Dark and Dirty Like You've Never Seen

Remember

I heard beeping and mumbling. I tried to open my eyes, but it proved to be impossible. Where was I? What happened? And why can’t I see anything? I listened closely, trying to decipher who was talking. I heard at least four of five different voices. There was always more than one person talking at once so it was hard to distinguish. I caught different pieces of conversations around me, trying to put it all together.

“She’s stable…”

“…when she wakes up…”

“How long will she …”

“…be back tomorrow to…”

My head was pounding. It was just making my head ache worse to try and catch what was being said. I gave in and fell back into a surprisingly restful sleep. After what felt like a short nap, I was aware of the noises around me. The beeping continued but I didn’t hear any voices this time. I heard what sounded like folding paper next to me. I could hear scuffling along what I would guess was tiled floor. It wasn’t as close as the paper. My hearing must be on high alert due to my lack of vision. Once again, I tried my hardest to open my eyes. This time, a beam of light shot through my lids causing me to squint hard. It hurt and I let out what I thought was an audible groan. It must have been because I heard someone right next to me and someone holding my hand.

“Angela, sweetheart, can you hear me?” The voice was clear now, probably because there weren’t several of them talking. I tried again to open my eyes but the light seeping into my vision was too bright, and I groaned again. I was able to find my voice, though I didn’t recognize it at first.

“Too … b-bright.” My voice was hoarse and weak. It sounded nothing like me so much that I almost doubted that I was the one that said it at first. I heard another voice and some shuffling around the room. After a moment I saw the lights behind my eyelids dim. I tried once more to open my eyes, succeeding this time. It was slow going, but I could finally see my surroundings. I was in a room with pale green walls. This isn’t my room. I looked down slowly and saw the white sheet and the light blue gown that I was wrapped in. I saw tubes in my arms and quickly shut my eyes, feeling sick. I turned my head to the side and opened my eyes again to see a woman holding my hand. She had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. After a moment it finally registered: this was my mother. My mom. Seeing her crying and holding my hand made my heart twist painfully. I missed her. Why? I smiled and squeezed her hand back causing her to laugh and cry at the same time. I turned my head to the other side and saw a man stalking in the doorway of the room. I stared at him for what felt like forever but couldn’t place where I knew the face. I looked back to my mom. I cleared my throat the best I could and tried to sit up but the movement almost caused me to throw up. I lay still.

“Mom?” I said just above a whisper. She leaned closer to me and smiled, pushing my hair off of my face.

“How do you feel, honey?”

“Bad … w-what happened?” I closed my eyes and attempted to find the memory of how I got here, wherever I was.

“You had an accident. You’re in the hospital. Do you know what happened?” She looked to the man in the doorway and motioned for him to come over. He stood at the end of the bed and stared at me. I racked my brain but nothing was coming to mind. The last thing I remember was … shit I don’t know. A party? I remember a lot of people. I must have been at a party. I don’t even remember how I got there or whose party it was. I gave up and shook my head slowly. At least the movement wasn’t making me as sick now. My mom looked at the man again and back to me.

“You fell and hit your head. You’ve been asleep for about four days now… do you remember now?” She looked worried. I tried to take in what she had said but I don’t remember any of it. I turned my attention back to the guy at the end of my bed and stared at him for a while. I cocked my head to the side.