Life on Wheels

Chapter 3: Drowsy and Delusional

Chapter 3: Drowsy and Delusional

When I open my eyes, I see that I am lying in a recovery room. I turn to the left and see Grandma.

“How are you feeling sweetheart?” she asks.

“Tired. But I feel good. What happened?” I ask, dazed.

“Do you remember what happened with the bus this morning?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“Melissa you were run over by the school bus and you’ve just had surgery. Everything’s going to be OK.” Grandma says.

“Where’s Dad?” I ask, looking around the room.

“He’s in the waiting room. He’s having a difficult time right now.”

“Why?”

“Melissa you’ve had your legs amputated,” she tells me.

I pull back the sheets in a fit of rage, and to my horror, she’s right. At the base of each knee is a wrapped white wad of gauze and cotton and tensor bandage.

Moments later, a doctor comes in.

“How are you feeling Melissa?”

“I don’t remember this at all.”

“That’s OK, we gave you some good medication to help with pain and inflammation and you were asleep for the whole thing. We’ll keep you here for probably 10 days and then see how you’re doing.”

“Here for ten days? Where am I? Who am I? Who are you? Where’s my unicorn?” I am very confused. I don’t see anyone familiar. I don’t see my unicorn friend Eugenie.

“Melissa you had an accident with a bus. You’ve had surgery because your legs were badly damaged. You are in the hospital. I’m Dr. Burnstead, the one that did your surgery,”

“Surgery? What happened?”

I watch as two figures exit the room. I call for Eugenie. Nothing happens. I call again even louder. I’m about to call again when the people from before return.

“Melissa honey relax. Everything’s going to be OK,” a man says.

A shorter figure comes in.

“Hi Melissa,” it says.

“Don’t talk to me spirit! I know you’re just joking with me so it’s OK, but I’m trying to figure out what is happening to me,”

That night I am fast asleep in the walls of the hospital. My eyes are shut but my mind is still racing. I can’t stop replaying the accident. In the deepest corners of the nightmare I can hear the sound of the bus as it ran over my legs. I can hear bloodcurdling screams from those close by. I look at their horrified expressions. I see my father and Matthew their faces cold in terror as they watch the bloody scene unfold. In the dream, my screams echo through the walls of the hospital. When I wake up the next morning, I am back to my old self again. Matthew is at school but my dad and grandma are here.

“How are you feeling today Melissa?” Grandma asks.

“I’m good.” I respond.

“You were pretty entertaining to watch yesterday. Do you remember asking where Eugenie was?” Dad asks.

“No…what are you talking about?” I ask.

Dad pulls a paper out of a shopping bag beside his chair.

“Matthew drew this yesterday,” he explains.

I take the paper from Dad. It is a unicorn. Matthew has written at the top; Eugenie, Melissa’s guardian angel. A tear rolls down my cheek.