Once Upon A Muslim

Chapter 3 | Why He Chose the Playground

I blink as a bright light flashes on my face. My vision is a bit blurry, and the voices bouncing off the walls in the room are muffled. I try to suck in a deep breath, but it turns out to be a strangled gasp. I lie uncomfortably beneath the covers of a hospital bed. I groan in agitation as I realize that somehow I've been changed into a hospital gown. I close my eyes shut, because I can't stand the light. It's just causing more pain as the left side of my head aches and throbs more. I open my eyes again as I here the faint sound of boots - thump, thump, thump.

The door flies open as a man in a kind of lab coat walks in with a clipboard. I realize that he must be a doctor. He clicks his pen. "Status report," he says abruptly.

"The patient's pulse is stable. She has a high fever at one hundred two degrees. She slipped into unconsciousness ever since she arrived yesterday; that makes it at least fifteen hours," a high-pitched voice responds.

The doctor jots this down on his clipboard. He glances at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I croak in a hoarse voice. "My head hurts," I add.

The doctor nods. "Give her some medicine, Nurse Claire." He exits as quick as he came in.

The lady who talked to the doctor hands me a small cup full of light blue liquid. "Drink up," she says in her squeaky voice. She gives me a faint smile.

I take the plastic cup from her and drink the medicine slowly, because it actually tastes awful. Once I finish drinking the medicine, I sit up to make myself more comfortable, but I realize that the bed is in a slight sitting position. I just stare at my hands. The only sounds in the room is the tick tick tick of the clock and the shuffling feet of the nurse.

"When I am I going to get out of here?" I ask too suddenly. This room is already making me nervous and agitated.

The nurse does not look up from what she's occupied with as she acknowledges me. "Soon, dear. We just got to run some tests and then you'll be out by tomorrow."

Tomorrow? I have been here since yesterday - waking me up would have been better.

"Well, can I at least eat something?" I ask a little too scathingly. I don't mean to sound rude; but I am starting to feel suffocated in here, as I was in unconsciousness in a hospital bed for fifteen hours.

"I just called someone to get your lunch in." Nurse Claire walks over to the door and opens it. She looks back at me. "I need to check on another patient. But stay put; your mother will be here shortly." And with that said, she closes the door behind her with an audible click of the door handle.

Great. I'm stuck here all alone.

Luckily, my bookbag is across the room, propped up against the wall. I slide down the bed - the floor is so cold, why didn't they at least provide me with socks? - and walk over to it. As I bend down to reach for it, the same stabbing pain comes back again. I get hold of my bag and set it on the bed, climbing back in.

I get my phone out. Zahra has left me at least ten texts, asking me how I am, and I have two missed calls from Veronica. I didn't get anything from Keith nor Kara, but I just figured that they would stop by with Mom. I go through my texts and answer back, and I do the same with the missed calls, leaving Veronica a voice mail.

I lay down on the bed and play around on my phone a little, trying to pass the time. There's nothing you can really do in a hospital room.

Someone knocks on the door and I say, "Come in." Another nurse comes in and brings a tray of food. She pulls out the gray plastic board attached to the bed and swings it around so that it is in front of me and sets the food on it. I give her a grateful smile as she leaves. Mom comes in after she exits the room.