Never Again

Chapter 6: Hospital

A beeping sound filled the room and the steady breathing from the girl laying in bed complimented that sound. It was a peaceful scene, except from the bluish purple mark that was just visible on the side of the girl's face. Luckily for her the bruise was mostly covered by her hair and it didn't disturb the features of her face. A young man was sitting just outside of the room, sleeping with his head against the wall whilst nurses were running up and down the corridor to attend to the needs of their patients. The bright morning sun crept slowly through the windows and a golden beam of sunlight touched the face of the sleeping girl. The warmth of the light made her shift and a small smile appeared on her lips.

Keira's head was throbbing, but she didn't know why. She held her eyes closed and tried to make the pain go away, but she failed. The surroundings smelled different and she was curious why. When she opened her eyes she immediately became baffled, this definitely wasn't her bedroom, nor another room in her house. She tried to sit up, but the throbbing in her head worsened and she quickly laid down again. What had happened, why was she here? Her hand felt weird and she brought it up to her face to look at it. She could see a needle had perforated the skin of her hand, allowing a drip to put fluids into her veins. It now became clear where she was, namely in the hospital. However, she still couldn't remember why she ended up here. She racked her brain and a few images of last night came back. The dinner, the kiss and then the punch. With a sigh she closed her eyes again, it was David's fault she was here. Her mouth felt dry and she looked to her side to find something to drink. A cup of water was stood on her bedside table and she swiftly emptied it in one gulp. It felt refreshing and it also made her more awake.

She scanned the room with her eyes, not moving her head because that hurt. It was a small room, but not unpleasant. The sun that filled the room made her feel at ease, it softened the pain a little bit. She could see trees through the window, they were now fully showing their summer foliage and it was beautiful she thought, especially with the sound of chirping birds in the background. She desperately wanted to go outside, she hated the feeling of being locked up, especially on a beautiful day like this. Only she wasn't quite sure what to do, she didn't even know how she even ended up here in the first place. With her fingers she tried to push a stray strand of hair back in its place. Her fingers brushed against the new damage on her face, it felt swollen. She could imagine how it looked and found herself already thinking about how to cover it up. It was good fortune that most of it was underneath her hair and that would make the job a lot easier, nonetheless it still hurt pretty badly.

'Ah, I see that you're awake!' a bright smiling nurse came into the room. 'How are you feeling?'

Keira was slightly taken aback by the cheerful woman who was now checking her IV. When she noticed it was almost empty, she put up a new bag of NaCl. When Keira didn't respond she turned around to face her. She had a sympathetic look in her eyes and it made Keira feel uncomfortable, it was the first time that someone had seen some of her bruises.

'Can I have some water, please?' she asked shyly.

'Of course dear,' the nurse filled a new cup of water and handed it to Keira.

She thanked the nurse and took small sips of water. 'When will I be able to leave?' she asked the nurse hesitantly.

'I don't know exactly dear, the doctor has to see you first.'

'When will that be?'

'He is doing his rounds right now, so I don't think it'll take long. Do you want some breakfast?'

Keira felt her stomach rumble at the mention of breakfast. She hadn't noticed being this hungry and she nodded as an answer.

'What would you like? Breakfast has already been served, but I can get you anything you like,' the nurse sounded motherly.