Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 47 - Fate, A cruel Mistress

I come around with a massive headache and don't need to be reminded of why it's there. I bring my hand to my face, groan inwardly, and push my fingers against my temple, though at this point, I should know that won't do anything to assuage my headache.

I open my eyes and scan the room. Cale had pulled a chair next to the cot is looking at me with silent relief that I'm conscious. Tammie sits next to Cale on another chair with her face in her hands. Deen is standing with arms folded, leaning against the wall, and frowning at Spenzo and Kinnie.

"You almost killed Jade," Spenzo is saying.

"I didn't know it would have killed her," Kinnie says.

"We're just lucky she blacked out before you had a chance to inject anything into her," Spenzo says.

"I had to think fast okay. The medication was the closest to me in the painkiller section of the cabinet and it had a green label on it, so I assumed it meant green for go," Kinnie says.

"The green isn't for go, it's for caution, prescription medication. Did you read the label?" Spenzo asks.

Kinnie doesn't reply right away.

"Can you even see what's on the label? What have you been pumping into my arm this whole time?" I decide to let everyone else know I'm awake now, as well as get the answer to the question I had when I regained consciousness the first time.

"Jade, you're awake, finally," Spenzo cries, noticing.

"Jade!" Tammie gets up and wraps her arms around me in a hug. "We were so worried about you!"

I pat her on the back since my muscles are a little too stiff for me to return the gesture.

"Seriously, don't scare us like that again," Deen says sincerely, with a pat on my good leg. "You freaked us out big time."

"I'm sorry. I don't plan on it happening again," I reply. Next time I get shot and can't remember what happened, I'll try not to flip out, for their sakes and mine.

"How do you feel?" Kinnie asks me.

I don't know whether to be honest or to tell them what they want to hear. "Everything hurts," I answer simply.

"Being in pain is better than being unresponsive," Cale answers. He pats my right hand, his eyes lingering on the IV for a second. "What are you giving her?"

"A weak antibiotic," Kinnie says. She notices Cale and I looking at her skeptically. "Don't worry. I gave you very little because I couldn't see the dosage. It's mostly water."

"Wait, you can't see?" Spenzo says.

"I can make out the basics," Kinnie says.

"You volunteered to stick a needle of medication in Jade's arm without being able to see?" Deen says.

Kinnie shrugs.

"You should have let me help you when I asked. I completely forgot you couldn't see until Jade brought it up," Cale says.

"Forgot? You knew that she couldn't see this entire time?" Spenzo asks.

"She does wear glasses for a reason, guys," Tammie says. "It shouldn't be that surprising. What surprises me is that you could set up an IV in the first place."

Kinnie shrugs. "I didn't really have a choice. No one else knew how to put one in."

"Thank you," I tell her.

She smiles without showing her teeth and nods.

There are a few seconds of silence where my friends exchange a series of grim looks across me. They're trying to figure out how to tell me about Tressa without causing emotional damage because they don't know that I know.