The Jewels; Mother of Pearl (#ABA2017)

Chapter Thirty Two

Lola didn't sit down.

She didn't lay in the bed provided and she barely managed to look out the window for more than a couple of seconds.

She looked at the similar view of her last hospital room. She guessed she was on the same floor as before, because the view was practically the same but the room was a little different, like everything was basically a mirror image.

Lola paced the room, her leg making her limp.

The nurses attempted to stop her so it wouldn't affect her leg, but every time they got Lola into her bed, as soon as the nurses would leave Lola would get up and start pacing.

Her fingers laced the necklace so tightly her fingers turned purple. Lola could feel some sort of peace coming over her, but at the same time a sickly worry. She wanted to know where Annika was, if Annika was okay or if she was going to be okay... But at the same time, she was wondering when they, the two of them, would get out of here, when she would see Annika alive and well because she almost knew Annika would be okay...

She had to be...

Lola's eyes managed to look out the window for more than ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She softly bit down on the pearl and froze.

She looked at the pearl for a moment, but she could barely see it.

Her hands ran along the chain that the pearl was on in search of the clip that kept it together. But she couldn't find it.

Lola scratched herself looking for it.

She continued to try and find the link to undo as she walked across the room to the other door that led to a bathroom. The bathroom was small; all that was in it was a toilet and a small sink followed by a surprisingly clean mirror. Lola stood in front of it and looked the pearl around her neck, it was being held by a shiny, silver chain and the pearl itself was wrapped around intertwining silver metal.

Lola laced the pearl's chain in her fingers; she was breathing so hard and so quick that the mirror was quick to fog up her face. Lola wiped the mirror clean.

Someone appeared, through the mirror, behind her; a little girl with dirty blond hair, and a tired expression.

Lola went wide eyed as she turned.

All she saw was the toilet.

Lola looked to the mirror again, but nobody was there.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard something creak. Lola reached slowly for a bar of soap on the sink and stalked to the bathroom door and held the bar of soap above her head to strike someone who came into the room. Lola saw a small stool by the door and stood on it so she was about a foot taller. The soap was still wet to touch.

A nurse walked into the door and Lola had to practically chuck the bar of soap across the room to avoid hitting the nurse on the head with it. But that didn't stop her from falling over. The nurse went wide eyed as she half caught half dropped Lola.

"Miss!" she exclaimed as Lola leaned on the door, it swung open and she nearly fell backwards. The nurse covered a smile, "are you alright?" she asked.

Lola was bewildered as she looked around the bathroom for a moment, "sorry..." she said, "I'm paranoid..."

The nurse simply nodded in response, "just checking up on you, Miss," she walked out of the bathroom, "the other nurses tell me you won't rest," she informed as she stood in the middle of the room. She looked over to the bed and saw a tray with untouched food, "haven't touched your food either."

Lola looked at the tray with the buttered slices of bread, orange juice and what looked like either jelly or ice cream. "Didn't know I had a tray of food," Lola said.