Page 49 of The Vow

My eyes are swollen shut.

Soft murmurings resonate from an unknown area.

An incessant beeping fills my ears.

Beep... beep... beep.

I can’t move.

I can’t speak; my voice is gone.

I know where I am, yet I choose to believe I’m having a nightmare.

Beep... beep... beep.

Someone of authority walks in.

I can hear their footsteps and can sense their movements as they pull a wire and reposition my pillow.

It’s the Goddamn Holiday Inn for cripples.

Beep... beep... beep.

In my mind, my life is dissolving.

Saccharine memories turn saline.

A pleasant voice feigns concern and asks the token question.

There is no response.

Beep... beep... beep.

The nurse leaves.

Her shift has ended.

She is free.

Beep... beep... beep.

Someone is holding my hand.

Her long hair tickles as she rests her head on the bed.

She doesn’t make a sound, because I know that she’s afraid that if she does, she won’t be able to hear me breathing.

Eighteen

“You were sucker-punched. Fucking bastard hit you in the back of the neck.”

I stared at Nick with one eye. The other was still swollen shut. The harsh fluorescent lights were blinding me, making me want to gouge my good eye from its socket. It was a private room. With the door open, I could see the typical scenes that transpire in a hospital. Nurses were running back and forth. There was a group that stood casually joking about shit and talking about their upcoming vacations. Death could wait while they finished their break.

“Water...”

“Here.” I was a toddler again, being offered tiny sips from a straw. My coughing fit was short-lived. It hurt like hell to cough. It itches beneath the cervical collar and feels like an ancient torture device.

“Alex... where’s Alex?”