The Boy at My Window

Chapter Eleven: Surgery

My mom helped me change into the cloth hospital gown Jim gave me.

She helped me back into bed and I settled in beside Matthew.

He gently kissed the top of my head. "The doctor said the anesthesiologist should be in in about a half hour to prep you. You ready for this?"

Honestly, I wasn't. Surgery freaked me out because of what happened the last time. But that's a story for a later time.

I swallowed hard. "No, not really. I'm scared."

"Why are you scared?" he asked.

I sighed. "It's a long story..." I trailed off.

"Care to elaborate on that?"

I shook my head. "No not really."

"Alright. I won't press."

"Mathew, would you mind stepping into the hall for a moment so we can talk to Shaina?" My mom asked him.

"Oh of course not." Matthew stood and walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

I knew what was coming.

"Shaina, baby," my mom began, "I know the last surgery you had didn't go well but this one doesn't have any real risk factors. I promise. You'll come out of this surgery one hundred percent fine. You have nothing to worry about. Okay?" her eyes glistened with tears.

I nodded. "Okay." I choked out. "I trust you."

"Alright." she whispered wiping tears from her eyes, "I'll go get Matthew."

My mom went to the door and my dad stood and came to the bedside. He hugged me, "You'll be okay, baby girl."

"I know, Daddy. I know."

Matthew came back in and again settled in next to me.

A little while later the anesthesiologist came in. "Hi Shaina, I'm Alaina. I'll be administering you're anesthesia for your hernia surgery." She turned to my parents. "No medicine allergies?"

My mom shook her head.

"Alright. Then let's get started. Shaina, go ahead and extend your right arm from me. And if you," she pointed to Matthew, "would come kneel beside the bed and hold her hand." Matthew got up and went around the to kneel. He took my hand. Alaina wrapped a rubber band tightly around my bicep and flicked at the skin of the inside of my elbow. "Now go ahead and grip his hand as hard as you can and hold it." I did as told and she continues to tap at my arm until a blue vein was popping against the skin. "Here we go." She held the needle to my arm.

Immediately tears filled my eyes as the fear took over. I couldn't do this. I couldn't go back into surgery after what happened last time. I was too afraid.

"Wait!" my mom called as the first tear slipped down my cheek. She rushed to my side. "Sh, Shaina, baby. Sh. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay." she murmured to me as I clung to her. "You're going to be okay. It's a much smaller amount than last time and it's a low risk surgery. Everything will be alright." I nodded and she wiped the tears from my face. "Just close your eyes. It'll be over before you know it."

I closed my eyes and heard my mom tell Alaina to go ahead. I felt the slight pinch of the needle as it was pushed into my skin and then nothing. I fell away into the black.

So little bit of a plot twist there! Something in Shaina's past has made her an extremely fearful person. The fear surgery and her fear of heights are linked so you'll actually find out her story in the next chapter! So I hope you guys enjoy this. And I'm sorry it's such a short chapter but I couldn't really put the actual surgery in her perspective since she's unconscious the whole time so yeah.

So this story has like 602 reads and 29 votes! Guys, I know that may not seem like a mile stone to anyone else but it does to me so thank you guys so so much for reading my story and liking it and I hope you guys are enjoying it thus far!

Avery