Chapter 07

Chapter 07: Still Alive

Father continued, "In the beat of the earth, that's where she was born, a woman who has been consumed by guilt, feeling complete but also empty inside. Presumably, she is in the north, find her and the answers you've been looking for will be revealed. The most important thing is that it's the one who always hides behind his wings and his shining armor. Looks innocent, but the one who will destroy everything is that creature. Be careful with what is around you, don't let it catches you off guard."

Hearing my father's stern and cold command, I trembled, "Father, what if...I fail? What if I let you down? What if I only makes it worst?"

He put his hands on my shoulders, straightening them, "You won't, you're my daughter after all."

Kyle came back in the same car that brought me here, telling me they were ready to drive me away.

Father's orders. "Kyle, quickly take my son away before the sun goes down, or he will die."

I felt intense dizziness shake my head as I slowly opened my eyes. With my vision still not very clear, the man standing in front of me now disappeared. Replaced by a man lying beside my bed, the distinctive smell and all-white walls made me realize where I am now. Many medical equipment and tubes are attached to almost all over my body, from catheters, IV tubes, and a ventilator now covering my nose and mouth, giving me cold oxygen. I tried to sit up myself but my body felt so heavy, my joints seemed to wake up again from their long sleep.

I couldn't remember what had happened to me, so I shook the body of the man who was fast asleep earlier, maybe he knew the reason. "Hey, do you know what happened to me?"

He fell backward from the chair he made as a pedestal to sleep, surprised to see me sitting on this hospital bed. Suddenly screaming hysterically, jumping for joy, and pressing the button above my head rapidly. Not long after, nurses and doctors flocked into my room.

There was also a dull-looking woman and a couple in their late 40s rushing in with tears in their eyes, what the hell is this? Who are these people? Storming me with endless questions, luckily the doctor who treated me acted quickly before they bombarded me with more questions.

He walked closer to me after calming the people down, deftly removed the ventilator from me then took out a small flashlight from his medical coat, "Hello, Mrs. Keiysy, we meet again. My names' Alden, and I will begin your check-up right now, okay?" He asked, "How many fingers do I have right now?"

"Three."

He ordered, "Can you blink your eyes with the same count as you said earlier?"

The doctor kept telling me to do things and repeat his words several times. Then jotted down my response in his mini notebook, checking my heart rate, and pulse before drawing on some conclusions. "After 5 months in a coma, the patient seems to have shown significant brain development, it can be seen from how responsive she is when I ask those questions, which is commonly known as Glasgow or GCS. With the GCS, we can assess the level of consciousness of her brain after being in a coma. And the good news is, she passed on all scales, whether it's the eye-opening scale, verbal response to commands, and movement responses to commands."

He explained again, finishing it with one single breath, "Comatose patients experience gradual consciousness. Some recover completely, but some experience complications from other diseases due to decreased brain function such as paralysis of the body. In fact, the chances of fully recovering from a coma are not great, but fortunately, the patient did not suffer any permanent injuries. She just needs to develop and normalize her brain function, and she will be ready to recover to her usual self."

The middle-aged lady suddenly interrupted when Dr. Alden just took a breath, "So, when will she recover? Will she return to normal?"

Dr. Alden went to check on another patient after that along with his assistant, "We will try our best to restore brain function such as by preventing swelling of the brain, sucking fluids, supplying oxygen to meet the body's needs, repairing damaged tissues, and treating parts that have been badly damaged. For more details, we will let you know as soon as there are new developments. Have a good day."

A woman who appeared to be in her 20s asked my condition, "Do you remember who I am?"

"Hmm...Windy?"

She shook her head slowly, "It's Wendy, it's okay you don't have to remember it now."

Not wanting to lose, the boy who was sleeping beside my bed also answered, "What about me? Who am I?"

"Ezra."

A disappointed sigh escaped his mouth, "But you always call me Abi."

I pressed my lips to close, "Sorry."

My hands were raised and now tightly embraced by the woman I remember as a mother of mine, "Kids don't push her too much, our sleeping beauty has just woken up from her long slumber," Mom kissed my forehead and rubbed my bandaged head, "Welcome back, honey."

