Steps

Step 15.2: Just a Little Broken

Everything....every bone in her body hurt. It felt like she'd been slammed against a brick wall. Nothing felt normal, and for some odd reason, there was a heavy metallic taste that lingered on her tongue. Leah wanted to spit, she wanted to brush her teeth, she wanted to do ANYTHING to make the flavor go away. She tried to open her mouth, but found that...well...she couldn't. It felt like she was simultaneously floating and being smacked to the ground by a pile of bricks. She didn't have any control over her body. God, what was this?

It was obvious that it was daylight, or at least there was some sort of light. Though her eyes remained shut, Leah could see the light behind the odd shapes that floated by. It was hard to focus though. There were noises, almost like talking, but as soon as Leah would finally get a hold on one to listen, it would be gone, as though time had skipped and left her behind. How long this went on for, she had no idea.

Leah floated in whatever place this was for what felt like ages. Occasionally, it felt like someone tugged on her hand, but it was fleeting, never lasting for more than a few seconds. Or, what felt like seconds. For all she knew, it could have been hours, or even days. Nothing made sense. She had, in time, found a sound to hold on to though. A low hum, paired with a steady beep. Annoying as it may have been, it was there. It was proof that she was somewhere, and not floating in an endless abyss. Annoying, yet comforting.

Leah waited and waited for something to change. A tingle in her leg, the burning sensation on her arm, just something. But nothing ever came, nothing ever changed. The bricks still held her down as she floated towards the darkness. At least she didn't feel cold anymore. Time continued to skip past her. The darkness finally engulfed her.

"-ll check...." A sudden sound snapped Leah back. Someone was here. There was finally noise. The beeping slowly died out, then started again. There was a faint rustling, then nothing. Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through her leg like lightning. Leah screamed as her eyes flew open. She instinctively tried to move, tried to get away from the searing pain, but instead she remained still. Apparently, although her mind had escaped the abyss, the rest of her body had not. "Oh!" A woman threw her hands up and backed away. "You're awake! I'm so sorry. I was just readjusting your leg. They're prepping to cast you right now."

"C-ca-sst?" The word burned as it left her lips. Her voice was weak, and it felt like someone had forced hot acid down her throat. Everything hurt. Why did everything still hurt? And just where was she anyways? Leah hastily glanced around the room. A hospital? So, was the woman a nurse? That would make sense, given the scrubs she was currently wearing. But why was she at a hospital? Everything still seemed foggy. Leah knew she was missing something...

"Yes." The woman walked back over and readjusted the blanket covering Leah. She had this soft, reassuring smile. Warm, like the sun. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Leah attempted to shake her head, smart enough now to know that talking was a bad idea. However, this only resulted in a lopsided, sideways roll. Awkward. There was a slight tug in her neck as Leah attempted to right her head. Not painful, but cold. Insanely cold.

The nurse frowned slightly. "You were carried in by the Flash. He said you had been in a gas attack. You have 2nd degree burns along your right arm, your left ankle and knee have both been fractured, and there's an open gash on your neck. You also had some mild frostbite on your fingers, but we've cleared that up. Does anything else hurt?"

"No...." Leah rasped out. That about summed it up.

"Ok, I'm just going to look over this gash really quick..." The woman had a feather light touch as she examined a spot on Leah's neck. "I'm Destiny by they way. I'm your nurse on call tonight." She pulled back and grabbed a clipboard from the IV pump. Her frown deepened as she checked over the chart in her hand. "It looks like someone already tried to clean this up, but it was done in a hurry. The bleeding stopped before you arrived, but it's going to need stitches."