Effie

Chapter Two

Effie slowly opened her eyes to bright fluorescent lights blinding her vision. She quickly closed her eyes and slowly started to open them again, waiting for them to get used to the light above her. 

Once her eyes got used to the bright light, she took a look at her surroundings. She was lying in a hospital bed and dressed in a hospital gown. She started to wonder where her Sunday dress had gone too and if it was damaged beyond repair. White walls surrounded her, and a large window was on the wall on her left. Get-well flowers filled the two nightstands next to her bed. 

Slowly, she tried to sit up when a sharp pain flew through her right leg. Screaming from the pain, she flopped back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Tears started to form and threatened to fall as she turned her mouth down. She was scared. She didn't know why her leg was hurting and she didn't want to look down at it and see what it looked like. She couldn't remember why she was here. 

Where were her parents? Why weren't they there with her?

Effie jumped as a door opened up and an old man wearing a clean, white doctor's outfit walked into the room. He closed the door while looking at a clipboard in his hands. He walked towards her bed and once he was standing by her side, he looked at her and gave a sympathetic smile. 

"Hello, Miss Effie," the old man's voice was deep but friendly. "My name is Dr. Cohouln."

Through the tears and pain, Effie managed a smile. "Hi," she croaked. Her throat was dry, and she hadn't even noticed it until now. "Where are my parents?"

Dr. Cohouln placed his clipboard on the bottom of her bed and offered him her hand. "Let me help you sit up."

"It hurts," she whimpered as she leaned back against the bed. 

"I know, my dear," he nodded sympathetically. He held out his hand again and Effie hesitated before taking it. He slowly helped her up and placed his free hand on her back to steady her. 

"Ow!" Effie screamed in pain and tried to lay back down, but he wouldn't let her. He kept a firm grip on her hand and gently pushed on her back, encouraging her to sit up. Finally, she was sitting up and leaning on the headboard. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She heard footsteps walking to the other side of her bed and the covers lifted from her feet. She opened her eyes to see Dr. Cohouln touching something white where her leg is supposed to be. She peered closer to see the top of her toes sticking out of the white object. "Where's my leg?" she asked, her body shaking with fear. 

Dr. Cohouln looked up at her and gave her an apologetic smile. "It's right here, my dear." He pointed to the white object.

She noticed that the white object circled around her leg. "I have a cast?"

Dr. Cohouln nodded his head. "Yes. You do." He stood up and looked at her. "In particular, from the look of where you were sitting at the time of the wreck, your leg is your only injury. All you did to it was break it"

Effie scrunched up her face in confusion. "Wreck?" She looked around the room and noticed that her parents still weren't there. "Where are my parents?"

"Yes, you were in a car wreck yesterday, my dear." He scratched his greying beard thoughtfully. "You don't remember?" When Effie shook her head, he continued. "That sometimes happens with car accidents as bad as yours was. You must have hit your head just right for you to lose your memory of what happened. But you don't have any bumps, bleeding, or bruises on your head." He reached out and lightly touched her head. "No evidence of a concussion either."

Effie's breathing labored at the thought of the wreck. Images flooded back through her brain. Her mother and father screaming. Her screaming. The image of her leg trapped under the car door. An image of someone talking to her and carrying her away from the car. Her parents hovering above her was the last image that floated through her mind. 

"Where are my parents?" Effie asked for the third time. She looked up at Dr. Cohouln and clutched her hands together in front of her chest. "Are they alright?" 

Dr. Cohouln smiled down at her. "They are perfectly fine, my dear. They are in recovery just like you." He patted her head. "You will be able to see them soon. We just need to make sure you're strong enough to use the crutches we have for you."

"Do they have the same injuries as I do?"

Dr. Cohouln shook his head. "No, but it won't take them long to recover. I can assure you that." He picked up his clipboard and turned to leave when Effie stopped him. 

"When will I be able to walk?" she asked slowly.

He smiled sadly and apologetically at her. "Not for a while, my dear. I'm sorry." He walked out of the room before she could say anything else. 

Effie looked down at her leg trapped in the white cast. She let a tear roll down her cheek and land on her hand. Why would this happen to her and her family? What had they done to deserve this? Why was it that she had her leg broken and will have to be in recovery long? She'll miss more than half of the school year and won't get to go anywhere with her friends for a while. Even though she only had a couple of friends from school, she still didn't have anyone in her neighborhood. She let out a whimper and placed her head in her hands.

When will she be going home? She wanted to go home.