Page 2 of Forgotten
Ripples of sweat roll down my temples and I cannot see in the blinding light. The room is closing on me. I shut my eyes for a second and the darkness helps.
It doesn’t feel like just a second.
This time I don’t dream.
Mostly, I listen. My feet are freezing and there’s a ventilator again, somewhere close, pushing air up and around. I hear it, but just like last time, I cannot feel it.
A new sinister yet melodic sound echoes in my head but I can’t tell what it is, what it reminds me of and why it terrifies me. It’s the only signal of time passing and it lulls me to sleep more.
People come and go, their words a roaring thunder on a serene night. I cannot stand them.
And then there’s that one voice. The only thing that anchors me to reality, the only reminder that I’m alive, and breathing, and that all I have to do is:Open your eyes,wake up.Please.
The next time I’m conscious I don’t feel like throwing up. I don’t know how long it has been. My instincts tell me to cough but there is still something blocking my airway and this time my eyes open on the first try. A strong light hits me and I shift, trying to cover my face with a hand.
Except, neither of my arms respond to me. Glancing down, I notice a hard white cast wrapped around my right arm. The other arm is littered with IVs, tape and tubes winding downwards and leading to different machines. I gaze down at the hospital blanket for a moment, wondering where my nice black shirt has gone.The beeping hums in my ears in rhythm with my heart and when I turn my neck to the window, I don’t squint. I scan the large hospital room, noticing an empty mug and a black sweater abandoned on a white chair. It definitely is a hospital. What am I doing here? I search my brain but there’s still nothing there, just the wall of fog and pain. I try my best but there is no last memory, no last thought before this disorientation.
I’m lost searching my memories when I notice a nurse by one of the two doors. It is a young woman with pitch black hair, short bangs and a nose ring. She’s not paying attention to me, speaking with someone outside of the hospital room.
“Good morning Ashford. It’s good to see you awake. I’m Doctor Parker.”
The voice is closer, reassuring. A man in a white coat is leaning towards me, a calm expression on his face.
Hi, this fucking hurts, I want to say back, but nothing comes out. Nodding doesn’t really work either, so I wait until the doctor looks back at me.
I settle on a low hum that hurts like a knife at the base of my throat. That is when I remember there is something wrong. I force myself to focus, and catch sight of a tube running from my mouth to a machine. My first instinct is to get it out and I urge my arm to bend, attempting to free myself. My tongue feels unnatural in my mouth and I gag trying to speak, pain seizing my throat. A hand lands on my forearm, the doctor blocking my movement.
“It’s okay, the tube was just there to help you breathe, but you don’t need it anymore. You’re good, Ashford. We can take it out now.”
He motions to the nurse hovering in the doorway. Together, they proceed to remove the tube from my throat. I shut my eyes, a cold shiver running down my spine at the thought of what is about to happen.
“Take a deep breath and try to relax,” they tell me.
It’s not like I can go anywhere. When my throat is free I cough for several long, aching minutes, then air flows freely; effortlessly. Immediately, I feel as if my brain is functioning better.
Then the nurse is handing me a glass of water. “This might help.” She smiles at me.
I try to speak again but nothing comes out. The water doesn’t help one fucking bit.
“Don’t worry. We can work with this,” the doctor mentions while grabbing the file. He reads something and then inspects my form.
“The head bandage needs to be changed in the afternoon.”
The nurse nods in understanding and I wonder why she’s not taking notes. The doctor turns to me, then. “Can you tell me your name?”
I dip my head and clear my voice, fighting throughthe pain.
“’ford-hle.”
The doctor gestures for the nurse and shortly after, the glass of water is being handed back to me. This time, the water doesn’t sting that much on its way down.
Sensing the doctor is about to move on, I lift a hand and add weakly, “…rd.”
The doctor’s lips part to ask gently, “Would you rather be referred to as Ford? To avoid confusion?”
And then, a loud knock at the door. A head appears first and then a green shirt and white ripped jeans and a hurricane of energy tumbles in. The moment Ashley sees I’m awake, he freezes. His long brown hair falls down to his shoulders and there’s dark bags under hisblue eyes.
“Oh, the other Ash. We were just talking about you.” The doctor greets Ashley.
