What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... it would really be great to hear somebody actually say that after being run over by a semi!
Chapter 37
"Don't you worry about a thing coz every little thing is gonna-" What was going on? Harper?
I couldn't feel a thing as I tried to speak. It must have been one of those dreams where one felt like they had no control over their bodies whatsoever, and maybe I'd have peed a bit on myself by the time I woke up.
"Charlotte!" I heard an unrecognizeable voice echo in my head.
I tried to move my head, but instead I felt like I was going to fall down. My body felt limp and then the onset of pain began.
"Shhhitt!" I cussed trying to open my mouth and force my eyelids apart.
"... milligrams of morphine!" I heard a voice order.
All around me the number of shouting voices increased steadily before I felt a burning sensation scorch my throat.
What the hell was going on? Was this the price of having a crush on Dr. Carter from e.r?
"Charlotte, can you hear me?" A voice asked real close to my face as the fact that I was hospital also began to sink in.
I picked up the instance the doctor or nurse pried my eyelids apart and flickered a flashlight across each one of my eyes.
I tried to nod my head, but it was worse than the first time because now I couldn't even make any slight movements.
"Ch-Charlie?" Harper whispered uncertainly. "The doctor says you can probably hear me; I love you, ok?" He said falling quiet afterwards or maybe my ears had decided to join the rest of my senses and fail me.
"I love you Charlie, and no one, not even my parents or Harper is ever going to come between us."
Julie.
The ring...
Her voice resounded in my head as I found myself back in her arms.
Slowly, amidst my vegetative state; everything came to me: I wasn't dreaming. This was here and now, and this nightmare was reality!
It all came back to me as clear as a cloudless sky...
My god! What had become of my life! Harper, the baby, Julie, my acceptance letters, my mother... Frank.
He had shown up last night after the prom party when we were at the hotel. How did he know we would be there? Why did he have that gun? Did he actually shoot me...?
I could remember everything, but it just didn't make sense! Why would Frank shoot me? He would've preferred to see me suffer than in the peaceful sleep of the dead; I was sure of it.
"Charlotte, can you hear me?" A male voice asked firmly.
"Y-yes," I whispered finally able to say something although my neck still ached and my mouth felt dry. "Water," I whispered again forcing my eyes open.
"Help her sit up," the firm voice said again.
The room seemed to be bright white and I felt a pain explode in my chest as I was helped up.
I cried out in pain and felt an extra pair of hands take hold of my shoulders and lean me against the padded cushiony thing placed at my back.
When I was finally sitting up, somebody put a glass of water against my lips and I was able to take tiny painful sips.
I tried to open my eyes again, because I was starting to think that maybe my sight was MIA.
"Charlotte?" The voice said from a closer range.
I couldn't reply since the pain in my throat was so severe, and all I could do was rub at my neck to get my point across.
"You are in pain, is that what you are saying?" He asked, and I nodded. "The soreness is normal after a breathing tube -like the one you had inserted down your windpipe to help you breathe- is extracted," he explained.
The next thing I did was point to my eyes. I saw a blinding light whenever I tried to open them.
I heard the definite click of a string operated fluorescent tube light, before I attempted to open my eyes once more.
This time I could actually make out figures although I was straining and everything appeared to be having some sort of aura around it. I could see the doctor and a nurse, but their features were blurred.
"Bad," I said.
"Can you see anything?" The doctor asked moving directly in front of my face, to the point that he filled my field of view.
I nodded and put my hand (which I realized had a catheter inserted and taped at the back of my wrist) on his head.
"That is very good. You seem to be recovering well, and even your blood pressure seems to be picking up properly."
Ok, so I couldn't tell much about blood pressure, but I could tell a lot about when I wanted to eat! I was terribly hungry and repeatedly stroked my tummy.
"Pain?"
I shook my head.
"Food?"
I nodded vigorously.
"You will have your food brought to you and then your mom can help you eat, ok? I'll just see you to check on your progress," he said with doctor ingrained positive attitude.
As soon as the doctor left, I heard my mom call out my name before she crashed me in the name of hugging. Harper was also there, but I also needed Julie to be with me right now.
"Where... Julie?" I asked trying to spot her in the room.
"Why don't you get comfortable first?" She said gently brushing my hair back behind my ear.
This was strange, why wasn't she here? Then it hit me; it was a late freight train, but the effect was the same none-the-less.
Something had happened to her after she had opened the hotel room door! Frank must've shot her first!
