Trapped

Chapter 6

I open my eyes slightly to find that I am being hoisted into an ambulance. The last thing I remember was going to sleep last night. Slipping into my night shirt and comfy sports bra and welcoming darkness to overtake me. Now my whole body hurts and I am strapped onto a stretcher waiting to be taken to a hospital by people I've never seen before in my life. I try to lift my head but am instantly told to relax and not to move by a male paramedic to my right.

    "Where's Erik?" Not the exact words I expected to leave my mouth but I do want to see Erik so I wait for an answer before asking anything else. He can't be okay right now. We have a bond. Some think it's because we're twins and have telepathy and all that crap, but it's more of a friendship than a sibling bond. He understands me and is usually the one I go to when I fail a math test or got high with a friend. He doesn't immediately go to "How will we punish you?" He is the one that tries to help me hide it and sticks up for me when we fail to hide it. I love the rest of my family but they can't be what Erik is to me and I don't blame them for it either.

    "Don't try to speak," the brown headed paramedic says to me. I need my brother! To hell with no speaking!

    "I can't leave without him. Please, I need him!" My voice is hoarse and it hurts to speak but I don't care about the pain right now. I will not be taken to a hospital by strangers without my brother. The paramedic tells someone to find Erik quickly and I finally relax.

    "Lilian!" Erik. Thank the Lord! He'll tell me what's going on. He comes to stand next to my head and leans down so he can kiss my forehead. He strokes my hair softly and I wish my hand wasn't strapped to the table so I could stroke his cheek. His hair is mussed and his brow is pinched. He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks.

"Are you okay?" I ask Erik and he cracks a smile. "What? What's funny?" I'm being sincere and he's laughing at me.

"You're in an ambulance on your way to a hospital and you're asking me if I'm okay?" He's shaking his head and smirking at me. A single tear escapes down his cheek and he closes his eyes. He's definitely tired and I've thrown his sleeping schedule further out of whack.

"Are you?" I'm exhausted but I can't fall asleep. I have to get answers out of him.

"I'm fine." Lier. I try to raise an eyebrow and give him my best skeptical look. He just shakes his head and says "I'm fine" again. I won't get anything real out of him.

"What happened?" I don't remember anything happening that would put me in this vehicle with a paramedic telling me to stop talking and quit moving.

"Last night?" When I nod, he answers with confused eyes. "You mean you don't remember?" Remember what?

"I guess not. Remember what? What happened?" I ask again but he doesn't seem to want to answer. He even seems relieved that I can't recall why I'm in this state.

"It's nothing. Just sleep." I can't say that that doesn't sound tempting, but I can't yet. I try my best to keep my eyes open. "Can you sedate her? She won't go to sleep willingly." What? No! I turn to Erik and he's staring at me caringly. I shake my head but he just rubs my cheek with the back of his hand. A mask gets placed over my mouth and nose and I have no choice but to breathe in the odd chemicals. My hands are tied down and if I hold my breath I'll pass out eventually anyway so I take slow, deep breaths and fall into a black abyss.