Map to Redemption

Day -25 (Part 1)

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the delay. This chapter was getting long again, so I decided to split it into parts once more to prevent you from waiting longer. Also, advance warning that this is some mushy, lovey-dovey stuff the likes of which I'm not certain I've ever written before in the Duskwood fandom. 😂 So if that is not your cup of tea, hopefully you can manage. 💜

Lyra wakes, feeling fuzzy and disoriented in a hard, unfamiliar bed. Sounds bleed into her awareness; murmured voices, wheels rolling over hard floors, soft-soled shoes tapping out steps as people walked around. She dares to peel open her eyes and finds herself in a darkened room, with only a small light shining behind her head. Industrial tiles are dimly illuminated on the ceiling. Turning her head, she sees a doorway, with the door ajar. The hallway outside is brightly-lit with irritating fluorescent, and the appearance of a figure walking by in a matching top and pants that looks medical in nature brings her to the conclusion that she is in a hospital.

Internal review of her body reveals an ache in her abdomen, which becomes a sharp twinge when she tries to move. She also has a mild headache, and a feeling in her chest which she can't quite describe. While trying to sort out these sensations and their causes, Lyra hears someone walking closer. A tall woman enters the space. She has orange hair–as in, bright, unnatural orange–with freckles sprinkled across a gentle countenance.

"Oh, you're awake. Lyra, my name is Kristen. I'm a nurse. Do you remember how you got here?"

"No," Lyra replies in a hoarse voice. She tries to swallow; her throat feels dry, her vocal cords unused.

"An ambulance brought you in. You collapsed on a street one block away, and in the ER they found you had a ruptured aneurysm of a large blood vessel in your abdomen. It's quite a serious condition. Luckily, a vascular surgeon was already in the ER when you were brought in, and rushed you into an operating room. She saved your life."

Lyra stares at the woman, dumbfounded. "Don't people usually die from this?"

Kristen nods, patting her arm gently. "Yes, they do. You are very lucky. You might want to buy a lottery ticket when you're released," she jokes.

"And when will that be?" Lyra queries. She wants to give a reason to have to leave soon, but realistically, her life is empty. Living as a solitary person, drifting from one place to the next, she doesn't have anything to rush off to.

"It depends on how quickly you recover, but at least a few days. After you're released, you will need to spend a lot of time resting. Do you have anyone at home who can help you?"

"Home?" Lyra feels an aching in her chest again, and a pulling sensation. A thought occurs to her that she should know something, but it isn't quite registering.

"Don't stress yourself, dear. It seems like the anesthesia hasn't fully worn off yet. It's normal to have some residual memory loss. But don't worry. You are young and otherwise healthy. This seems to just be a fluke, and we'll get you back to feeling like yourself in no time, okay?"

Kristen moves around her quietly, making note of some readings and then bringing her a small glass of ice water along with a pitcher.

"Stay in bed until the surgeon checks you in the morning. If you need anything, just hit the button and I'll be along."

Kristen leaves the room, and Lyra stays lost in thought until she falls back asleep. The next several days pass peacefully. She receives a quiet roommate who also sleeps most of the time, and she spends her days dozing off between meals and check-ups with nurses and doctors. In the background is a strange ache in her chest. She mentions it to a doctor, who examines her and says nothing is wrong, and it is written off as referred pain from her incision. She is told it will get better as she recovers, and if not, to follow up with her regular doctor.