The Ghost and the Shadow

Chapter 32 - Bruised and Broken

I can hear the faint beeping of a heart rate monitor in my ears. I'm almost too afraid to open my eyes.

Afraid that it's just my imagination and that the whole rescue was too.

What if I'm still lying under the rock in the desert.

"Shadow?" I hear my name called softly.

I reluctantly lift my eyelids. They're heavy and my eyes take a while to focus and adjust to what I'm looking at.

"There ya are lass," Soap's face comes into view.

Pixie is standing next to him and bends down, hugging me. I thought I'd never see her smile or dimples again, "I'm so glad you're awake," she squeals.

I try to sit up, but they push me down on the bed again.

"Whoa whoa, don't do that, lay down," Pixie says.

I grab my head; I have a massive headache and it feels like my head weighs a ton, "What happened?" I manage to get out. Even my own voice sounds weird.

"You were rescued from the mountains and brought to the hospital, you've been out for two days," she says and picks my hand up, holding it between hers.

"I'll go tell the doctor you're awake," Soap says and leaves the room.

My eyes travel around the room, over the ceiling, the monitors, windows. Everything looks and feels so weird. Must be the medication.

"I can't tell you how worried I was that you didn't make it, I was losing my mind! Please don't ever do that to me again."

I look back to her and smile. The side of my face feels numb, and I feel over it with my free hand. It feels swollen, "I'm sorry, I'll try."

A dark-haired man enters the room with Soap in tail and I assume he's the doctor. He comes to a stop next to the bed, "Welcome back, Sergeant," he says in a thick Spanish accent and starts checking my vitals.

"Thanks... How bad was it?" I ask as he scribbles down notes on his clipboard.

He lifts the pages, going through the info, "Nothing we couldn't handle. The bullet was taken out of your shoulder and the hole was patched up. Your thigh was fixed up and the cut on your calf too. You're very lucky, you had three fractured ribs, they could have easily punctured an organ."

I nod, glad I kept the chest plate on, "How long do I have to stay here?"

He smiles, "Well, we'll have to see how well you heal and recover first, but I'd say at least a couple of days."

"Okay, thanks doctor," I hope it'll be a quick stay, I hate hospitals and lying around doing nothing. I'm sure I'll heal just fine on my own.

He nods, starting to head for the door, "The nurses will take good care of you, if you have any concerns, let them know."

"I will."

After the doctor left, Pixie takes a seat at the foot of the bed, "How do you feel?"

I shrug, "Weird, like I'm drifting in the air."

"It'll go away soon, Lass, it's just the anesthetics still wearing off," Soap tries to assure me.

I nod, there's an obvious absence in the room, "Where's Ghost?" I ask.

They look to one another, "He's uhm...he's around," Soap says.

"We'll tell him you're awake when we see him," Pixie adds.

I'm disappointed that Ghost isn't here. I guess I can't expect him to hang around here until I decide to wake up though. Still, I wish he was here.

Soap and Pixie stay a bit longer, but I feel too weird to keep up with the conversation.