Ruby Red Dress-The Mentalist

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Grace Van Pelt

I can't see anything. And it's frustrating. I can't move either which is even more frustrating. And I can't talk which is even more frustrating.

But I can hear. Which kind of makes me get even more annoyed because then I want to reply but I can't. And then I end up a sad, lonely person who has conversations with herself in her head. Like right now.

Okay... This sleeping thing is doing my nut too. I fall asleep, whilst I'm asleep supposedly. And then I awake, whilst I'm still asleep. And then it starts all over again.

I know the team swing on by after work sometimes because I can hear them talking. I think sometimes they're talking to me, but I can't be sure. Jane thankfully answered some of the questions I had, when he first visited.

The strange thing was, was that I'm sure I had heard someone else's voice. An old woman's. I'd heard it before, quite recently in fact. She was alone with me, the others had been there a few moments ago. And Jane had said that he needed to use the restroom. I'm not sure where Boss and Wayne had gone... I had heard the door open, then close. So they must have gone outside for some reason. Then, the next thing you know people were poking me and doing stuff to me. Rushing around. I think I must have drifted off again. Because when I had become awake again, in my unconscious self, it was just Wayne and I in the room. Jane and Lisbon had left...

I startle when someone's hand touches mine. I'd drifted off again. There's a shuffle and a pair of gentle lips press lightly on my forehead.

'It's okay Grace. You're going to be awake soon and then I promise I'll help. I'll look after you.' He says.

I know you will. You've told me a thousand times before. You'll be my knight in shining armour. Love you...

'Sir, we're going to start the process now. Could you please step outside for a moment. We need to have as much space as possible.' I think that's that doctor.

'Uh... Sure,' Wayne replies.

Wait! No. Don't go. What process? What's happening?

'I'll see you in a minute Grace.' He squeezes my hand reassuringly and then his warmth is gone.

I wake about a minute later... I think, I've lost all sense of time, still in my unconscious self. My room seems quite busy, well, a few nurses and a doctor. I can hear beeps of buttons and clicks of machines and a needle is taken out of my finger. I didn't even know it was there. The doctor says some stuff to the nurses and I hear the clatter of the doors. Then Wayne's hand envelops mine again.

'Rise and shine Grace.' He whispers. There's silence in the room again, the nurses must have left. 'Open your eyes. Go on, you can do it.'

No I can't.

I try to, but I can't remember how to. Then I feel my eyes move a bit. I try to move something. My brain is sending messages to random parts of my body. I feel my thumb twitch and Rigsby grips tighter onto it. Okay think Grace. Wiggle your toes. Think... Wiggle my toes... Haha! My big toe moved! I can move again! Okay. Now Grace, open your eyes... One, two... Three. My hand moves. Hmmm... Okay. Wrong part of my body...

I sigh and I can hear a hint of my voice.

'It's okay Grace...' He soothes next to me.

One... Two... Three...

Open my eyes!

Hmmm... Harder than I thought.

Then I start choking. I cough and splutter unable to breathe. There's too much oxygen! Stop it! Help! Help me!

Oxygen is pumping down my throat and it's going so fast I don't have time to breathe in. I keep choking. I manage to squeeze Rigsby's hand asking silently for him to help. The nurses crash through the door and are fiddling with something on my face. They take off a mask and I can breathe again. Suddenly all I can see is a bright white light.

The nurses have resumed to their daily business elsewhere and Wayne is holding my hand again.

'You did it Grace! You're awake!' I hear him say excitedly beside me.

Then the pain is there.

'Agh...' I clench my teeth and wince.

'Grace?' He strokes my hair with his free hand. I turn my head to try and look at him but he is a blur of colour and a sharp pain shoots from my cheek to the back of my head. I close my eyes to block out the light.

'Bright,' I manage to whimper out. He leaves my side for a moment and there's a click. I reopen my eyes and the room is dark. I let out a sigh of relief and let my eyes adjust. Slowly, but surely, I start to see things clearly. There's a little bit of light flooding in through two tiny square windows making the room and objects just about visible.

I move my eyes to look at him at my side. I don't want to risk the pain of turning my head again. I can see his sexy white smile spread across his face and he lifts up my right arm and kisses my hand clutching onto it for dear life.

'I've missed you,' he whispers. I smile but reduce it when my cheek starts to ache almost immediately.

'It hurts,' I murmur. He strokes the side of my face.

'I'm sure it does Grace...' He leans forward and kisses the top of my head.

'But... You're going... To make it all better... And you're... Going to... Look after me. Right?' Just saying that took so much effort... And pain.

'You heard all that?' He asks slightly surprised.

'...Sure.'

'I'm going to look after you every day until you get better. And even after you get better.' He gives me a huge smile and sets my hand down on the mattress again.

'Can we go home?' I plead.

'... Not yet Grace... But soon. I promise.'

I slowly nod and try not to look too upset. 'I guess I'd better go and get a doctor then.' He kisses my hand one last time then walks out of the room in search of a doctor.