Yellow Lines

Chapter 15 - Broken

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in Angie's house. I'd been in a white room with one window, medical equipment, and a good-sized TV in front of me. The bright white lights gave it away I'd been in a hospital. I also had an IV bag pinned to my arm, and a monitor clipped to my finger. My throat felt coarse when I swallowed and my lips were so chapped I could have bruised my tongue from licking it.

"Leila," Angie exclaimed, rushing towards me. "You're awake, thank goodness." She held my hand. "Jerry almost freaked when he came back and saw you in a pool of blood—"

"Leila?" Jerry sat upright from his chair, his eyes heavy with sleep.

I turned back to Angie. Maybe I hadn't heard right. "What pool of blood?" I rasped.

Angie subtly pointed at her crotch and said the words as if it had been taboo. "You were hemorrhaging down here."

"Why would I be bleeding from there?" My heart monitor sped up as I feared the worst.

Jerry shot off his chair when he realized I was fully awake. He rushed towards me passing his hands over my tangled hair. "Angela, call the doctor and tell him she's awake."

Angie nodded and left the room.

A dark sense of dread washed over me, making my monitor go off. "What... what's going on? What's happening to me, Jerry? Am I dying?"

"No, Lei," he eyed the monitor. "Relax, everything will be okay."

"Where am I?"

"You're at the private hospital Angela and I are insured with. They are the best, and won't let anything happen to you."

I eyed him, and then Angela and the doctor entered.

The doctor wore a white coat and a stethoscope. He left Angie's side and stood at the foot of my bed smiling. "Hi, Ms. Clarke, how are you feeling today? I'm Dr. Dorn, you were out for quite some time."

"What day is it?"

"Sunday, my dear. You need to calm down."

I was out for almost two days? Yes, I was openly aware of how loud my monitor still beeped, but why on earth was I out of it for that long? I shook my head.

"Luckily, these two found you or you would have bled to death," the doctor continued. Then he went on to explain how I'd lost a lot of blood and a transfusion was necessary.

"Ms. Clarke, this is a serious situation and you will have to cooperate with us."

I nodded. But the idea of having someone operate on me while clueless freaked me out. Suppose they took out a spleen or something? I would never know. Dr. Dorn then asked about my pains and for me to describe them. I thoughtfully explained the long list of things, wincing as if they happened now. "My period was over nine days, but I started spotting at the end," I said.

The entire time, Jerry seemed confuse. Every now and then, as I explained my dilemmas, his face screwed into a deer in headlights.

"Okay, Ms. Clarke, we have already collected blood samples from you before the transfusion. We just want the okay from you to do a toxicology test and a comprehensive test."

I didn't mind doing it, but this was a private hospital. I couldn't afford any of it. Then Jerry nodded for me to say yes, so I did. I would just have to work out some sort of plan to pay him back.

"Are there any other medications you are taking? Mr. Geronimo told me about the one you are currently taking."

"I gave them the pills I saw on your bed," Jerry added.