Chasing Stars ✔️

5.

Underground, the stars are legend." - Catherine Fisher

She

It took the promise to Skype every day and call at any time, regardless of the different time zones, to convince Sabrina to leave. There were tears. I cried too; I knew it was going to be difficult, but I meant what I said about feeling guilty if they were to miss this trip. Besides, I had already decided to stay. I knew the circumstances were different, considering what happened, but my reasons remained. I had to find out if I could live my everyday life alone without Sabrina pushing me.

Although Dr. Kronh couldn't tell when my concussion would be healed enough to release me from the hospital, he was optimistic that would happen sooner than we thought. There was no way I needed to be kept in the hospital for six weeks. 

The first three days after my family left were not that bad. I was determined to follow the doctor's orders to the smallest detail, hoping that my body would recover as fast as possible.

On the fourth day, I was seriously bored. I felt like my body was aching equally from my bruises and from just laying in bed. I was scared to venture walking very further from the room, but slowly I got the green light to do so, and thanks to that, days five to eight were tolerable.

I was feeling better. Stronger. I was still avoiding the mirror because the left side of my face was still badly bruised, my eye even slowed, my lips burst. It was a pitiful sight. No one cared to mention my appearance until Brian came to say goodbye before leaving and said that I "looked like shit." Sabrina was mad at him, but honestly, I didn't mind much. One could always count on Brian to tell the truth. It was one of his best characteristics.

As the doses of pain medication were being reduced, I started to be more aware of my surroundings. The lights in the hospital room were far too invasive. There was always noise in the background. It was soft but constant; a mix of running machines, muffled voices, and rubber against the tiled floor. It was an annoying, never-ending soundtrack that soon started to get to my nerves.

The tic-tac from the clock was painfully slow, dragging its speed as if to tease me. When, eight days after Sabrina left, I spent another night without sleeping, I knew I needed to go home.

Dr. Krohn agreed he could release me, but he wanted me to stay another three days because one of my fractured ribs was still giving me a hard time. I decided that three extra hours was already too much.

I would have to come back for check-ups, which was ok because the hospital was nearby Dr. B's office. I was not clear to drive yet, and that was going to be a problem. The idea of having to travel on the bus every day was not appealing to me, but all I could think about was going home.

I made a mental note to thanking Sienna when I found a pair of jeans and a couple of t-shirts in my bag. Sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for my discharge papers, I couldn't help to glance at the clock on the wall. Knowing that it was a matter of minutes before I could return home, the movement of the seconds seemed to have returned to its average pace. 

The soft vibration near my leg told me I had a call. I hesitated briefly before grabbing my cell phone. I knew my family would find out about me leaving the hospital, but I was hoping to at least get home first and had my deserved rest. The name on the screen, however, told me that Detective Matt was the one calling me. I swallowed hard before picking up. What could that phone call mean?

"Hello?" I forced my voice to sound void of emotions.

"Hello. Alexa? This is detective Matt speaking. How are you?" His voice was calm. Like me, he was giving nothing away with his polite greeting.