The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Aftermath

Chapter Twenty One

FOUR DAYS LATER

I wake up in a uncomfortable hospital bed. Everything's groggy. I tentatively sit up.

"Agh!" I scream.

My head throbs unbearably and I quickly lay back down.

On my right arm is an IV, pumping my full of several fluids. On my left arm there is black brace wrapping around my thumb and reaching up to my elbow.

I have on the standard-issued, flimsy hospital gown. The walls were blank and white. There was a pull out couch, that looked like someone had been sleeping on it.

I couldn't turn my head without extreme pain, but out of the corner of my eye I could see a vase of white and pink flowers.

And then, I remembered.

The crash. Lauren. Lauren. She wasn't waking up. And madison. Her hand.

I started squirming uncontrollably. I could breathe. The crash. We crashed. My monitor started beeping wildly and I could feel was horrible anxiety weighing down on me.

A doctor rushed in.

"Amy! Amy! I need you to breathe into this bag okay," he told me. He put a brown paper bag over my mouth and I panted into it. "That's good! That's really good, you're doing great."

Finally, I could breathe again. Before I could say anything he said, "You were having a panic attack. But you're okay now. I'm your doctor, Dr. Klein."

He asked me to cooperate with a little check up type thing. Deep breaths with a stethoscope, reflex check, flowing the light with my eyes.

"You're looking good Miss. Jeurgens," he told me. "I can tell you what's going on now. Would you like that?"

I nodded. Everything was fuzzy.

"You were in a car. And it crashed. You were out there for two days. You were very brave. You passed out at about a day and a half. You had a scrape on your head. Do you remember that?"

"Yes." It was bleeding.

"Well, the head lac was more than superficial. It required brain surgery. However, you seem to be healing up quite nicely. You been here a total of two days."

"How did I get here?"

"Someone driving by saw you all and called for an ambulance. It wasn't a road that's traveled on often. Your family is here. Your mother is at home with your son but Mr. Underwood has been sleeping here. He's probably just showering or getting something to eat now."

"Oh, oh, oh. What about madison? And Lauren? Where are they? Are they okay? Are they here?!" I tried to sit up.

"Calm down miss! You'll injure yourself. They are. Madison is stable enough to come in and see you if you like."

I eagerly said yes. I was so full of relief that she was okay.

"Alright. I'll page a nurse that I can bring her in," he said and turned to leave the room.

"Wait," I croaked. "What about Lauren?"

He turned back to me, but kept his gaze down. "Um, I'll have to check on her condition, if you don't mind." And then he quickly turned away and left.