FALL (DIMENSION Series #1)

CHAPTER 12

The rest of my time in the hospital went by in a blur. I vaguely remembered doctors and nurses flitting in and out of my room. I also remembered a tray of mushy, grayish food I couldn't bring myself to eat.

     Before being released, I'd been questioned on how I felt and had been asked some questions that seemed designed to test my state of mind. It seemed the doctors wanted to be sure that all my faculties were intact, prior to discharging me.

     The good news was that they didn't ask me the details about my fall. They limited their mental examination to questions about school and my family. It was a relief not to have to get into some of the unexplainable details of my fall. Especially as I couldn't really divulge those. They'd lead any healthcare professional to question my sanity.

     "I'm fine," I said to everyone who asked me.

     And it was true. Ever since coming out of my unconscious state, I'd been mentally alert. My distractedness had been due to the circumstances surrounding my fall. Those very strange events that I still hadn't been able to explain to myself. And of course, my thoughts of Derek were with me these days—adding another layer of complexity. My images of Derek were clouding up my mind most of the time. I kept wondering if he had texted me.

     But despite the questions milling about in my brain, I was present enough to be glad that I didn't have to spend another night in the hospital. And relieved to be staggering out of my dad's car and into the foyer of our house.

     "Eleanor," My mother said in that concerned voice of hers. "Are you sure you're all right?

     "I'm totally fine, Mom," I replied.

     I knew she'd be questioning me because of the limping and staggering. My body was still recovering from the fall. It turned out there was a consequence to experiencing such a big fall and to having had the wind knocked out of you. My body felt sore. My arms and legs were stiff when I moved them. Like they might feel the day after a hard workout. And of course my shoulder still wasn't back to normal. But it was more than just sore muscles—I felt the discomfort on a deeper level as well. In my ligaments, and I suspected, also in my bones.

     "Hello Estella," I said. She circled my legs, purring loudly. She was expecting to be scooped up and held tightly as I raced up the stairs. But that wasn't going to happen. I was drastically slower now and had a limited range of motion.

     "Hey," Jason said, and he gave me a big hug.

     "Careful Jace," my dad said. "Your sister is a convalescent now."

     My dad winked at Jason and the two of them burst out laughing.

     "Ellie's a convalescent,' Jason said in a sing-songy voice. And he laughed some more.

     I rolled my eyes at my dad and Jason.

     My mother never teased me, or anyone for that matter. And she hated being teased. So we omitted her from all the teasing we did. My mother was a formal person. Being an English instructor, she also paid attention to grammar. Often correcting me, Jason, and others.

     My dad, in an effort to lighten the mood in our house, over-compensated. He was a relentless teaser. But I thought he could see I was a tired because he didn't crack any further jokes.

     "Can you help your sister up the stairs?" my dad asked Jason.

     Jason nodded and he was by my side in a flash. Taking my left arm and allowing me to lean on him.

     "Look out for Estella!" my mother warned.

     But Estella was in no danger of being trampled. We moved at a snail's pace. It felt like a small eternity before we reached my bedroom. It felt rewarding to be standing there. The sun was streaming into my room and everything was illuminated—the shades of blue and yellow were more pronounced. I was happy to get home during the day. Everything seemed friendlier in the daylight, and less ominous. And right now I didn't have the stamina for more gloom.