taken [loki laufeyson]

25: opportunity

I feel myself wake up, and gently open my eyes. A harsh white light illuminates the room and stings my eyes.

I blink a couple times and try to sit up, but doing so sparks an incredible shooting pain in my chest. I wince, but continue to look around the room to get a sense of where I am.

The room is small and pristine with white walls and shiny tile floors. The door to my right is closed, and medical equipment is lined up next to my bed— an IV bag, a heartrate monitor, and a small table with a laptop. I trace the tubes connected to the IV bag and find the needle end of one inserted in my wrist. I'm hooked up to various other machines as well, and dressed in a thin hospital gown, laying under a blanket.

What happened?

My consciousness has fully returned, but my memories haven't. I rack my brain, struggling to remember what brought me here. But my mind feels foggy, so I lay back down and give up.

I must have dozed off again for a while, because I find myself waking up again, this time to the sound of the door creaking open.

An older woman walks in— who I can only assume is a doctor— wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard. Her dark hair is pulled up into a tight ponytail, and I can see her smile when she notices me watching her.

"Hello Allissa." She pulls up a small stool that was tucked under the table and sits down next to me. "I'm Dr. Elizabeth Preston." Elizabeth sets her clipboard down and focuses on me. "How are you feeling?"

I take a moment to assess myself. "I'm okay, just a little out of it."

She nods. "That's to be expected though. Gun shot wounds will do that to you." Her humor catches me off guard and my heart races at what she so casually mentioned. Was I really shot? I can't remember.

Elizabeth notices my anxious expression. "You must not remember. But I don't think it's my place to explain. Your boyfriend will be in here any minute though, so he will help you. I'm sure you'd rather have his company."

Boyfriend?!

"You know, he was here every single day for you, waiting. Hoping you'd be okay. He's a very sweet young man."

A knock on the door interrupts me as I'm about to respond.

Elizabeth smiles at me sympathetically while getting up to leave. "Just know that the surgery was successful, and that you'll be okay." She turns to the door. "Come in!"

The door swings open, and I look up to see Steve standing there, dressed in a simple tshirt and jeans. His worried expression calms when he sees that I am okay. "Allissa!" He rushes over to the bed and kneels down beside me.

I don't know what I expected when Elizabeth said 'boyfriend', but a twinge of disappointment strikes me anyways. She must've assumed that's who he was. I don't know him well, but he still came to see me. I give a half-hearted smile.

Elizabeth grabs her clipboard. "I'll leave you two alone. Come get me if you need anything." She glides out of the room and shuts the door tightly behind her.

I look back over at Steve.

He beams at me and grasps my hand. "I was so worried!" His thumb rubs my hand gently. I'm a little startled by the gesture, but I know it's innocent.