Repair the Broken

Chapter 14

There’s sunlight trying to escape the cover of those awful grey curtains.  I can hear the beeping of my machines as a steady hum.  It’s a sound that I can focus in on that helps me forget about the events of the last twenty-four hours.   Its helps me blank out my mind and make me go numb. 

I fell asleep after receiving that devastating news.  I must have slept through the night.  I can’t wrap my brain around that information.  The whole time I was asleep I kept seeing Brody lying limp in the seat.  His body was unmoving and there was blood everywhere.  He was dead and I was reliving that moment on repeat as a nightmare. 

I hear the door open and I look at the nurse.  She walks to the side of my bed and starts checking the machines and my IV bag.  She turns to me with a thermometer and takes my temp while checking my vitals again for the third time today.  She writes some stuff on my chart and then focuses back on me.

“Your heart monitor showed a spike in acceleration about fifteen minutes ago.  How are you feeling?”

“I had a nightmare and it woke me up.  My anxiety was high so that’s probably why my heart rate was up.”

“Everything else looks good.  How’s your pain level?”

“It’s about a three or four.”  That’s my physical pain.  If she was to ask about my emotional or mental pain, it would be a ten. 

“There’s a group of young people that have been in the waiting room for a while.  I know you have been through a lot so if you don’t want to see anyone I would understand.  I do believe it may help you cope with the news you just received.” 

“I don’t want to see my mom.”

“We haven’t been able to contact your mom or dad yet.  We are still trying.”

“Do you know who is here?”

“There are two girls and two guys the last time I checked.  One of the ladies was quite upset about us not letting her back.  One of those boys has quite the mouth on him.  When the young lady couldn’t get her way, he gave the night nurse a tongue lashing.  He was told he would have to leave if he didn’t sit down so that young lady made him.”

That makes me snicker.  Of course, Lexi has been vocal.  “Yes, please send them back.”

“I’ll be back.”

I bet my mom is drunk and sleeping it off this morning.  She’s been so drunk before that she slept for an entire forty-eight hours straight.  She could be still drunk, with her, you never know.  It’s likely she lost her phone in the house or left it at the bar.  The battery could have died or she could be sleeping on it.  The sad thing is that she has done every last one of these multiple times. 

It takes about ten minutes before I hear their murmured voices coming down the hall.  Lexi is the first one to come through the door followed by Noelle and Jaxon.  Trailing behind them is Zayden. 

Lexi always looks great and well kept but not tonight.  Her hair is hanging in a lose ponytail with sprigs hanging all around her face.  Her makeup is long gone and she has bags under her eyes.  I can tell that she is trying not to cry.  She tries to convince everyone that she is strong and unbreakable.  Its moments like these that allow her friends to know that she is as breakable as anyone else.

Noelle looks like she hasn’t slept for days.  She hardly ever wears makeup; she has a natural beauty about her that she is oblivious to.  Tonight her hair is down falling around her face.   Her eyes are red and swollen; her nose is puffy.  She’s a blubbering mess as soon as she walks thru the door and lays eyes on me in my hospital bed.   Jaxon walks up to her letting her cry onto his shoulder.  He looks at me and attempts a smile but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.