The Road To Recovery

Chapter 4: Possible Insanity

What should I do before therapy?

That was the thought running through Zhilan's head as she laid on her bed. She was absentmindedly playing with a tennis ball she had. She huffed in boredom.

Maybe I'll stay in here for the day. It's not like I have a busy schedule to keep up with. On the other hand, I can't afford to be lazy either. I need to keep myself as active as possible without hurting myself. I'll rest a bit in here and watch some tv. Then, I'll go to the hospital courtyard. I'll walk there instead of just rolling around in the wheelchair. I need to walk more anyway like my doctor said a few days ago. I'll push it with me and sit down for a bit before therapy. That sounds like a pretty solid plan.

"I've started talking to myself. Great. I'll probably lose my mind by the time I get out of here." Zhilan sat up and turned on the tv. She surfed through a variety of channels before settling for some sitcom. The tv served as her background noise while she paced around the room.

Maybe I do need social interaction outside of the hospital staff. They asked me to help that incoming patient who still hasn't shown up. Ugh, but a boy. What if he's like every single boy I've ever met and he hits on me? Or what if he wants nothing to do with me? What would we even talk about? The weather? Tennis? Oh god, what if he doesn't even like tennis?

Zhilan slapped her cheeks lightly.

"Snap out of it, Lu Zhilan. You're freaking out over a total stranger. Besides, if I don't get along with this guy, I'm not obligated to stick around him. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Keep your cool."

She calmed herself down and watched the tv. After about half an hour, she decided she'd go outside for some fresh air. She grabbed her phone and her wheelchair and set off for the courtyard.

Walking down the hall of the crisp and clean hospital was surprisingly soothing. Zhilan found that her walking wasn't too bad at all. She still felt twinges of pain in her right knee, but it was bearable. For once in the past couple of months, she wasn't feeling so despondent. She was feeling calm as she entered the elevator of her floor and pressed 1.

The elevator doors opened and she walked out, wheelchair in front of her. She sighed happily as soon as the fresh air hit her.

Very nice.

Zhilan happily walked around the courtyard, forgetting about the wheelchair she brought along. She gently touched the flowers all around her. The petals felt smooth and soft on her fingertips.

"I hope you'll be comfortable during your stay here. We have the right environment for the focus of your treatment."

She stopped at the voice of her doctor. Then, his words sunk in completely and she froze. Her thoughts raced back to earlier and she internally freaked out once more.

Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. He must be talking to the new guy. I'm not prepared for that.

She heard his voice and footsteps get closer and she went deeper into the gardens of the courtyard. She kept her ears perked up in case she had to move again.

Hiding in a garden. What a great idea. I need to pull myself together.

"Zhilan? Are you here?" She heard a female voice call out and her eyes widened.

Therapy. Right.

Zhilan looked at her phone and noticed she was a few minutes late.

"Oh, doctor! Have you seen Zhilan? She's supposed to be in therapy and I haven't found her yet." The nurse's voice called out in concern.

"No, I haven't seen her today. Is she not in her room?"

"No, sir. Usually, I find her here, but I don't see her yet."

The next few minutes, they spent looking for her in silence.

"There's a wheelchair here, doctor." She heard a new voice say.

"Ah, thank you. Then she might be walking around here somewhere."

Zhilan moved away once more and touched the flowers around her once more.

"There you are!"

Author's Note

I thought it would be funny to make Zhilan dramatic for a whole chapter. Girl really needs some face to face social interaction. Must be a family thing to be bad with new people. Oh well, she might be a little bit better about it than Lu Xia. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Vote or comment if you want to!
- Violet