No Way Out- editing (book 1 in series)

Chapter 2

Carly's POV

I wake up slowly, my eyes opening and looking around me. Everything looks to be the same from before, but I can't be entirely sure because I feel groggy. My head feels like it's pounding and throbbing like I keep getting punched. I groan in pain as I try to sit up in the bed with no luck. I lean my head back on the pillow and feel the straps across my body tight around my skin. There's a mask over my nose and mouth and if I wasn't strapped to a bed now, I would take it off. I don't like feeling constricted and that's all I'm feeling right now.

I furrow my eyebrows trying to remember what happened the last time, I was awake. That nurse... he put something in my IV and that's what must've knocked me out, but why did they do that? Was it because I was panicking? If so, I'm kind of glad. I get those kind of panic attacks at the orphanage all the time and they're terrible. Regardless, I have to figure out why I'm here and who put me in this sketchy hospital. I need to find answers and I need to figure out what these people are doing to me.

Even though there are several thoughts going through my mind, only one stands out as the most important and it's to find my brother Jake. I look around the room again and then look in the corners of the room to see if there's a security camera. I expect at least one, so I'm not surprised when there are two. One is in the top right corner and another in the top of the left corner. I sigh, wishing I was any place but here. I hate hospitals and doctors' offices in general. They freak me out.

My fear escalates when I see the handle of the white door start to turn and slowly open. More bright light enters my room as the door opens fully for a few seconds until I hear the door close softly. The once stable beat of my heart rapidly increases more and more as nothing, but pure fear starts to control me; a feeling I experience much too often and know all too well.

The dark blue blood pressure cuff around my left arm inflates and squeezes my arm, cutting the circulation off for a couple of seconds before it releases itself. The monitor then beeps a few times as the person who just walked in here looks towards it.

"Your blood pressure is high." He says continuing to walk towards my bed.

The hair on my arms sticks up when I sense the uncomfortable presence of someone towering over me. 'Just don't look at them' I tell myself and hopefully they will walk away soon.

I stare down at the clean, thin white sheet covering the lower half of my body and I don't dare look up. I would try deep breathing to provide myself with some sort of relief, but instead I'm taking quick, small breaths in an attempt to try to make my anxious breathing as quiet as possible. I shut my eyes tightly while trying to calm myself down. It's ok. It's ok. It- my thoughts are abruptly interrupted when the person grabs my chin, gripping it hard in their hand and they let out a sigh.

They forcefully turn my head towards theirs and I stare directly into the man's dark-colored eyes. Control your breathing. Slow it down and just breathe... It would be much easier to slow my breathing down if my heart wasn't beating out of my chest. I practically gasp for air, feeling as though I really can't breathe. I then cough from the sickening clean smell of this room. Sweat begins to form at the top of my forehead and the monitor that measures my heart rate increases in volume while continuing to beep furiously.

I would punch this man if I wasn't strapped to a bed, so instead I resort to moving my chin out of the guy's hand. "What do you think you're doing?!" I say in the best stern voice I can do. To be honest, though, I'm scared, very scared.

"I'm helping you," he replies.

"How in the world do you think you're helping me? Get away from me!" The panic inside me won't stop and the physical symptoms won't disappear either. If Jake was with me right now, he would be able to help me calm down at least a little bit.