Thirty-Four
I kept my eyes closed and listened carefully when I woke up. Dad had told me once- if you wake up in an unfamiliar area after passing out or being knocked out, listen carefully to your surroundings and who's in it.
It could save your life.
So I did.
I could hear the steady yet annoying beep of a heart monitor, heard people talking in hushed tones outside of my immediate areas, and various other medical equipment going.
Opening my eyes, I saw the dirty white-washed ceilings of a hospital, the itchy blanket biting into any exposed skin. A window sat on the furthest corner, open slightly to the sunshine. It was a single room, the only thing in here being me and the bed, a bedside table, IV drip, heart monitor and two visitor's chairs, both of which were filled by Dad and Dexter.
I cleared my throat and it burned, but Dexter stirred and almost fell off.
It was no where near big enough for a six foot three man.
'Trixie.' He whispered, coming over to my bed. 'How are you feeling?'
I tried to laugh, but wasn't able to. 'Don't ask. What about you? Are you OK?'
Before he could answer doctors rushed in and pushed him out of the way.
'Hey, what're you-' They pushed me back as I struggled to sit up.
'It's amazing.'
'Impossible.'
'A miracle.'
'What's going on?!' I yelled as they continued swarming over me.
The other three doctors took a step back as the first one shone a bright light into my eyes.
'How many fingers am I holding up?' He held up four fingers, and for a second I wanted to say 24 just to freak them out, then decided against it.
'Four.' I answered dutifully.
The doctors went off, muttering to themselves, and by now I saw that Dad had woken up too.
'Now I'm just going on a hunch here,' I said, wincing as I sat up, 'But was I out for longer than a few hours?'
'Try...a few weeks.' Dexter said softly.
'Oh, you're funny. Seriously, how...long?' But the looks on their faces were too true to be lying. '...Weeks?' I breathed. 'What happened to me?'
Dexter looked to Dad to explain. 'You received extensive blood loss and the doctors found something...strange in your blood work.'
I swallowed hard, ignoring how creepy he sounded. 'Weird like how?'
They looked at each other, then back to me. 'Don't you want something to eat? As soon as you're able we can go off and go back to the RoadHouse. Some guys had some information for you about a vampire nest.' Dexter said quickly.
'And Johnny and Dana can't wait to see you.' Dad added, both of them obviously trying to get off the subject.
'Weird like how?' I asked, deadly quiet. I clenched my jaw when they didn't answer, and after a moment Dad said, 'I'm gonna go get something to eat.'
Once the door shut after him, I turned to Dexter. 'You always said there was something wrong with me. Now you know what it is. Tell me.' I ordered the last part.
He clenched his jaw, something he had gotten from me, and I didn't like how much older it made him look. 'We're not sure, exactly. From what the doctors have told us, it looks like sulphur.'
'You're not serious...dude.' I looked away. 'What about-' I remembered my hand, and tried to move it. The fingers twitched, but barely.
'My hand- I'll be able to move it again, won't I?' I asked, close to hysteria. That was my GOOD shooting hand. Sure, I was ambidextrous, but still.
Dexter shrugged. 'I dunno.'
Looking at all the machines around me, I pulled the IV out of my wrist.
'What the Hell are you doing?' Dexter cried, jumping up.
'There's sulphur in my blood, so I'm obviously going to die sooner than December. I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the doctors aren't even hot.'
Dexter shook his head as I tried to stand. I didn't put any weight on my bandaged hand, but it still ached. 'Come on, let's go.'
'Don't you wanna get changed first?' He indicated my hospital dress.
'Yes.' I said. 'This is so uncomfortable like you wouldn't believe. Where's my clothes?' I gasped. 'Where's my CAR?'
'Hang on.' He turned and left.
