Blink

Chapter 3

Lucas was sitting in the chair beside my bed, phone in his hand, laughing uproariously at some YouTube video.

"Share it with the class, Luke," I told him.

He instantly sobered up. "Luci. You're awake. Are you feeling okay? We should call the nurse." He hit a big red button by his left knee.

"Yes, I'm fine. What happened?" Most people went through the whole where-am-I when they woke up in the hospital. I'd been here often enough that I had a regular room and buddies on the nursing staff.  Clumsy kid did not even begin to describe me. 

"You got hit by lightening." He watched my face closely for my reaction.

Whatever he was hoping for, he didn't get it. "That's a first. How did that happen? The last thing I remember is being in English and writing an essay about the rain."

He shrugged. "We're not quite sure. It seems like the lightening somehow hit the building and split into several currents. One of them somehow traveled halfway across the building and down two floors, where it ran across the steel support beams and into your desk and, ultimately, into you."

I gave him a look. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds unlikely-"

"It sounds like you're pulling my leg," I interrupted.

He ignored me. "But as far as we can tell, that's what happened. If you've got a better theory, I'm all ears."

"Of course I don't have a better theory, I'm the victim here!" I grinned at him, knowing that there was nothing that irritated my brothers more than the way our parents always fawned over me when I got hurt - and the way I played it up. I frowned, a new thought occuring to me. "Hey, what happened to the rest of the electricity?  You said the bolt split?"

"It split," he agreed. "It hit the science lab, that caught on fire and burned pretty badly. It also hit three other students."

"Who were they?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. They haven't officially released their names to preserve their privacy, but rumor says Brighton was one of them."

"Brighton Scott?" Like there was another Brighton at our school.

"Yeah. Anyway, they all passed out, like you did. You're the first to wake up. Speaking of which, where is the nurse?" He hit the button again.

"Wait, how long was I out? Where's everyone?"

"Chase dragged mom and dad out to get food. You know how they can be. I volunteered to stay behind because someone had to do it and it was this or lunch with the stressed parentals."

The nurse came in then and began fussing, preventing any further discussion. I caught Lucas looking at her and understood why. She was new, twenty one at the oldest, and gorgeous. She took blood and asked an endless number of questions. I told her, repeatedly, that I felt fine, but she just looked at me suspiciously and continued reading off her checklist. In nurse school they have an elective called How To Ignore Your Patient and I'm pretty sure she got an A+.

"How much longer does she have to be in here?" Luke asked.

"Until the doctor says she can go," replied the nurse, which, totally unhelpful. How do people normally get out of hospitals?  Pass Go and collect two hundred dollars?  I was about to say as much, but Lucas, who knows me too well, shot me a death glare. Heaven forbid I should be sarcastic in the presence of his new crush. 

"So is there anything I should be worried about?" I asked instead. Hey, I felt fine, but I've never been one to pass up a chance to let an institution tell me how I should think or feel. 

"That depends. Do you feel like you're about to die?"

"No...?"

"Then you're probably not going to die in the next minute or two." Hello, sarcastic side. Maybe I'll like this nurse after all. "I'm going to go put this information in the computer and a doctor will be in to see you soon." She turned and walked away.

"Wait," I called as she reached the door. She looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "What's your name?"

I could've sworn a smile crossed her face, but she looked like she'd never smiled before as she said, "Briesis." She vanished before I could say anything more.

I turned to my brother. "I'm setting her up with you. Blind date. You, her, late at night when she can't see you're eighteen."

"I have a better idea. Let's set her up with Chase."

That made me laugh. Lucas was fun, but Chase was the sort of fun that often resulted in calls that began, "So funny story..." and ended with the callee doing something ridiculous to get my brother and his friends out of whatever spot of trouble they'd landed in. "We can tell him she needs lightening up."

"Ooh!  Or suggest he take her gas station hopping!"

I envisioned Briesis gas station hopping with my brother and lost it. He held a straight face for maybe a second longer than I did. 

"Do you wanna get her number or should I?" he finally gasped.

"Sounds like a job for you," I told him. 

"Sure it doesn't sound like a job for me?" Chase entered, our parents on his heels. 

"Actually," Lucas began, launching into his spiel. I didn't get to hear any of it, because my mom was fussing over me. 

"I'm fine, Mom," I told her more than once, but did she take my word for it? No. How To Ignore Your Child is a class they teach in Mom school, too, and my mom? She wrote the textbook they use nowadays.

I'm working on a book of strategies to counter their training, but I haven't gotten past the introduction. It'll be coming as soon as I finish it to all the bookstores near you run by kids or people who aren't parents. 

Briesis came in again just as my mom was starting the speech from the top. "All here? Good. The doctor will be with you in a moment or two."

She exited, and Lucas rose to follow her. "Can I have a word with you?"

She gave him a look but didn't stop him, and the door shut on their conversation, leaving me in the dark and Chase trying his hardest not to laugh.

A/N: Hi everyone!  Loving my story? Add it! Fan it! Share it! And whatever else you're supposed to do! (Still working on memorizing this spiel) I'm trying to update this every day, but I might need a little help... You can help by commenting below and letting me know what you love, what you hate, and how much you're dying to see this turned into a movie!  (Too soon? I should probably finish the story before I send it to Hollywood.) Love y'all, and thanks for reading!