Sixty-four

Prying one eye open, I notice she's turned off the light, but a sliver of light trickles from outside through the ajar door. It's nighttime.

Abe stomps in carrying a tray with food and water places it on the table next to the bed and eyes me for a good second before nodding.

Rubbing the back of his neck he gives me a sheepish smile. His teeth stand out against the soot dirt-covered skin, his size dwarfs the wooden cabin. I've seen muscular men before but Abe is a big boy. All of a sudden the cabin feels tiny with him inside.

" So, uhmm...my name is Abe. But I guess you already know that...," He trails off when I just stare at him in the dim light.

" Should I turn the light on or do you want to have some more rest," He says as he reaches for the light switch.

" It hurts," I rasp, right before he flicks it on.

" Oh, yes. Of course. That makes sense," He slaps his forehead and heaves out a goofy chuckle.

" I should know. I'm a miner right, " He nervously chuckles, uncomfortable I guess.

I slowly push myself on the bed, trying my best to ignore my protesting body and stifle the urge to whimper at the ache in my stiff muscles.

" Do you want another pillow?" He asks as he takes a leaping step towards the adjacent bed, and pulls a pillow from under the covers.

When I don't say anything he just fluffs it and stuffs it behind my back, with exaggerated care. This was the man who wanted to throw me over the boundary, so he wouldn't have to do paperwork.

" I think I should go," He thumbs towards the door," I'll tell Soph that you're up, so you can discuss womanly stuff, " I want to laugh. He is a goofball, and so similar to Graham. The memory makes my chest ache.

When I don't say anything, he turns and makes his way to the door but stops and looks over his shoulder," The boss is coming tomorrow morning," I frown at that," Oh, don't worry he is a nice man," He gives me a slanted smile and pushes past the door.

It doesn't take long after Abe leaves for Soph to make an appearance, " Oh, good. My star patient is up," She beams at me, " Right, first let me check your eyes, to see how your cognitive functions are doing," She turns on the pen, " Follow the light," She chuckles," Considering how they found you, I think its safe to say that is a good thing you didn't follow the light," She chuckles at that while moving the light left and right, far enough so I don't have to squint my eyes to avoid it.

" It's looking good so far. Can you speak?" She asks and I nod. She blinks at me for a moment and then I realise that I didn't say anything.

" Yes, " I rasp, and she nods content.

" Good. No brain injuries by the looks of it. You have a few bumps on your head but nothing that could cause a concussion. Your legs have taken the brunt in this case. You have some bruising along your torso and a few fractured ribs. Luckily, none punctured your lungs. A few minor cuts, but other than that you seem to be in good working order. Although, you need to eat and drink. The food around here is not great, but it won't kill you," She bussies herself writing down her findings as she speaks, and all I can do is stare at her.

She has pretty reddish brown hair, about my height, a button nose, and she can talk someone into their grave.

" I've taken some blood samples while you were unconscious. I've already sent them to the lab. I'll hear from them in a week or so, to see if there is anything I've missed. We don't have one on site...Well because it's a mine, I can't keep the environment sterile," She closes the folder, slides it onto the table and heaves a satisfied sigh.

" Thank you, " That is all I have to say, mostly because I'm still discombobulated by everything.

" Oh," She laughs and waves a dismissive hand in the air, " It's nothing. You should see the state of some of these guys when they come out of the mines sometimes. It's a horror show, I tell ya'" She laughs, and I suppose when you see it every day you become desensitised to the blood, and gore.

" Thank you, nonetheless, " I say meekly, and I know that I'll probably never be able to repay her kindness the way she deserves. I'm grateful, and that's just putting it mildly.

" There were two men. Abe and someone else. I'd like to thank the man myself," I say to Soph as she begins to button up her jacket to go outside.

" Oh, right. I'll let Lowe know when he finishes his shift to drop by," She makes her way to the door, pushes it open and slips outside.

Once again alone, I look at the food on the plate and realise that I don't feel my stomach. I haven't eaten in so long, that I don't think I'll be able to keep it down.

I slide the plate off the tray and place it on my lap. With a shaky hand, I take the slice of bread and dip it into what looks like a stew.

When it touches my lips, the taste of food is almost exotic. It tastes heavenly, and I know it's only because my taste buds have been numb thus far, but I can't stop myself from wiping the plate clean. I chase it with a glass of water and lie back down.

My stomach rumbles loudly and I don't know whether it's because I'm going to throw it up in the next minute or it's because I'm happy to be given solid food.

After thirty minutes, when the food stays where it belongs, I relax into the soft mattress and allow myself to drift off to sleep.