Pieces of the Present - [Danona] Book Two ✓

08. that's how it is

[a/n: the song I'm referencing with Katie's skating story in this chapter is called That's How It Is by Paul Freeman. It's a song I hold very close to my heart as it was the song I used to dance to in with my winter guard team middle school before I lost a lot of function in my legs and could no longer dance. it's an incredibly emotional song, and I very highly recommend listening to it because not only do I see it as fitting to Katie's situation, but it's also very fitting to the whole story as well. also, if you listen to it, you'll recognize it when you read the lyrics I've added into this chapter.  xo]

The hospital emergency room was bustling with crowds of people. It was Christmas, which meant that every hospital in the area was probably packed full. Fathers who sliced their hands open while carving the Christmas ham. Kids who threw head-butting temper tantrums and got concussions after finding out that they didn't receive the gift they wanted. Strangers drunkenly driving home from stressful nights with family. 

Some would have funny stories to tell for the rest of their lives. Some would see the end of their lives tonight. Then, there was Katie — who wasn't quite sure where she fit on that scale. 

What terrified her the most was how quickly they had rushed her back. She hadn't stood at the waiting window for more than 10 seconds before she had swiftly been brought through the large locked double doors. Out of the handfuls of people waiting to be seen, they had taken her without hesitation.

She thought that they only did that for the people who needed desperate medical attention... right? 

All of it was passing in a blur; completely disassociating with the current situation she was in. Her eyes had glazed over, almost as if her body was trying to protect her from the passing moments. She saw the pale blues and teals and greys wth only blurry vision. Stuck in a hazy fog, she had just enough control over her body to lift the ratty hospital gown over herself and drape it over her frame. 

Even while sitting in an incredibly busy emergency room, it seemed as if it had all gone silent. Everything always seemed to be silent lately. Nobody brave enough to speak up, to break the spell that hung over them like a raining cloud. 

As her head rested on the scratchy cotton sheets of the hospital bed, she fought off the urge to fall asleep. A cocktail of fear and exhaustion had mixed into her veins, both wiring her and tiring her. Her knees were tucked up to her chest as she laid on her side, counting the tiles on the wall and repeating as soon as she lost count. 

If she weren't absolutely worn out, she would've attempted to read the feeling of the room. Her mother sat in one of the two chairs that were tucked against the wall. She couldn't see her from how she was laying on the bed, but she could hear the way Winona anxiously chewed at her nails. 

 Her father was sitting in the chair closest to her, pretending to read a magazine which was really just a useful way to hide the fear in his eyes.