Only Once

Chapter Fourteen: Poison

Chapter Fourteen: Poison

Erika groggily opened up her eyes and loudly let out a massive yawn.  She stretched slightly and her back let out a satisfying crack. Smacking her mouth a bit and noting how thirsty she was, Erika blinked and looked around at her surroundings, becoming aware of two rather crucial facts.

First of all, she had no idea where she was. The small, plain room she was in struck her as peculiar and unfamiliar. She observed how the walls where painted a hideous shade of mustard yellow and her nose wrinkled slightly.  

The second thing that Erika became aware of was that she could see. Normally when she woke up, she was as blind as a bat. But this time, however, Erika could see everything perfectly and clearly. Her first thought went to radioactive spiders but she soon dubbed it as being irrational and ruled it out.

“Whoa,” she murmured as she glanced around the room a second time and noted the linoleum tiled floors and the tacky, blue curtains used as a door. Erika soon realized that she was in a hospital; the equipments that were located by her bed rather gave it away, but could not determine why she was in the hospital. No matter how much she tried to recount what had happened, her mind drew an unsatisfying blank.

Not knowing what else to do, Erika reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes and hissed in pain.

“Crap.” Erika groaned when it suddenly hit her. The only reason she could see clearly was because she hadn’t taken out her contacts the night before. And now she had dislocated them by rubbing her eyes. After blinking furiously to readjust them, Erika’s eyes landed on a familiar someone sleeping on a chair across from the bed she was lying on.

“Diana,” Erika said in a low voice but her sister didn’t even stir.

“Diana,” she tried again but then gave up when she still received no response; Diana had always been a heavy sleeper.

Leaning back in the bed, Erika attempted to remember what had happened for a second time but, no matter how hard she tried, still couldn’t. It appeared as if she had no choice but to ask her sister.

“Diana, wake up!” Erika tried again, speaking loudly.

Whimpering slightly, Diana squirmed around a bit before opening her eyes.

“Oh, hey Erika,” she grunted and ran her fingers through her bed head, blonde hair.   

“What happened?” Erika demanded, skipping past the small talk. Times like these could use an exception, she figured.

“Oh, yeah, you’re in a hospital.” Diana told her as if she hadn’t figured it out yet.

“Yes, I know that.” Erika was starting to lose her patience. “But why am I here?”

“Alcohol poisoning,” she replied, shrugging.

“What?”    

Diana nodded and punched out her fists, stretching. “Yeah, Mom and Dad are so mad at you.”

“What?” Erika repeated, the shock not wearing off.

“I don’t know, like in the middle of the night we received a call saying that you’re in the hospital or whatever. So then the three of us came. Luka was asleep so we didn’t bother trying to wake him. In fact, Mom didn’t want me to come either, but I insisted. They’re talking to the doctors right now, in case you’re wondering.”

“Oh,” Erika croaked, at a loss of words.

“Yeah, it was, like, so intense! Mom and Dad were freaking out.” Diana paused for a moment. “Do you even remember anything?”