Daisy and Kyle - A Queer Romance

Daisy and Kyle

I woke up groggy and sick, slowly coming into consciousness like a corpse rising out of dark water. I felt about as good as that corpse, too, bloated and slick.

"Kyle?" said a voice from somewhere. I couldn't identify it.

I tried to answer, but my mouth felt like it was filled with sand, my lips dried together.

"Here's some water. You have to keep this down," said the voice. It might have been female, but I was too out of it to know for sure. My ribs hurt.

I felt something at my mouth and I managed to part my lips. It was a straw. I sipped at the water eagerly. My stomach roiled, and the straw was taken away. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and then something was placed on my head.

I could not see it, but I could feel the room spin around me crazily, as though I had been trapped on a warp speed merry-go-round. I feared what opening my eyes would reveal.

"Are you okay now?"

"No," I said, finally, once I was convinced nothing else would come out with the words.

"Dizzy?"

"Nauseated," I croaked.

"We'll give you some meds in a minute, okay?"

I think I gave them - her? - a thumbs up.

I lay there in misery, unaware of the passage of time, floating in a sea of nauseated timelessness. The voice then said, "There. We got some meds on board, okay? You should feel better in a few minutes."

She was right. I opened my eyes to see my legs stretched out in front of me, covered in the thin hospital blanket, resting between the raised railings of the bed. The dizziness and nausea were gone.

A lovely lady smiled down at me, her hair a vibrant auburn, her eyes brown and large. She had a few freckles on her pale skin, and her nametag said "Daisy."

"Hi, Daisy," I said.

She gave me that indulgent look that nurses give woozy patients and patted me on the shoulder. "You'll be fine now, okay? I'll bring you some ice chips."

Daisy left, pulling the curtain closed behind her with a snap.

I was alone, listening to the whir of the machines around me, and the bustle of the surgical recovery ward beyond the curtain.

I couldn't feel my chest. My toes felt a little numb. My head felt heavy.

I stared at the ceiling, since I had nothing else to do.

Daisy came back with a little plastic cup in her hands, and set it on the wheeled tray next to the bed. She pushed it in front of me. "Here you go," she said.

Could I pick it up? I tried to get my arms to move, but they felt like lead weights on my shoulders. I trembled, but couldn't get them to answer. Daisy saw, and held the cup up to my mouth. An ice cube slipped between my lips, and it was one of the most wonderful things I'd eaten in a while.

"If you think you can eat something, we can release you whenever you're ready," Daisy said. "Do you want to try some crackers or something?"

"Sure." I crunched on the ice chip.

She produced a bag of saltine crackers from the pocket of her scrubs, opened it up, and handed one to me. I managed to reach up my arm and take it from her this time.

"Good," she said, nodding. She busied herself at the monitor behind me, pushing buttons and tapping keys, while I attempted to eat the cracker.

It was too dry, but it tasted good. I caught up the cup and ate another ice chip.