The Choosing

Chapter Fourteen

I woke up in a panic. I didn't recognize my surroundings. Why was I in bed? The white walls. The nurse in blue. The Town. It all came back to me slowly. My head a jumbled mess as I tried once again to separate reality from fiction.

"She's up!"

I looked at the nurse. She smiled at me sweetly and smoothed back my hair. I was so confused yet again. Was this truly real?

"I don't know if this is true. Why am I here? Are you going to kill me like they did to everybody? Did you find out I killed him?"

The nurse looked at me, sadness etched into her otherwise beautiful dark complexion. Why was she so sad?

"Oh baby, we're going to fix you up so soon. We're almost there."

My mother and father rushed in. Tears were dripping down my mother's face. She looked so broken.

"Evie, I'm going to let your sister in now. She misses you so much."

Her voice broke when she talked. But my mother didn't care about me. Neither of my parents did.

My father looked to the nurse, "Can you please give her more? I can't have her sister see her like this."

"Sir, I can't. I want to help, but it's against the rules."

My father looked to me and back to the nurse, "Please. Look at her! She doesn't even know who we are," a sob shook his body, "please, I am begging you. If she can even remember for a moment just for her sister I will do anything."

The nurse looked hesitantly from me to the medicine. She dosed more in the IV.

My parents sighed and thanked the nurse profusely.

"Is this a dream?"

My parents looked at me with sad eyes. Like they had heard this too many times.

"No, honey," my mother said softly, "this is real. The Town is not real."

Everything flooded through my head once again. It was like the more medicine that was in my body, the surer I was of what reality was. This was real.

"Mommy, I'm sorry! My pills, I stopped taking them and I'm-"

"Baby, you're back," my mother cried crushing me in a hug.

But I knew I wasn't really. I could already feel everything getting foggier. I was going to forget again.

"Mom, Dad, you need to bring her in quick. I'm getting foggy again."

My parents nodded at me their features dropping again. They walked out of the room, hand in hand, trying to give each other comfort. I tried to take a mental picture of them, but it didn't matter, I would just forget anyway. I scratched harshly down my wrists wondering why I ever thought stopping my pills would be a good idea.

I was getting more sleepy by the second. They better hurry up. My eyes were beginning to shut.

Just as I was about to give in a little voice reached my ears, "Evie-Weavie! I missed you so much! Mommy said you have been taking a nap, but I said naps don't last months."

Months? I had been out for months?

My eyes quickly became heavier, I knew I didn't have much time left.

"I love you too, kiddo" I just need a bit more rest, okay? "

She frowned and played with my hair, "Can we play Evie Says when you wake up?"

I forced my eyes to stay open, "We can play whatever you want Nova."

My eyes shut and I heard my mother tears. I heard my sister screaming as my heart monitor beeped wildly. And I heard the doctor tell my parents I might never wake up.