Red

Chapter 6

I woke up feeling in a dim hospital room that reeked of antiseptic and baby wipes. I scrunched my nose and looked around making eye contact with a man and a woman who looked vaguely familiar to me. I tried to sit up but stopped when my chest flared with pain. I plopped back down and gasped as the pain got worse. My eyes blurred with tears as one of the strangers went walked out. The other one tried to help me adjust but I instinctively flinched at their touch leading them to back away a bit.

The pain slowly went away and my breathing returned to normal. I blinked away the tears and surveyed the room again. I saw that the guy was the one who left and that I was stuck alone with the female. She looked like she had been crying for a while. And looked at me with worry and concern. I opened my mouth the speak but a weird nose came out instead. I cleared my throat and tried again but my voice came out as a dry whisper. I coughed and could not get my voice to come back. I watched as the woman stood up and grabbed the pitcher near my bed. She grabbed a cup and filled it with water. She walked closer and hesitated before eventually putting it down in front of me.

I didn't exactly trust it but the sense of familiarity she gave me as well as the fact that she probably won't drug me in the hospital made me trust her enough to drink the water. I took a sip and as the cool liquid rushed down my parched throat I gasped and greedily gulped down the rest. She laughed and sat down right next to my bed. I cleared my throat again and was finally able to speak. "W-Who are you?" I was shocked after hearing how frail and wounded my voice sounded. I glanced at the woman again and she looked a bit shocked.

After a little bit she smiled gently at me and scooted a bit closer. "Well of course you don't recognize me. The last time you saw me your were just a little baby." I should her a confused look and she continued. "I'm your aunt Marisol, from your mothers side. The man you saw earlier is your uncle Mike. It's good to see you again Brielle. Though I do wish it was under better circumstances." I had a faint feeling that I was about to hear some bad news. I opened my mouth to say something when the door opened and in walked my uncle with a doctor and a nurse.

The nurse rushed over and began checking my vitals while the doctor looked over at the clipboard on my door. I watched as the doctor sighed and walked in. A grim look on his face. "Hi Brielle. I am Doctor Carson, your attending doctor for today. I understand that you were in a car accident and may need to process everything I am about to tell you. So if you need a minute to process everything feel free to stop me. And if you have any questions about anything you can ask me or anyone else in this room as we have all been informed of these circumstances."

I slowly nodded my head as I tried to prepare myself for what was about to happen. I already had so many questions, but I couldn't bring myself to ask any of them. I took a deep breath as the doctor continued. "Well, why don't we start with the good news, and work our way from there. How's that sound?" He looked around and waited for everyone to nod. I noticed that while he was talking my aunt and uncle cane closer to me, and were now standing on both sides of me. Not knowing them to well I tended up a little but kept quiet. Doctor Carson nodded his head and continued.

"Okay great. So in regards to your medical condition. The good news there is that the car crash did minimal damage to your body, Brielle. You do have a slight concussion that should get better after a few days time. A broken wrist on your left hand, and some cracked ribs. All of which should be healed in about a months time. You also are able to leave the hospital after a few days here strictly for evaluation because if your concussion. And other than a few minor sets of cuts and bruises you're perfectly healthy." He gave me a wavering smile that slowly started to fade with each second.

I cleared my throat unable to bear the silence any longer. "And what of my parents, my-my...brother? And why are- why are my aunt and uncle here?" I had so many more questions but I held them back. I watched as they all exchanged looks to each other. When they turned to me their faces were unreadable. The doctor sighed and leaned forward. He looked at my aunt and uncle and gave them a grim look. "Don't worry, I will arrange a grief counselor to visit her everyday until she leaves and, if needed, a therapist to help her "adjust" to her new surroundings."

He was talking as if I wasn't there and that upset me even more. What was he talking about. "New surroundings" and "grief counselor" for what. While I was thinking they all suddenly turned to me and I felt a chill race down my spine. "Brielle." My head shot toward my aunt as she opened her mouth to speak. The tears gracing her face were undeniable. My chest clenched as I waited to her what happened. She took a deep breath and started again. "Brielle, sweetheart, you might not know this but.... you were the only survivor of the car crash." In that split second my world crashed down and the memories of the car crash flooded my brain.