Living in London

Fragile

Beep, beep, beep.

The first thing I felt was the terrible, dull ache across my whole torso. It felt heavy as though someone was sitting on me and my insides were burning. I tried to lift my hand but it wouldn't do what I wanted it to. For some reason, my hand was as heavy as a pile of bricks, and attempting to lift it was steadily wearing me out.

I don't understand, though. I'm not even doing anything strenuous to get worn out. I felt a sharp pain shoot across my stomach and I wanted to cringe. I wanted to cry out in pain and I wanted to thrash and scream for someone to help me. But I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move and I couldn't speak.

I was helpless.

There was the strangest sensation in my right arm, around the crook of my elbow. Kind of buzzing... a tingling feeling almost. It made me dizzy, in a good way. I couldn't really feel my stomach pain anymore. In fact, I couldn't feel anything anymore. It was even harder to lift my fingers now and slowly my mind's eye was clouding. Everything went black again.

Beep, beep, beep.

I was startled by the pain in my stomach again. There was something different about now than last time I was thinking. It's a different atmosphere.

Am I even awake right now? It feels like I am, but my eye won't open and my body won't obey me. Maybe if I just make a noise, someone will help me. Someone will tell me what's wrong with me.

Suddenly, I could see again, but my eyes remained closed. What the... I could see white walls and a white roof. Judging by my viewpoint, I must have been standing up but I could still feel the pressure of a matters beneath my back, so I swear I haven't moved. I must be dreaming, or hallucinating, or simply imagining this.

In my mind, I took a step towards the far wall. I kind of expected it to move further away from me like in the movies but it stayed where it was like a good wall. I stretched my arm out and reached for the surface. After a couple more steps, I finally felt the cool, hard, painted wall beneath my hand. As I walked, my fingertips glided along the wall, guiding me around the room. I had lapped it twice before I realized there was no door.

An intense pain filled my lower back and stomach and I dropped to my knees, hugging my arms around myself, trying to hold my frame together. The pain burned harder and I called out for help. My voice echoed around the room and I stood up again, tracing the walls more frantically this time. I began to panic when I realized there was no way out.

In my mind, I was trapped.

I felt a tingling in my arm which I recognized from last time and I welcomed it. Anything to put out the fire in my abdomen. The white walls began to fade. The white roof began to fade. I could feel the bed beneath my back the whole time, and that began to fade too. Eventually, as my mind's sight blacked out, the pain in my torso subsided.

Beep, beep, beep.

"Do you know what's happening to her?"

I've heard that voice before. Where have I heard it? I could try opening my eyes to see who was speaking but any attempted movement brought back the fire. Maybe if they said something else then I would know who the voice belonged too.

"She's not moved for weeks. Can she hear us? Ari, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand!"

Zayn!

I felt his hand slip into my fingers and I tried my hardest to squeeze his hand. My fingers didn't move but the pain came back, crashing down hard on me.

"She's in a medically induced coma," an unfamiliar voice replied.

Why am I in a medically induced coma? Wait... that means I'm in the hospital. Then I must be injured or sick somehow. Well, at least that explains the terrible pain in my stomach.