The Patient

Chapter 1

  "Welcome home, Elizabeth," Dad said as we pulled into the driveway in front of our new house in Forks. I hadn't seen it before, but Dad had. I climbed out of the car and to the front door of our new house. I unlocked it with the key Dad gave me, and went inside.

     The house wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. The first room I walked in looked like a living room, with a brown wooden floor and elaborate fireplace on the far wall. Right in front of me, in front of the door, was a staircase leading upstairs. Beyond the living room looked like a kitchen. My dad came in behind me with our bags from the car. He set them down and said, "You can pick which room you want. There are three to choose from. The third one will be an extra for guests. They're all upstairs." I grabbed my bag and suitcase off the floor and headed up the stairs. All the doors were standing open. There weren't many rooms on the second floor, just the three bedrooms and a bathroom. I looked in the first two bedrooms, none of them really speaking to me. I continued to the very last door, and went inside. The room had white carpet and bright blue walls. It was big, bigger than my room in Tampa had been. There was a bathroom and walk-in closet attached. I decided it was the room I wanted. I went down to let my dad know, and then we got to work unpacking all of our stuff, making the house our home.~     A few days had passed since we first got to Forks, and we pretty much had everything unpacked. I was home alone. Dad went out to find a bar. I decided to keep unpacking boxes while he was gone. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the tape on one of the boxes and opened it up. It was packed full with a bunch of my books. I lifted it up and started to carry it up the stairs, to my room. I got to the top step and somehow started to lose my balance. I tried to grab onto the railing to stop myself from falling, but I missed and just dropped the box. I fell backwards down the stairs, rolling around and hitting my head, back, and everything else on things. It took me a minute to realize I'd stopped falling and was lying on the floor. The box of books had fallen down the stairs with me, and books lay all around me, and under me. Everything hurt, but the worst was a sharp pain in my side. I tried to sit up but couldn't, and ended up crying out in pain. I tried it again, to the same result. I groaned. I fumbled for my iPhone in my back pocket. I hit the emergency call symbol, and typed in 911. It rang two times. A woman answered the phone. "Hello, what's your emergency?" she asked.

     "I'm home alone and I fell down the stairs and can't sit up. I think I broke something," I said in a rush. The pain was getting more and more intense.

     "Okay, stay where you are. Don't try to get up anymore, because it could make it worse. What is your address?" I told her. Luckily I'd thought enough to ask Dad what it was yesterday.    

     "Alright, an ambulance is on it's way. Just stay calm." I took a deep breath. "I also need to know your name and age," she said.

     "I'm Elizabeth May, and I'm seventeen," I told her through gritted teeth, trying not to cry out in pain.

     "Okay Elizabeth, the ambulance should be at your house in any moment. Remember, stay calm and don't try to move," she warned me. I nodded before I remembered she couldn't see me.

     "Okay, thank you for your help," I muttered. "Anytime." And as soon as the line went dead, I screamed out. I let a few tears escape, and then I heard the sirens. I managed to get it together again as I heard the ambulance stop in front of my house and doors opened and slammed shut. The front door flew open, revealing a man. He saw me right away, since I was lying right in front of the door.

     "She's right here!" he called back out the door, then rushed over to me. He grabbed the books out from under me and threw them to the side. "Where does it hurt?" he asked. "Everywhere, but mainly right here," I told him, pointing to my side. I winced and nearly screamed when he touched it gently. Another few tears escaped.