Chapter 38:SECOND CHANCE
"Quick! Call the ambulance." A voice bellowed, it was calm yet the panic was audible! "It's an emergency! Tell the paramedics to wait on the Wharf!"
I was awoken in my deep state slumber by horrified screams. I don't know how long I have been lying there—above something soft and fluffy. I tried to force my eyes open but it was heavy and I have no strength left in me to take a? look at my surroundings.
Hurried footsteps reached my ears. Someone was moving beside me. Based on how small and tender her palms against my wrist, I am guaranteed she was a woman.
I could feel the warmth of her fingers moving against my cold, pale skin. It was a comforting confirmation I was still alive. Her fingers trembled as she searched for the nonexistent pulse. When she finally found the tiny flicker of life, she squeaked with relief.
Hurried footsteps followed. I tried my best to move a body part but it was impossibly difficult when I was numb all over. I could no longer feel the pain, only numbness.
My surroundings were swaying, I was lulled back to sleep. Slowly, I was falling back into the dark abyss. No! I must remain awake. I can't let myself sleep! I might not be able to wake up.
I fought hard but despite my attempt to stay wide awake, I failed. As I slowly drifted into dreamland, I heard the wail of sirens in the distance. The sound of waves became clear as we neared the unknown destination.
The last thing I knew, I was carefully laid on the stretcher.
Then there was silence….
The bright sunlight permeating the Venetian blinds and caressing my cheekbones with warmth made my eyes flutter open. The sudden exposure to the light sting my eyes. I closed them again.
Now that my eyes were closed, my senses were more alert. I could clearly hear the sound of waves in the distance. I could almost smell the scent of the shore, this place was almost a safe haven.
I fluttered my eyes open, this time my eyes were fully adjusted to the light making my vision clear.
"Hello, you're awake!" A thin woman around her mid-forties entered the room, Her black hair was swept behind her back with a ponytail. She wore a white blouse on top and khaki pants at the bottom.
My gaze landed on the basket filled with fruits as she placed them on the top of the table on my right.
"Are you hungry?" She asked as she turned at me.
I shook my head in response. I wasn't feeling hungry… Just aching all over.
I smiled in return, mirroring the vibrance on her lips.
"What's your name, honey."
Honey. Have I heard that word before? There was suddenly this tightening inside my chest. A sense of unwelcome nostalgia swept inside me. Unexplained melancholy assaulted my heart. I got up from the bed but pain hit me unexpectedly and I fell back.
My smile faded.
'Who I am?'
I looked at her with wide, blank eyes. "I-I don't know my name," I responded. Confused.
When I tried to recall my name my head began to pound. The more I recall things about me the more the pain intensifies.
The woman laid a comforting hand on my shoulders. "It's okay. The doctor had warned us that you will be unable to recall things after the accident that nearly took your life."? She smiled again and brushed the hair that covered my face as she continued, "What's important is, both you and the baby were safe."
My gaze shifted to the bump on my stomach, it was covered by the oversize hospital gown. Sudden protectiveness swelled inside me. I caressed my tummy.
The thought that I was safe and the baby was fine calmed me down. I sighed in relief and smiled at the woman.
"Rest for now." She brushed my hair with her fingers. "I'll go and pay the hospital bills so you would be discharged tomorrow."
I nodded and turned to the Venetian blinds, the door gently closed behind me. I sighed, wishing I remembered to remind the woman to open the window for me so I could have a glimpse of the clear blue sky.