An instant flashback flashed through my memory, a voice so deep and heavy said, "Welcome home." to me. Everything happened too fast, my head was heavy and buzzing again. Before I knew it, everything had turned black. My hand supports my head and one side supports my body so I can sit on the bed, my eyes shift to a father figure who is taking a glass of water on the side of my bed. I asked him, "Where are they? Mom and the others?"

Then gave me a cup of water to drink and answered my question, "Your sister went to college, while mom and Abi went to buy some things at the supermarket."

Apparently, only 1 person can accompany me while I'm in the ICU, so my parents will take turns looking after me. Father helped me take a few gulps of water that he brought earlier, as a few sips of water had entered my throat, it was sweet and just right, not too cold or too hot. I looked at him carefully, it felt like there was a strange feeling stuck in my heart, but I didn't know what it was. Hoping he knew the answer, I called him, "Dad, what happened to me?"

His brows were furrowed, he's pensive, then took a stool and began to talk, "For almost half a year ago, you and Meri got into a fight at school. One of your friends pushed you too hard against the wall, causing you to get a pretty bad Coup-Contrecoup injury. And you ended up lying here for about 6 months." He continued, "Your brain received such great intensity of blows. Your condition not only causes bruising but also causes displacement of the injury site as your brain slams to the opposite side, you barely survived."

Memories that I don't want to recall, now entering my brain. Thinking of that horrific incident, my heart breaks, imagining how worried my family and friends must have been. Tears started to fall, and I found myself crying in my father's arms, mouthing "I'm sorry."

A soothing pat landed on my back, telling me that everything would be fine, but somehow something else was making me even sicker. That's when those who went shopping had come back, found us, and mourned along. Mom said, Ayu had been suspended and her father went bankrupt, his rights as a school funder had been revoked, she fell apart.

Seconds turned into minutes, then hours turned into days. I can't believe it, I've been treated here for more than a month, I'm curious how are my friends now. I turned my gaze to glance at the clock on the wall beside the television, at 6 am. Ah, I'm sleepy, my head is throbbing again, indicating I need a few extra hours of sleep.

Sun came too soon than I expected, when I was about to close my eyes again, Dr. Alden and the nurse assigned to walk in, brought some equipment that he said would be used for my walking therapy. His soft voice rang my ears sweetly, "Mrs. Keiysy, you're awake. You look very excited, are you ready for your walking lesson today?"

I am excited, very much to fall asleep, but then you both barge in. I'm very sleepy right now, but since you look so handsome this morning, I'll forgive you. So I beamed, waking my dad in the progress. “Alright, bring it on~”

Dr. Alden asked, "Okay, the first lesson today is walking. Are you ready?"

"YES, SIR."

He smiled, "Wow~ That's the spirit, now I need you to focus. We will guide you to walk through this hallway, but after that, you will be alone, can you do it?"

"Okay, doc. I'm ready."

Like babies who just walked, they patiently guided me who still often fell even though I was holding on to the railings along the aisle. Over time I began to not feel the hands that had been on both sides of my waist and shoulders, which brought these legs to continue practicing. They let me go, the loud sound of their cheers I can hear clearly, really made my smile widen.

I just had to reach my father's hand which was a little further away from me, without holding the handle earlier, just as what he said. But I feel my legs start to hurt, the muscles feel pulled. I'm starting to wobble, no... no...no. I closed my eyes, afraid to see that I would fall and fail, so I had to start all over again.

Father who was worried, immediately came over to me, I could tell by his trembling voice. He begged, "It's okay, don't push yourself, darling. We can do this slowly."

"I'm fine, dad. Don't come any closer, just stay where you are. I'm almost there."

He replied, "Alright alright, I won't go anywhere. Come on, you're almost there."

I quickened my pace after hearing what Dad said while stretching my hand to reach him, just like that I felt warmth hit me. I screeched, letting out a high note that probably beat any dolphin's voice, "I made it, I made it, dad."

Dad then hugged me spinning me around as if I'm riding a carousel, "I know you can do it," A few tears fell down his cheek, He suddenly cried, "I'm so proud of you."

I whispered to him, "Oh, Dad~ Stop it, it's not a big deal, didn't you see I walked with my eyes closed, did I look cool?"

He raised both hands, popping out both of his thumbs, giving me a wink whilst giving me silent "You look really cool~" After that, Alden's doctor and his nurse came over to say that if I continued to do my best and practice my walk, I would be able to go home quickly. And he will advise me to take some therapy 2 times a month for the next few months.