As Children and Parents

Chapter 1: Waking Up

The next thing our friend felt was a soft surface beneath her. Her body was sore all over, and her head felt as though it was pierced by a thousand needles. After letting out a few groans, she slowly opened her eyes, but she couldn't fully do so because of the light that immediately invaded her vision. She had to strain her neck as she looked away from the light to get a sense of the room she was in. Around her, there was a small television set on a table at the far end of the room, a vase of roses beside it. There was also a chair near said table carrying her suitcase, which seemed undisturbed for the most part. The curtains were open, letting the sun's remaining golden rays invade the room. She noticed the sky outside wasn't that bright; the sun was actually setting. She turned to the foot of the bed, her eyes landing on her bandaged foot placed atop a few pillows.

She was definitely in a hospital.

Her neck now a bit more loose, she managed to quickly turn her head towards the door as she heard it open. A nurse, of course, entered with a tray of bandages and what seemed to be sedatives. Our friend tried sitting up, but her body was still too sore for such a feat. The nurse noticed the movement, and found out for the first time that that patient has finally awake from her morning-long slumber.

"Good evening, miss. It's nice to see you're finally up." The nurse sad with a friendly smile.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"City Hospital. Let me call the doctor, he should be able to answer more of your questions than I can. I'll get you some food as well." The nurse said.

True to her word, the nurse changed the bandages and added a few sedatives and pain killers and then ran off. It didn't take long for the doctor to walk into the ward with a few papers in his hands, the same nurse walking in behind him with a tray of food.

"Good evening... Ms. Nicoletta HyMann, yeah?" She nodded as the doctor checked her name on one of the papers in his hand. "Considering your head injury, I'd say waking up is definitely a good sign. Tell me, how much do you remember of last night?"

"I remember... falling down on the curb and that I injured my leg. That's the last thing I remember." She said, images of the man who was chasing her flashing in her mind.

"I see. Well, no need to be alarmed, you simply hit your head rather hard, so it's just a minor concussion you had; a few hours' rest should take care of it. As for your ankle..." He said, turning to her bandaged leg. "That's gonna take a bit longer. We managed to return it back to its normal position, but it will take at least two weeks for you to be able to walk on it normally again."

"Does that mean I have to stay here for two weeks?" She asked.

"Actually, no. You can leave in a few hours, although you will have to use canes while walking; applying pressure on it isn't the best idea right now."

Nico sighed. It seemed as though it was a worse sprain than she thought. Nevertheless, things could've been worse.

He could've caught up to her.

"Well, I'll be going now. There are some people who would like to see you, so I'll give you some privacy." He said as he made his way towards the door.

"People..?" She wondered.

Five individuals entered the room, none of whom she recognised. She studied each of their faces, straining her memory in case she knew any of them but couldn't remember, yet to no avail. She knew none of these people. They were a group of two ladies and three guys, all well-dressed and looking at her.

One of the two girls pulled a chair and sat beside Nico. She had short dark hair cut in a bob, alongside matching eyes, magnified by the glasses she wore. She seemed taller than Nico by quite a bit; then again, Nico wasn't the tallest person one could meet. The girl next to her wore a concerned expression on her face.