand. I sniffled and sputtered covering our hands in tears.

Was it my fault? I thought to myself which made me cry even more. Shaun was so innocent he didn't deserve this. I gave up on wiping away tears and eventually just let them dry on my face. It was almost midnight when I decided to go back to my room. My eyes were swollen my nose was stuffy and my head hurt from crying. I crawled across my mattress lying my head on the cold pillow and instantly fell asleep.

I'm finally going home!

"Alright." Doctor Jones came in quickly skimming over a paper as he walked to my bedside.

"Excited to go home?" he asked smiling. I nodded a quick yes swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

"Have you been experiencing any dizziness, blackouts, or nausea? He questioned me. I didn't think about the last few nights I nodded yes again and pulled my sleeves over my hands.

"Have you been forgetting things easily, throwing up, or unable to focus?"

"No." I mumbled even though it was a lie, he marked a few things down on the clipboard and looked up at me.

"Okie Dokie then you can go." He said smiling. I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding in and hoped off the side of the bed.

"So I've been thinking." My mom started as we were walking to our car. I glanced over at her already guessing what she was going to say.

"I don't want you living in your apartment alone I think you should stay with me for a while until you get back on your feet. You know only a week or so." She said looking at her feet as she walked.

"Mom all my stuff is at my apartment I don't want you to have to go through the hassle I can take care of myself." I said trying not to be a burden.

"I already stopped by your apartment the other day and packed a few things for you and it is no hassle to me." I laughed that's my mom. Ten times ahead of schedule.

"Well then I guess I really have no choice." I hopped into my moms little car.

She shoved the key in ignition and drove out of the parking lot she wasn't looking at me but I could tell she was smirking. I shook my head and watched out the window as trees and fields flew by.

Before we got to her house I fell asleep but really I was awakening in a different life.