Seeing Colors

Chapter 18

February 28, 2022 12:51 pm

"Stephen!" That was the first word out of Ant's mouth when he suddenly regained consciousness. Panic washed over him as he breathed heavily, trying to get his bearings.

Ali, who has been posted by Ant's bedside, got up from her chair and grabbed Ant's hand. "Hey, shhh. You're in the hospital now. Please calm down. Breathe slowly." Ali stroked Ant's cheek to try to calm him.

He scanned his surroundings and found himself confined in a bed inside a cold, sterile room. His right arms was hooked onto an IV drip, while various wires were stuck on his bare chest, connecting it to a heart monitor. He felt something foreign on his forehead and upon touching it, he made out that it was gauze.

More aware of his own well-being, Ant asked Ali about Stephen. "Al, where's Stephen? Is he alright?"

Ali's face fell . "Um, he's in the intensive care unit. Stephen...Stephen's not doing very well, Ant." A little sob escaped her lips when she finished that statement, hinting Ant at the seriousness of Stephen's condition.

"Dec?! How's Dec?" Ant frantically asked.

"As you can probably imagine, he's a wreck right now, but he's not showing it in front of the kids; he doesn't want to scare them. He also hasn't left Stephen's side that much ever since he got here to the hospital." Ali wiped away tears that have rolled down her cheeks. "I know he's freaking out in the inside because the colors are fading for him."

"Oh, god," Ant said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I should've just called a cab or sommat..."

"What?" Ali asked, confused by Ant's random statement.

"I wasn't thinking clearly...I was so drunk...I shouldn't have called Stephen. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me," Ant sobbed. "I've got to see him, Al. I've gotta be with him and Dec."

"Uh, I don't know if the doctor will let you go up there, Ant."

Ant ignored Ali and tried to get out of bed, but quickly found out the hard way that he was still weak. Ali helped him off the floor and sat him back down on the edge of the bed. "I'll get the doctor to check you out, then we'll see from then if he'll let you out, alright?"

Just wanting to get to see his friends, Ant agreed and waited as Ali went to fetch his doctor. Minutes later, Ali returned, accompanied by a man that was about their age.

"Mr. McPartlin, I'm Dr. Steinem. I'm glad to see you're awake. You got us worried that you weren't regaining consciousness as soon as we hoped for."

"Why? How long have I been out?" Ant frowned.

"About a day and half." The doctor flashed his torch at Ant's eyes to assess if he had a concussion.

"What?! Oh my god..." Ant said in disbelief. "Look, I have to go check on my friends. Am I allowed to leave now?"

"Yeah, it looks like you're good to go. Your legs may be a bit weak since you haven't been moving for a while, so you may need a wheelchair while you regain strength. Other than that though, I don't see why you can't be discharged yet."

"Okay," Ant nodded. His mind was going on hyper drive as random thoughts came in to his head.

The doctor made his exit, leaving Ant and Ali alone in the room.

"Ant, I've brought you a change of clothes. You get in them, while I take care of your discharge papers."

"Alright, thanks Al."

Ali handed him a backpack that had some of his personal belongings in it before going off to get Ant's discharge papers ready. Though it was a task, Ant changed into a fresh shirt and jeans, even managing to slip into his shoes.