Sold My Soul *editing*

Five - Explanations and Surprises

My eyes fluttered open, revealing a pristine white ceiling. There was an incessant beeping noise in the background, and when I reached up to rub my ear in hopes of ridding myself of the nuisance, my hand was held back by wires attached to it. I blinked groggily and looked around. I was lying in a plain bed surrounded by bright white walls, with a piece of large machinery next to me. 

I quickly discovered that the beeping was not in my head, but was coming from the machine. My mind jolted awake as I quickly recognized where I was. Being a harbringer of death, I'd been in my fair share of hospitals. I looked down and saw myself wearing the simple blue hospital gown of a patient.

This wasn't right. If I was here, that would mean...

"How are you feeling honey?" a sweet voice asked from the doorway. I turned my head to see a young girl in blue scrubs with a clipboard in her hands. Stunned, I was unable to reply. What were the chances I would find two people like me in a single mission? I wasn't an idiot; I knew the chances were very, very low.

The girl looked alarmed at my lack of reaction. "Can you hear me ma'am? Can you speak?"

"I- uh- yeah. I can."

The woman visibly relaxed and walked over to the machine next to my bed. She checked some of the numbers on the screen and scribbled the information onto the clipboard. 

"If you need anything, hit this buzzer," she said, gesturing to a small switch on the edge of the bed.

"Thank you," I said. I hesitated before asking my next question, "Was there anyone... with me? When I came?"

The nurse smiled teasingly. "He hasn't left since he brought you in. He sits in the waiting room until the very second visiting hours begin, then he's in here until we have to force him out. You're a lucky girl, you are, to have someone care about you like that."

I put my head back, a strange sensation filling my chest. It was a mix of giddiness and fear, of anxiousness and excitement. A wide grin spread across my face before I could stop it. I couldn't believe the effect this boy had on me.

"I'll let him know you're up," the nurse said as she closed the door.

I attempted to sit up in anticipation, but found I was too weak to do so. I finally gave up trying when I heard a knock. The door opened shortly after and there stood Westley, beaming at me from the doorway. 

He rushed over to my bed and sat right next to me. 

"Ivy, I was so worried!  After those men left, I saw you lying on the ground, unconscious, bleeding out of your neck. Of course, I assumed the worst, but when I saw you were breathing, I called 911. It was so freaky, your blood was black at first but by the time the ambulance arrived it was red. This is our third day here," Westley huffed. "So are you okay?" he asked, gesturing to a bandage around my neck.

I reached up and felt the bandage that I didn't know was there. "Yeah, I think so," I said, putting my hand back down.

I began trying to sit up again, struggling to face Westley.

"Want some help?" he chuckled, reaching over to press a button. The top of the bed suddenly began rising to seat me in an upright position. I gasped.

"Magic! A bed that is also a chair!" I was in awe.

"No, not magic. Technology. Do you really know nothing about hospital beds?"

"Well...," I trailed off, not knowing how to answer.

"Well what? You know you have some explaining to do, especially about the note and those men," Westley said.

"I know I do. I'm sorry, but I just can't give you any-" I was cut short by Westley's argument. "No. No more secrecy and sneaking around my questions. I want the truth."