Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Ch 118 - No Giving Up

The air felt cold enough to make Kyle's bones numb. A sharp pain rushed through is head and part of his forehead felt wet. Every muscle in his body was fighting to move but the dizziness was making it hard for Kyle to focus. He lay there stupid not able to tell what had happened.

It took a minute to clear his vision but the blinking light on his phone in the passenger seat was a beaker of hope. Another minute passed before he could remember his phone had been on his lap while he was driving.

Finally, able to sit back in his seat, he kept his head back and looked around. Everything he stared at was completely white. Thick heavy flakes were layering his windshield like puzzle pieces from a nightmare. He knew he had to get out of here. Realizations flooded in as he remembered where he had come from. Kyle started to say his name out loud as well as his family members to be sure to remember who he is. Then he was able to call out badge numbers and phone numbers while he tried several times to turn his truck engine over. He didn't want to return to Colin's house but instead decided to find the road and head back to work.

Not giving up, his truck finally started, and he slowly drove towards the mountain on the other side of the road he was on. Kyle found the road which felt like he was crawling through melted marshmallows. He kept his windshield wipers moving in order to see through the smaller clear sections of the glass.

It took him an hour to get to the bottom of the road and onto a busier country backroad that normally was gorgeous through the summer. In the winter however, it was a challenge to keep on the road without running off into a mountain, field, or water. The landscape was so white that gray air settled like a puff of smoke from a giant cigar in a plastic bag.

A headache was waking up his senses fully and he was grateful to be able to increase speed. Blood had flowed around his eye and part of his nose like an old waterfall's last days. Kyle was afraid to touch his forehead and knew with the pain under the numbness that he had to see a doctor. He headed straight to the hospital and saw parking lots full of cars from workers and patients. Storms always caused accidents, so it was no surprise the hospital was busy. Kyle grabbed a napkin he had in his glovebox and pressed it on his head. He could feel the skin of his forehead opened enough to fit half of his finger as he pressed on the wound. He wasn't sure how deep it was and honestly didn't want to know. He made his way through the back path to find his friend in the morgue. He was lucky that things were calmer in the morgue as Kyle was relieved to find the medical examiner doing paperwork.

"Oh man, what happened to you?" Walt asked as he stood up and immediately went to Kyle.

"I was on my way back from a mountain when I almost ran off the road because of this damn snow." Kyle replied.

"Here let me get you fixed up. I have Lisa down here who was looking into a file. I'll have her stitch you up since I've been doing autopsies today." Walt said. Kyle wouldn't have minded Walt stitching him up because his work on his patients was impeccable. Kyle was sure he was a seamstress in a past life.

"Thank you, Walt I appreciate it." Kyle said and sat down where Walt indicated.

Walt walked out of the room for a moment and followed with Dr. Lisa behind him with a kit in her hands. With friendly smiles and polite conversation about the weather, she informed him he needed three stitches on his forehead. He groaned with a smile then let her clean him up. Dr. Lisa had a feather-lite stitching style that would have made any embroider proud. Kyle was discussing the case of Jolene with Walt and didn't even realize that Lisa had finished.

After a few more minutes of discussion, Kyle gave Lisa and Walt appreciative handshakes then headed back to his truck. He almost fell on his ass from his half run, half walk speed, but since he was good at roller skating as a kid, he was able to keep his balance.