Naked (Wattys 2022)

Part 2

His free hand pushed the door open. Air flew into my lungs in a rush, causing me to halt. I needed to catch my breath.

"I'm sorry." I raised my head and steadied my stance before I spoke.

"Why are you in such a rush?" The guy in front of me stared at me as if my brain had not been attached to my body.

"Do I need to answer you?" He questioned, exasperated. He took my hand again, and I flinched. Not because he accidently touched my wounds, but the emotion behind it.

"What's your name?" I asked before he could reach for me again. I smiled as if time stopped, as if for a moment I could pretend that someone cared for me.

He took a step back as if he saw something he didn't want to. I blinked slowly before he cleared his throat.

"Calhoun." He looked down at his feet, appearing to be slightly embarrassed by the name.

"Mines Eli." He nodded and then told me that he'd call a cab service in order to take me to another hospital.

I stared at him in silence, trying my best not to fall down. The effects of the drugs were wearing off, and my insides began twisting.

My thoughts hindered me emotionally bare. Broken. The bone beneath my flesh would be exposed to the world to see, and I wasn't ready to explode just yet.

"They'll be here shortly." I wanted to ask why he cared so much, but all everyone did was lie.

I stumbled, and Calhoun caught my body in an awkward manner. A rushed breath left his reddish lips and heaved a sigh of relief before placing me on my feet again.

He stared at my eyes briefly and looked away quickly.

"There are nothing in them, are there?" I smiled. His mouth opened, but before he could speak, the driver pulled up by the curb.

Calhoun helped me in the car, and even though it was fairly warm, he placed his jacket over my shoulders.

"Which hospital would you like to go to?" He asked.

"Where do you live?"

"Thirty minutes from here." He answered.

"Let's go to the hospital around your area." Even though he had millions of questions running across his mind, he refrained from asking them.

The driver began the ignition, and our destination was set. I sank in the back seat and laid my head back.

"Careful." Calhoun said in the same voice I could not bare retort back to. Even though he had not been sleeping well, Calhoun stayed up the entire drive, consistently checking up on me.

It reminded me of a play I lived through. A set sequence of events that were planned every month in order to prove that I was, in fact, enjoying hell.

Once we arrived, I marveled at the hospital in front of me. It was of good quility, something I wasn't accustomed to until recent events took place.

"Thank you." I said to the driver and waved. Calhoun was burning a hole in my head with the obvious staring. He eventually approached me, wrapping a hesitant arm around my waist.

"You don't need to help me." I looked at him. He did not need to pretend anymore, nor did he need to be kind to me. This was uncomfortable yet strangely comforting.

Calhoun ignored my words and helped me towards the front desk. He took charge by giving the information to the secretary. He seemed accustomed to how things worked around here.

"How's your mother?" The lady at the desk smiled warmly as she asked.

"She's doing amazing." The doctor handed me something to fill in whilst she kept conversation with Calhoun.

Once the form was completed, I was taken to a room. I asked Calhoun why I would occupy the room by my lonesome, but all he did was shove me into the bathroom, instructing me to get dressed whilst he spoke to the doctor.

All in all, this seemed pricey. I wasn't accustomed to this lifestyle. The buzz of people could no longer be heard, and I was left with my own thoughts.

I turned around, and a large mirror stood proudly against the wall, taunting me. As each piece of clothing left my body, a story was told.

Tell tale signs of how broken I was was left on my skin to remind me day and night that I was a shattered mess of glass.

Before I could ponder further on my distorted mind, a knock sounded.

"Are you okay?"

Those three words were never asked other than by individuals who did not really ponder on the deep meaning behind it. And all I could say was:

"I'm okay."