Blood, Sweat, and Kreutzer

Chapter Two - Alyss

The ceiling is colorless, Alyss decides.

Oh, it's probably somewhere between off-white and a dull, dingy gray, with a vaguely textured surface worn flat with countless antiseptic bleachings. But if Alyss decides it's colorless, it is. She's been flat on her back, staring at nothing else, for far too long for it to be otherwise.

She closes her eyes against the nothingness of the ceiling as an all-too-familiar ache in her chest makes its presence known. It's three in the afternoon and, as predictable as a clock, her painkillers are wearing off.

Alyss wrenches her eyes open a moment later, annoyed at herself for showing any sign of pain. She can only hope it went unnoticed, because the last thing she wants to do is worry her teacher.

"Alyss, sweetheart, are you okay?" Her momentary lapse has not gone unnoticed. Pauline DuLacy's eagle eyes, perpetually watchful, have instantly picked up the irregularity.

Alyss catches herself midbreath as her chest protests at expanding to take in air. She decides against speaking for the moment, and closes her eyes again, lifting one hand in a silent thumbs-up.

The door opens, and Alyss hears the familiar voice of Dr. Hanne, the physician in charge of her care. "Good afternoon, Miss Alyss. Are you about ready for some more painkillers there?"

Alyss nods without opening her eyes. She hates this weakness, this dependence on the bag of chemicals Dr. Hanne is replacing on the IV stand next to her bed. She wonders, despairing, if she'll ever breathe on her own, without the painkillers and the oxygen being delivered to her body through tiny clear tubes.

A moment later, though, the pain melts away as the chemicals kick in. Alyss takes a small sigh of relief - her damaged chest is not up to full capacity - and opens her eyes.

Dr. Hanne is looking down at her thoughtfully. "Alyss, I'd like to talk with you. Do you think you can sit up for a little bit? The change in position will be good for you."

"I can try," Alyss says. Her voice is still rough from disuse - she's fallen into not speaking very often. For one thing, she's sleeping a lot - normal for someone who is trying to heal, Dr. Hanne tells her - and for another, she's just not in the mood to talk. Her friends are home for the holidays. Ms. DuLacy is there as long as the hospital permits for visiting hours to keep Alyss company, but Alyss isn't particularly in the mood for conversation these days.

With the help of Dr. Hanne and Ms. DuLacy, Alyss is leaning backward against her pillows a moment later. It's a bit easier to breathe sitting up, she thinks. She collects herself, her head swimming a bit, and then looks at Dr. Hanne expectantly.

"You're healing well, Alyss," Dr. Hanne says. "Right on schedule, and healthily. I'm planning on starting to give you smaller doses of painkillers, less often, to start to wean you off of it."

Alyss nods emphatically, wincing a bit at the movement. "Yes, please," she says. "I don't like having to depend on them."

"Alyss, please know it's completely normal for someone with an injury to need things like painkillers to help them get better," Ms. DuLacy says gently. "Don't be hard on yourself because of it."

Alyss draws breath to deny it, but changes her mind halfway through. She returns her attention to Dr. Hanne.

The white-coated doctor continues. "I also want to get you moving around. Another week or so, and your leg will have healed enough to get you up on crutches. Once your cast comes off, we can start you on physical therapy to help rebuild your muscles. That's quite a ways off though."

Alyss nods. Sometimes, it feels like she's going crazy laying in bed. She can't wait to get back on her feet. And back to work. She hates how much practice time she's losing while she's in the hospital.