All That Remains

Day 5

I wake up in a sea of white. I blink my eyes, trying to clear the fog covering my vision. The white eventually gives way to other colors, and those colors soon take on shape. I see a man in a white coat standing to my right, reading something on a clipboard while occasionally glancing at a monitor. I start to look around the room when a white hot lance of pain digs into the back of my neck and head. I gasp and clench my teeth, hissing through them in agony. The man, hearing my cry, swivels toward me and calls out for some help. "Get the nurse in here, ASAP! He's waking up!"

"Wh-wh-where a-am I?" I stutter, my tongue feeling drier than the Western Desert during a drought.

"Shh... Quiet, son. You'll be fine. You are in good hands. Just quiet down and relax," the man, who I now suspect is a doctor, says in a soothing tone. I feel a sting in my right arm and wince. "Don't worry about that. It's just an IV. It contains a painkiller, so soon, you won't feel a thing."

"Where am I?" I manage to say, words forming only a little better. I'm still parched and really just want a glass of water.

"You're in Raesworn Hospital. I'm Dr. Harwell. You fell in Glamra Park and your girlfriend called 911..." he starts to explain. A nurse walks in and whispers something in the doctor's ear. "Uhh... you will have to excuse me. There is a patient is the Emergency Room is just went critical. Nurse Mayla will assist you until I can return. I am so sorry," he says before rushing out of the room leaving only me and the nurse. She walks over to the monitors and proceeds to check them.

"Are you Nurse Mayla?" I ask my voice now softer than a butterfly's wingbeat. The nurse glances over to me and nods. I silently wonder why she won't speak to me, but then pass it off as shyness. I lay there for a minute before turning to her again. "Can I have a glass of water? Please?" She immediately rushes off and pours a glass of water for me. She brings the glass to me and holds it out. I graciously accept it and gulp it down with vigor. My throat immediately feels better as the cool water rushes down it. Afterwards, I look at Mayla again and ask, "Who did Dr. Harwell say called 911?"

The woman looks at me, thinks, and then heads over to a table in the corner. She grabs a piece of paper and pen and writes something down. She then hands the paper to me waits for me to read it. I look down at it what Mayla wrote. "I am sorry for appearing nonchalant, but there is a reason. I am mute, due to an accident I was in during my early teens. Dr. Harwell said that your girlfriend called 911 after you apparently fell in Glamra."

After reading through the note on the paper, I look back to Nurse Mayla and ask, "Is there something wrong with me? And what was the girl's name? I don't believe have a girlfriend."

The nurse looks at me like I'm crazy, but writes down an answer anyway. "No, there is nothing wrong with you. Just a few scrapes. No brain damage if that is what you're worried about. And the girl who called, I believe she was named Elanor." I gasp as I see the name written there. Ellie called? And said she was my, my girlfriend? Why? All of these questions, and more, run through my head as Dr. Harwell walks through the door.

"How are you feeling Chase?"

"Better now, thank you."

"Is there anything I can help you with? I do hope Nurse Mayla was able to help you."

"Oh yes, of course. She was of much help. But I was wondering, did the girl who called 911, did she say she was my girlfriend?"

"I'm not entirely sure. We only received a notice saying where you were and who called it in. But I can ask the operator who notified us. She and I are good friends. She can tell you anything you need to know. Just give me a little while."