Dragonfly

Chapter Two

The heavy darkness of unconscious crushed me, suppressing me from doing anything else until I felt as though I had become its prisoner. It was just as I gave in and finally stopped attempting to push against the wall that crushed me, when I felt whatever it was flee from my body and the light of life returned once again. As my eyes fluttered open, I found myself laying in a hospital bed with needles stabbed into my body and an oxygen machine assisting me in my breathing through two tubes up my nose. Instinctively, I pulled my right hand from the smooth warmth it had been surrounded by, and began to pull at each of the things that had been placed in and around my body, trying to free myself.

As soon as I pulled the oxygen machine tubes from my nose, the foul chemical odor invaded my nose and caused the back of my throat to burn as the fierce fire ignited within me.

“Riley, calm down! Riley!” A familiar voice shouted before I felt his warm, smooth hands grab my bare upper arms, and force me to stop. Slowly, I looked up to the face of the man who tried to stop me and my gaze was met by the comforting blue eyes of a man I knew all too well.

“Lewis,” I whispered softly as my mind began to comprehend what was happening, “where are we?”

“The hospital, Riley. You were in so much pain and you blacked out, there was nothing I could do,”

“So you brought me here,” I muttered quietly, I paused for a moment before I continued speaking, “makes sense,”

Lewis smiled as he sat on the chair beside the bed and faced me directly,

“I’m glad that you understand why I did it. To be honest with you, I thought you would be pissed as hell!”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m pissed but it makes sense so I’m not going to hold it against you. Just get me out of here and we’ll be okay,” I replied with a smile and humor clear in my voice.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think that you should just leave, you were in a lot of pain and you’ve been unconscious for two days. There are a lot of investigations that they want to go through with. They want to find out the reason why you’re in so much pain,” replied Lewis as my mind suddenly realised that I was sat on a bed in the middle of a ward, meaning that;

I’ve been admitted! My mind screamed angrily. No! I fricking hate hospitals!

It’s true, if there is one place in the world that I hate, its hospitals and I’m a rather impartial person but I would rather not be surrounded by condescending assholes who think they know what they’re talking about when they don’t actually have a clue, and the foul smell of whatever chemicals it is that they use to clean the place and always makes me feel as though I’m going to throw up,

My thoughts paused for a moment as it finally registered all that Lewis had said, I’ve been unconscious for two days? I sat there for a brief moment before I spoke,

“Hell will have long frozen over before you will have me stay in this place again,” I grumbled angrily as I began to collect my things and headed straight for the door. Automatically, I avoided anything touching my shoulder blades as I moved.

“They could help you,” Lewis attempted to plead but both he and I knew that it was useless, not unless he played the dreaded card and I doubted he would do such a thing.

“Or I could help myself,” I mumbled as I glanced over my shoulder and looked to him with a comforting smile when I saw the glisten in his eyes and my heart stopped beating for a moment as he gave me his most disappointed look, he could possibly manage. Instantly, I knew what he was thinking and I was going to beat him to the punchline, “don’t you dare,” I huffed, my voice taking on a threatening tone to it.

“Please, do it for me,” replied Lewis.

Damn it! I thought angrily, silently knowing that two could play at this game and I was a master at it after years of practise.

“Lewis, please don’t do this. Just let me go home, I’ll be fine,” I muttered as I sat there and began to pack my things when a nurse entered the room. Something about her caused goosebumps to rise on my arms as she approached me, her hair as black as raven feathers, had been tied into a ponytail and her eyes were as dark as the night.

“Are you going somewhere, Miss Jones?” Asked the nurse as she approached me.

“Yes, I’m going home,” I said. Instinctively, I began to mirror her steps backwards, something about this woman caused me to feel great fear as she watched me.

What am I doing? What am I doing with my life? I thought and the thought seemed random as I began to doubt myself though I couldn’t quite understand as to why I felt that way.

“I would suggest that you lay down and rest, we need to transfer you to another hospital so that you may be monitored. The doctors want to do a few tests,” said the nurse as she took yet another step towards me before she looked to Lewis, “Please ensure she rests until they are ready to collect her,”

Hastily, Lewis nodded and instantly, I knew he felt the same fear that I could feel pumping through my body. Quickly, I scrambled back into the hospital bed and curled up under the covers. I couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably in terror as my eyes grew wider with shock though I was unable to understand as to why I felt so fearful. My heart thumped violently in my chest as I listened to the nurses footsteps, silently hoping that she would leave the room rather soon. As I laid there, I couldn’t help but feel as though my heart were determined to destroy my ribcage from the inside out.

I was unable to forget the sight of her eyes, something about them appeared cold if not murderous and that caused me to feel even further frightened. Without making another movement I continued to lay there, surrounded in the warmth of the covers and with the foul chemical odor invading my nose as I listened to the nurse walk out of the room. Each footstep she made, echoed throughout the room until the door slowly creaked open and whistled as it closed.

Within seconds of the nurse leaving, I couldn’t help but notice how the atmosphere of the room had changed dramatically. No longer could I feel the weight of fear crushing my shoulders and causing my heart to feel as though it were going to leap out of my chest and soak the pure white sheets in the warm sanguine liquid that was my blood.

Immediately, I sighed as I felt the relief wash through my veins and I found myself able to breathe with ease once again. Hesitantly, I arose from within the covers to see relief plastered upon Lewis’s soft, pale face as his sapphire blue gaze met mine.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he looked at me with concern clear in his voice and I nodded.

“What about you?” I muttered quietly.

“I’m fine,” he muttered as he cracked his neck, “what the hell was that?”

“I have no idea,” I paused for a moment, before I continued speaking in a hushed voice, “whatever it was, I don’t want to feel it again. I think I will stay here until they’ve finished their tests,”

“Wow! Riley stopping in a hospital to get the medical help she needs? I should take that nurse home with me so that she can help me look after you!” Lewis joked.

“You do that and your face will be meeting my fist on a regular basis,” I joked and he chuckled.

“You wouldn’t hurt me,” Lewis muttered as his smile slowly began to grow.

“You’re lucky that you’re right. I couldn’t hurt you,” I replied with a soft smile as his gaze locked onto mine. A few minutes must have passed but it couldn’t have been long when the doors flew open and men dressed purely in black surrounded my bed. Their black suits and sunglasses sent shivers down my spine as I sat there watching them cautiously, as they took the breaks off my bed and began to move me from the room. “Hey! What the hell are you doing? Where are you taking me?”

        I panicked and attempted to struggle free when I felt something prick the skin of my arm and within seconds, the world grew black.