Black

Part 25 Goodbye to Past

Amber opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of the hospital room which stared back at her in dark except for the dusk light that was seeping in from the blue blinds of the window. She, on instinct, touched her bandaged shoulder and winced both in pain and upon the remembrance of the events passed in the morning. Her thoughts turned into color of red, that flooded her aching memory and ringed with cries of her agony and pain. How could she ever forget the pale face of other girl who swore to protect her with her own life? She couldn't tell if the said girl was alive or not and the urge to seek out for her made her listless in the bed.

'I am your sister'

The thought wounded her more than her shoulder injury. If she had listened to Marina, if she had reached out for her before her suicide. If she had believed Maria, if she hadn't met Hal- no Raphaela... To many ifs had left her sick with nothing but immortal guilt. She turned her head to see her mother sleeping on the couch. The worrying lines were accentuating her forehead and it added another layer to Amber's guilt that settled in her stomach in the form of sickening nausea. She tried to sit up, without disturbing the peace of her mother but accidentally knocked the glass over the table that shattered on the floor and woke her mother up.

"Amber?"

She cursed herself as her mother blinked at her daughter in surprised relief and jumped up on her feet rushing outside of the room to call in her doctor and nurses. The room suddenly filled with nurses and her doctor who came to check on her. The doctor took her pulse and asked her how she's feeling. She told him that her head was heavy which was probably because of the wearing effect of injections. He excused her mother to talk in private about some tests and therapy after the gravity of accident which shook her psychological state of mind. Amber's mother returned to the room after few minutes wearing a smile for her daughter.

"Hey, baby girl." She whispered taking Amber's hand in hers and leaned forward to place a kiss on sweaty Amber's forehead.

"Hey, Mom." She whispered chewing on her lower lip. She wanted to apologize to her mother but she had been sorry for too many things in her life and she didn't want to open up old wounds again for them to bleed. Rather she simply settled for the safe statement, "It's over."

"It's over." Her mother repeated as if in shock to accept the reality or perhaps, reassuring her daughter that the nightmare is over.

"It's Haley." Amber spoke tasting a bile of tears in her mouth. Her closest friend had ruined them, the one she had trusted the most with blind eye. She could have seen it from the beginning through her cheery facade and mask of smiles.

"I know. Jennifer had already told us." Her mother's voice was terribly low which barely audible to their ears. Talking about ghosts would make them come back in their life.

"Dad's...child." It came out as a strangled choke, a taboo which they both were trying not to bring up in the conversation.

 "Let's not talk about..."

"Where's Maria?" She suddenly questioned about the subject of her worriness.

"She had been in surgery. Her condition was critical."

"Is she alive?"

"Yes" The answer came like a relief to he heart like ice to a sore blister.

"Is she still in surgery?"

"No, she is shifted to ICU room."

"Is she awake?"

"No, she hasn't come to." Her mother replied stroking the back of her hand.

"What did doctors say about Ma..."

"Amber, first rest. She's fine and doctors said that she's out of danger. She will come around in few hours then you can see her." Amber sighed but nodded dejectedly and laid back to rest closing her eyes. She heard Jennifer, talking to someone outside the room and then she came inside to ask about Amber. But by then, Amber had slipped back into realm of unconscious because of the drowsiness and blood loss.