Discovering Callie

2 - Caroline

I can't remember anything. Why am I here? What am I doing in a hospital bed? Where's my mum, dad, and Lizzie? My head is THROBBING, I need ice and answers!

"Hi Caroline, I see you're awake, how are you feeling?" Finally, a nurse, I must have had a fall during gymnastics class, it would make sense, I'm not very good... Lizzie was blessed with the flexible and athletic genes, but still makes me go to gymnastics as 'twins have to do everything together' - a rule I mostly love. 

"Um, it's Callie, I prefer Callie... I feel ok, my head hurts a lot though. What happened to me? Have my family gone to get something to eat?" The nurse sat down on my bed, taking my hand, I'm not completely comfortable with it, i hate people touching me, but I don't want to complain when she's taking care of me. She has a kind of sympathetic look on her face, as if she's about to tell me my favourite TV show (Friends) has been taken off Netflix, or that Father Christmas isn't real (which I OBVIOUSLY know already, I'm 16 now after all). 

"Oh darling, do you not remember anything?" Her eyes seemed to well up... What the hell is going on?! "No, I remember being at gymnastics class with Lizzie, Mum and Dad were watching, did I fall off a beam? I must have hit my head pretty hard to end up in here..." She stared at me, quiet and clearly distressed. I'm starting to worry, if everything was ok why wouldn't she just come out with it and tell me what's going on? 

"Where are my family?! What happened? Are they ok? Please tell me they're ok?!" I can feel tears pricking my eyes but I blink them away. Nothings happened, they're fine, I'm being silly and just thinking the worst, they're going to walk in any minute now. "Callie, you were all in a car accident, it was pretty bad, you were so luck to survive, we don't know how you did. I am so so sorry, your family didn't make it." My whole body is frozen I can't move, I can't breathe. I can feel myself hyperventilating, I'm going to have a panic attack. They can;t be dead, they aren't, I don't believe it. I try to reach out to the nurse, to shake her, ask her why she would lie about something so horrible, but my vision is blurred, I can't see anything. "W-w-why" I keep trying to speak but my words are coming out as wobbly wails; come on Caroline May Watson, stop being such a baby just talk! "Why are you lying to me. I don't believe you! If they're dead then take me to them!" 

"Callie, please calm down, I would never lie to you about such a thing. I'm sorry, I don't think you should see them... They suffered some terrible wounds in the crash." Her voice was soothing, I could feel the sympathy she was emitting; I grabbed her and held her close. "It's ok Callie, we will help you through this. Your Grandmother is on the train to come and see you, she will be here soon. Until then I'll be with you, if you need to shout, shout at me, if you need a cuddle, I'm here, if you want something to eat or drink I can go out and get it. I'm right here Callie." I closed my eyes and wept in her arms until I fell asleep.