Upside Down

chapter seventeen

I sat up. Everything was a blinding white, and black spots clouded in my vision. I was wearing one of those ugly hospital dresses that you had to put on while getting a checkup. I noticed that there were a few of those sticky suction cup things on my head. I ripped them off and got up. My head felt like my head was swelling to three times its size, but I didn't care. I am going to find my parents. I opened the wooden door of my small room. I stepped outside and smelled the fresh, hospital air. I leaned on the wall, taking in the clean smell, and I realized that God, I am tired. I sat down and was just getting comfortable when seven people rushed down the hall yelling words I can't remember. They picked me up and put me on a stretcher. I was fidgeting and fighting them off the whole time. One nurse had a clipboard and was writing something down as a doctor was telling her my condition. Another doctor was hooking me up to an IV, another calling for more doctors. Why are they doing this? I'm awake! How do they think I got outside of the hospital room? As we came into my room, a doctor ripped off my hospital gown and thank the lord she placed it on my chest. About five more doctors came in. Two were checking my heart rate and pulse, another checking my breathing, another was checking my head for some reason.

Then I saw it. A doctor with a name tag that said 'Shirley Harrison' picked up a sharp needle. No! She cleaned off my skin with a cold alcohol wipe and put the vaccine in the tube. Just as she was about to put it in, my mom ran in the room. Thank God!

"She is awake! Can't you see my poor baby is awake!" she yelled. I have never seen her this mad. "Stop right now! She. Is. Awake!"

All fifteen of the doctors and nurses stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Some with disgust, some just straight out confused.

Shirley Harrison, the one with the needle, walked over to my mom.

"Hon, she has just woken up. She needs chemo," she said to my mom with concerned eyes.

"Have you checked her vitals? Does she need chemo? Her hair hasn't fallen out. For God's sake, she was in a coma for eight months! Eight! Who knows what she is like right now! I demand that you check her vitals before..."

My mom's voice faded as I became lost in thought. I was out for eight months. Eight months not going to school, eight months with everyone not knowing if I was okay or not. I felt terrible. My family must have been so worried.

"Honey, can you tell me your name?" Shirley Harrison asked me.

"Bethany Floyd," I told her.

"Do you know where you are?" she pressed on with the questions.

"A hospital? St. Jude's," I answered, remembering the commercials.

"What day is it?" she asked.

"She has been out for eight months, you can't expect her to know that," my mom told her.

I layed back down on the bed. I felt fine, aside from my head hurting. I was hungry, I realized.

"Can I have some food?" I asked the doctor.

She smiled and told me I could.

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wow. eight months. i would be hungry too lol. hope you enjoyed. :)