The Cadet

Escape

There was something terrifying about drowning. The sudden pressure on your body shocks you, and your lungs burn. You scratch and claw for the surface, screaming for help but no one notices. No one can hear you.

You're at the mercy of the water.

Water is so powerful, the ability to take life just as quickly as give it.

Oh, the irony of water.

EVELYN POV

Beep.

Soft and warm.

Beep.

Breathe, just breathe.

Beep.

It's hard.

Beep.

A cough racked through my lungs and I woke up suddenly, surprised to be choking on a tube. My gag reflex fought against the tube, and I reached up to start pulling it out. I nearly vomited as I pulled it out, coughing so hard my lungs burned. A nearby machine started to alarm, and I looked around the hospital room to find it was empty. I removed the heart monitor leads which made an even louder sound. I decided not to rip out the IV, and opted to grab the cart with the bag on it instead to steady myself as I got up. My knees were very shaky as I supported myself. I felt very weak, but the ironic thing of being an aspiring doctor was hating being in the hospital as a patient. It was hard to breathe, as if I had been shorted a lung. I ignored it and escaped the room as swiftly as I could, finding myself in an unfamiliar part of the hospital. I had been here several times for various classes and internships. Based off of the tile and the wall, it seemed I was at the hospital nearest to the academy. I ventured down the hall, surprised at the lack of nurses I passed. I came to an elevator, and pressed the button for the ground floor. While inside the elevator, I removed the IV carefully and tested my steadiness as the elevator landed. I got down to the ground floor and wearily exited the elevator, still not running into anyone. I decided I would rather find clothes and get out of here than try to make a break for it in my hospital gown. My heart raced as I heard voices down the hall, and I ducked into a nearby on-call room.

I was thankful that no one was in there, and decided to rummage around in the lockers and drawers for some clothes. I found a pair of running shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, thankful to be out of the breezy gown. I grabbed a pair of grippy socks and slipped them on before venturing back out into the hall. I knew the ground floor pretty well so finding the exit was easy enough. Just as I was about the round the corner to the exit, I heard a familiar voice that stopped me in my tracks.

"What do you mean you lost her?!" the voice bellowed, surely waking up anyone on the floor who was sleeping.

I peeked over my shoulder to see Bones fuming in front of a nurse who seemed rather distraught that there was a missing patient. Deciding it was better to make a break for it, I skirted around the corner unseen. If I had been caught, I would have been dragged back up to that room and given an earful by Bones. I was not really in the mood for his nagging.

It was pretty cold outside, snow just barely covering the ground as it fell gently in large flakes. I cursed myself and nearly walked right back into the hospital, but decided to tough it up and walk back to the academy. It was about a fifteen minute walk, but hey, I had grippy hospital socks.

As I walked along the side of the road, shying away from each car that passed, I kept ridiculing myself for how stupid I was to have gotten myself into that situation. Had I just been more careful I could have avoided falling in the shower. Maybe if I had protected myself better I wouldn't be so fragile.