Page 11 of West (The Moral Compass 1)
“Hey, she saw the funny side of it by the time I met her, so no harm done, okay?”
She sniffs. “Yeah, okay. You didn’t answer my question, though. Why are you here?”
“I honestly don’t know. I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know why I care. I only met her for a brief moment, and then she interviewed for my company. But honestly, Kara, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about her since I first saw her. Finding out about all of this in the last few hours has sent me spinning, and I have no fucking clue what I’m doing or what I need to do next.”
She takes the seat next to me and eyes me suspiciously. “Hmm, so you’re the hottie she met at the station. Mr. Hot Coffee.” She smirks, and her eyes start to relax.
“Where’s Miss Chocolate Hair?” She squints her eyes accusingly.
I smile at the reference to Mr. Hot Coffee and then think for a minute about Miss Chocolate Hair. “Oh, you mean Alicia. She’s the Chairman’s granddaughter. We live in the same apartment block, and she insists on travelling into the office together. Oh, did Sutton think we were together?”
“Yep. So, Sutton got the job then?”
“Yeah, she was, by far, the best person that was interviewed. And, before you say anything, I didn’t make the decision.” I’m already explaining myself.
Before I know it, I’ve been sitting talking with Kara for two hours. She looks completely beat.
“I think I should go.” I stand to walk out the door. I don’t want to be in the way when the doctors come round. Although I really would like to know how she’s doing and how long it will take for her to be right again—if ever.
Just as I get to the door, the doctor arrives. He sits down with us both and explains that Sutton has suffered a head trauma, but it’s not as serious as it could be. She has several sprains, but nothing is broken. She has slipped into a coma, and they are working to bring her out of it.
They think at this point it is her brain protecting her from the incident and that she should start to come out of it in the next twenty-four hours. If not, things could be a lot more serious for her.
So, the next twenty-four hours are critical. She needs to wake up, or the damage could be irreversible. Okay, so now starts Project: Wake Up Sutton.
Kara and I talk to Sutton constantly. Kara tells Sutton tales that make me laugh out loud. These girls are crazy, and she needs to wake up so that she can get back to being Kara’s sidekick.
Chapter 7
Sutton
Ican’tbedead.I can hear voices. I can hear Kara and someone else. I can’t open my eyes. The pain is excruciating, and something is holding my eyes shut. I can’t open my eyes, I can feel my heart beating out of my chest, but I can’t speak or shout. I’m fucking trapped.
Why can’t I tell them I can hear them? Why won’t my arms and legs move so I can show them I’m here and alive?
Oh, fuck no. I’m not in the morgue, am I? Or the chapel of rest? Have they sewn my eyes shut like they do on the TV? Fuck! I need to shout or move or something.
I can hear beeping, and it’s getting louder and faster.
Phew, I’m hooked up to something, so they know I’m not dead.
I try really hard to move my finger, and then I can hear raised voices again.
“Doctor! Doctor she moved!”
Yes! They saw it.
I can feel movement around my head and the pressure around my eyes is lessening. I hear something like curtains being drawn, and then I feel someone touching me. I know I’m safe. I can hear Kara. She would never let anything happen to me. Not on her watch.
My head is being moved, and the darkness starts to brighten. I need to cough; I take a deep breath and choke. I can hear the voices again.
“She’s coming around. Can we have some space, please?” a female voice asks.
I imagine Kara being right in there giving orders and bossing them around even though she ain’t no doctor or nurse, but she’s my best friend, and when you have no family, a best friend is everything in this world.
I feel my movements becoming easier, but the room is too bright. I still can’t open my eyes fully, but what I can see is Kara and some very tall person standing at the end of the bed. I can’t make out who they are. The doctors are poking and prodding and asking me stuff.
“Hey, Sutton, can you hear me?”
