The Thorned Rose

33

SAVANNAH'S POV

I can think. But how? Everything was black still. Was I dead? Is this what death felt like? Did I die? I am so confused. I felt a soft material under my hands, so I tried to move it around, clenching at it. If I was in heaven, surely, I would be able to see something, and if I was in hell, I would be in pain, I swear that's how it works.

Okay, I am going to try and open my eyes. Come on Savannah, it is just opening your eyes, open your damn eyes! They finally slowly opened. I darted my eyes around the room. Okay. I was in a hospital room, obviously. There was a sea of colour everywhere, but I couldn't quite figure out what they were, my vision seemed blurry, as though I had stolen someone with really bad eyesight's glasses and put them on. The blurriness hurt my head and I closed my eyes again. I tried to lift my arm, but it wouldn't move, and I tried to cry out in frustration, but nothing came out.

"It is okay, Savannah, you are okay, it'll take a while for you to adjust," a sweet, female voice said to me, and I felt her hand on my arm. At least I can feel, that's something. I decided to open my eyes again, and this time, although everything was still blurry, it was a lot less blurry, and I turned to look at where the voice came from.

"Can you hear me Savannah?" asked the voice, her face was blurred, and he voice sounded muffled, like she was speaking to me underwater. I tried to reply, I tried to speak, but nothing would fucking come out. What the fuck is going on. I resorted to nodding, but I only could jolt my head slightly up and down. Luckily, it was enough.

"Good," the lady seemed to turn and speak to someone, asking them to leave, and I saw a blurred figure get up from sitting down on a chair, I guess, and leave the room.

The doctors, there were two of them, did various tests. They told me that I had been in an accident, and asked me if I remembered being stabbed. I did not. I remembered being punched in the face a lot, but I didn't remember being stabbed. I shook my head slightly. They told me I had some brain damage and I was put in an induced coma to allow my brain to heal, and that it would take some time for my brain to adjust to being 'awake' again.

The first thing they wanted to do was help me get my speech back, so they handed me a cup of water, with a straw in, and I managed to open my mouth to drink some. Only then did I realise how dry my mouth was, and how cracked my lips were, and more importantly, how damn thirsty I was, I drank the whole cup and then another. I wanted to drink more but they said I shouldn't over drink right now. They asked me to say simple vowel sounds.

"Say aa," said the doctor.

"A-a-aa," I repeated. It came out really stuttery and croaky, and my throat burned, but it came out at least. We did that a little more, and I was able to say some basic words like yes and no, and drink or food. They told me in time that everything would improve.

The next tests they did were to do with smelling. They took a vial of something and covering one nostril, asked me to smell it, asking me what I thought I smelt.

"Co- of- fee," I managed to croak out, a new word I had said since waking up, and I felt proud of myself. I was right. They did that a couple of other times and I managed to get them all right. Nostrils are good!

Then they did sight tests. They got me to follow their finger, they shone lights in my eyes, they tested my peripheral vision, and got me to read letters from cards they held away, they also tested me for colour blindness, which I am not by the way. They said that I still had a way to go, but the muscles that moved my eyes were fine, and my vision was improving with every minute.

They tested various sections on my body by dabbing it with a cotton ball as I looked away, asking me if I felt it, which I got right. Then they got a tiny little needle thing and poked me in different areas to see if I felt it, and I did. Then they got a tuning fork, and testing different places on my body to see if I could feel the vibrations, and I could.

They tested my muscles, which were weak, understandably, but worked. They got me to stand up and try and walking, and I was still weak, and tripped a few times, getting caught each time, but I managed to take four steps on my own, which they said was amazing for someone who had been in an induced coma as long as me. I didn't feel amazing though, I felt useless. Once upon a time I was able to do flips, knock people out, twist men double my weight over my back and stab them in the heart, now I can barely walk four steps. I wondered if I would ever be able to do those things again, and with all of these thoughts running through my head, I started to cry. I cried uncontrollably, and hysterically, and the doctors just couldn't calm me down.

"Hey, hey, Sav, it's going to be okay," I heard a familiar voice say to me. I looked up and there he was, Fabricio.

"Fa- br -bri- ci- o," I managed to croak out, damn that is a hard name. I'm just going to call him 'Fab' now.

"Don't cry Sav, please, it'll be okay. You have been through a lot of trauma. Let the doctors finish their tests, and I will leave the room but I'll just be outside, and after they have finished, I will come in and I will tell you everything, and I'll read you every card in here," he spoke with such a kind and soothing voice.

"Pro- ro- mi- se?" I asked, looking up at him. He was slightly blurry, but I could see the green of his eyes clearly.

"I promise," I felt him squeeze my hand and he left.

The doctors carried on with their tests, and once they had finished, they left, and Fabricio came in. He pulled a chair next to my bedside, and lowered the bed so that he could sit but he wasn't really low, and I didn't have to strain to see him.

"Where do I start... hm. Do you remember being in the warehouse, with the women?"

I nodded.

"Do you remember killing the guards?"

I nodded.

"Do you remember them punching you in the face?"

I nodded.

"Kicking you?"

I shook my head.

"Stabbing you?"

I shook my head, and tears began to fall down my face again. He quickly leant over and rubbed them away with his thumb.

"Maybe now isn't the right time... you need to focus on your recovery. I will tell you the rest another time."

I nodded.

"But, I would like you to know, Domenico is dead, and I am now the boss of bosses. I will tell you the whole story later though don't worry, just not right now."

"I- I'm h-h-ha-hap-p-py f-for y-y-you," I croaked out.

"Don't speak, you don't need to, but thank you," he spoke quietly. I wish I could see his face right now, but my vision was still adjusting, annoyingly. I smiled, and he held my hand.

"Do you want me to read to you?" he asked. I nodded my head, and he began reading the cards.

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She's awake!!! 

3 updates again today, although I really hate the number 33 and this is chapter 33 so I might budge to post 34 later this evening, who knows. 

I don't particularly like odd numbers...

Stay safe everyone <3