Take My Picture

Chapter twenty three

Harriet's POV

My head was clouded. It was like I could see the sky behind my eyelids, a dark stormy sky. And my head felt the same; cloudy and heavy.

I could hear an incessant beep trying to make its way through the cloudiness of my head. The longer I listened to it, the more clear it became, the more annoying it became.

When I was finally able to clearly hear the beep, it was like the rest happened all at once.

I tried to lift up my hand to stop the beeping, even though I had no idea where it was coming from. At the same time, it seemed, I felt a scratch in my throat and tried to take a breath to clear my throat; something was stopping me though. The scratch became the most prominent thing I could feel and it got worse the longer I paid it attention. I felt like something was stuck down my throat and the more I tried to couch it up and pull it out, the less I felt I was breathing.

There was a tightness in my chest was getting worse the longer I fought the feeling, the longer I was trying to inhale but failing. I tried to open my eyes but they felt too heavy, so I tried to lift up my hands to pull whatever was in my throat, out. But again they felt too heavy and I could feel them fall short on my leg and stomach.

There was a lot more noise around me now. The rhythmic beep that was annoying me, to begin with, was now more background noise than anything else. I couldn't really make out what the other noises were though. It all just sounds like a lot of noises rolled into one soundtrack that was being played through headphones.

One voice began to break through it all though. Aggie. I could hear her. I could hear her trying to soothe the panic I was so obviously feeling.

I soon felt someone pick up my hand. "Hey, hey, Harriet...Bub, it's me, its Aggie. I've got you. You're okay. Try and relax for me." Her voice was soothing me and I tried my best to relax, but the tightening in my chest was getting worse, and I still couldn't catch my breath.

Aggies' hand was ripped from mine and I could hear a few more voices around me but none of them familiar. The loss of the only familiar thing to me caused me to panic more. I had to open my eyes, I have to see what's going on.

I tried with everything I had to open my eyes but all I could manage was a slight flutter before they fell shut again. All I could see was a bright white through my eyelashes.

Before I had time to react to anything else going on around me, there was a sharp scratch in my throat and what felt like a sliding sensation. After a few seconds, it stopped and I was able to couch properly. I could feel tears building and pooling in my eyes. I was finally able to take a proper breath.

It was only a few more seconds before Aggie was back at my side holding my hand and trying to soothe me again. "W- wa..." I tried to get out, but my throat was so dry and talking hurt so much.

"Shhh, don't talk, the doctor said that you shouldn't talk Bub," Aggie interrupted.

Doctor? Why is there a doctor? I kept thinking back but all I could remember was dancing. I was dancing and Demi was there... And oh my god. I was taken to the hospital, my brain bleed, the surgery. I tried again to open my eyes and after a while I had managed to get them to open, hanging lazily open and falling shut in very slow blinks every now and again. I looked around and finally confirmed with my own eyes that I was in a hospital bed, from the white/grey walls to the blue blanket, and the white hospital gown I was sporting.

I looked around as best as I could. Aggie was sat beside the bed holding on to my hand, a small smile gracing her lips. Next, I came across Elise. She had a few tear streaks down her face and the smile on her face was rather apprehensive. I let my eyes wander the rest of the room hoping to see Demi and maybe even Brinley and Madison. Before I had time to question why they weren't here, the doctor who did my surgery came back into the room.