Two

At the end of oblivion, I was greeted with light. Bright, white light and sounds too muffled to comprehend. Time both passed and remained still at once, replaying every moment of the crash. I existed only within this purgatory.

Eventually I opened my eyes to a room that was familiar in the kind of familiarity that accompanied facilities. The walls were white; the roof was white; the curtains that surrounded the bed I laid in were white. I blinked against the fluorescent lights spilling in from the hallway through the slit in the curtains. My nose twitched against the overpowering scent of antiseptic.

The last time I had been in a hospital was when my mother died.

Brushing the memory from my mind, I rose to a sitting position. Every muscle and bone in my body ached in protest, but with the kind of fuzziness that accompanied painkillers. My throat burned but I was in no mood to drink water. Movement on my left dragged my attention towards the window and the chair beneath it, where my aunt slept. Her gentle snores fell in the same tempo as the rhythmic beeping emanating from the machines surrounding the head of the bed. I laid back down and closed my eyes, letting my aunt's breathing lull me back into a sense of comfort.

I did not remember falling asleep again but, when I again became aware of my surroundings, morning light was shining through the window. A doctor was nearby the and curtains around the bed were pulled open. The noise of the awakening hospital drifted through the room.

"Good morning, Miss Sokolov," the doctor greeted, walking over to my bed. He kept his voice low for my aunt who remained asleep in the chair, despite the uncomfortable position she was folded into. My uncle, still in his uniform, was asleep beside her. His hand was wrapped around hers. "How are you feeling?"

My throat still ached, and I was beginning to become aware of the pain of my injuries. "Alive," I answered simply.

The doctor glanced up from his clipboard then returned his attention to his notes. "Do you remember what happened?"

"An accident," I replied. "Not much after that."

He did not pry further. It was not his job to. I was glad, not sure if I could handle the embarrassment of having to admit that I was avoiding an already dead animal on the road.

"You made a speedy recovery. I would feel okay with releasing you today if you wish," the doctor announced.

With the cloying presence of the hospital surrounding me, all I could think of was leaving. Forget any pain I was in – I wanted out. "Yes," I said hastily then added, "Please."

He nodded. "I will make the preparations and write you a script for some painkillers."

Just as he was turning to leave, I asked, "Wait, how did I get here?"

"A passer-by to your accident found you and brought you in," he answered. "They did not leave any contact information."

He left and I glanced over to the movement at my left. My aunt was awake and rubbing sleep from her eyes. She smiled at seeing me awake, but concern lingered in her gaze.

"I'm glad you are okay," she whispered, wrapping her hand around mine.

I squeezed her fingers, my heart clenching. "I'm sorry."

She inclined her head but did not respond to my apology, simply kissing my head and leaving the room. She returned with coffee for my uncle and I, and we waited in a heavy silence until I was discharged.

Needles were removed from my arms and the stitches checked before I was able to change into the clothing my aunt had brought for me, my clothes from the night previous ruined. We left the hospital at midday.

The car ride back home was quiet, only breaking once we were tucked inside the walls of the house.

"You will be grounded until we decide otherwise," my uncle announced, his palms flat on the kitchen bench. Though he was my uncle by marriage only, Stephen was the domineering presence of the household. Perhaps it was due to his occupation as Chief of Police that encouraged this effect. His rigid posture and stiff features indicated that he would accept no argument. "If you need to go somewhere, you will ask Anna or I, and Nina or Antonio will drive you. No more disappearing at night unless you are with someone we know."

"Did Nina agree to this?" I asked, referring to my younger cousin. She went to the university early and returned late, which I suppose suited me. I could see myself sitting in the café or library long into the dark while Nina finished her classes and tutoring. Antonio would be willing to drive me anywhere and at any time, if I asked him, but I did not want to depend on him.

"You will ask her," my aunt responded. She eyed my uncomfortable expression. "That means talking to her, Audrey."

It was not that my cousin and I did not get along. We had been famous friends when we were children but differences in interests and hobbies divided us. While it had been comfortable to share everything with her as children, it was no longer the same. I nodded, however, and agreed to Anna and Stephen's terms.

"I'm also confiscating your license," Stephen announced. Although he was absolutely in the right to do so, the order made me bristle.

"I lost it in the crash," I responded.

"What about your phone?"

"Upstairs, on charge," I replied. I suppose I should believe myself lucky considering I had left my phone in my bedroom. If circumstances were different, it would be at the bottom of the creek – cracked and waterlogged. "I'll need it to call Nina or Antonio."

My uncle relented with the condition that I begin paying my own bills. I did not argue with him; I was old enough to start paying my own bills.

I left Anna and Stephen to talk in the kitchen and walked upstairs. My room was at the end of the hallway, overlooking the street. Nina's sat at the back of the house, with Stephen and Anna's office and bedroom situated between ours. I knocked on Nina's door and a muffled, "Come in!" sounded through the door.

I opened the door and stepped inside. Nina glanced up from where she was hunched over a mess of textbooks, notebooks, and sticky notes. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

"Can you give me a lift to campus tomorrow?"

Nina looked me over then shrugged amicably. "Yeah, but if you're late, you're walking. See you at seven."

Classes did not start until nine, but Nina tutored students or studied in every empty slot of her timetable. Some part of her probably required the excuse to not be at home, but it was not my duty to dig that deep.

I half considered asking Antonio for a ride but shook off the thought and thanked my cousin. I bid goodbye to her and began to leave but she looked up again, giving me pause.

"Are you... okay?"

The tension released from my shoulders. Maybe this would not be as horrible as I expected. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks again, Nina."

She nodded and I left the room, disappearing into my own. I collapsed onto my bed, glancing at my phone on the table beside it. Tapping the screen, I scrolled through the notification previews. There were several missed calls and messages from Antonio, my aunt, and my uncle. Two from Nina. I was tempted to ignore it all and sleep the rest of the day away.

Antonio picked up on the first ring. "Audrey," he breathed into the receiver, relief flooding through the connection.

My eyes welled up when I heard his voice. "Hi Tony," I offered timidly.

"I heard what happened. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your bike but I'm glad you're okay," he said, almost in one entire breath. When I did not immediately reply he asked, "You are okay, right?"

I closed my eyes and responded, "I am."

"I love you, Audrey," he said, raw emotion filling his voice.

I felt a hot tear leak down my face and into my pillow. "I love you too. See you tomorrow."

I hung up first and fell asleep with my body curled around my phone, tears in my eyes and wolves in my dreams.