Same Body, Different Person

08 | Text messages

Betty slowly opened her eyes, but then quickly shut them when the burning sensation of the bright morning sky hit her eyes.

She then felt a presence beside her on the other side of the bed. Doing a quick prayer, hoping it wasn't someone from yesterday, she rolled around and looked up with squinted eyes. She then saw Doctor Helen Brooke sitting beside her, going through some paperwork.

Betty flashed a toothless smile, still squinting. "Hey, Helen."

Helen looked up from the papers she was working on and turned her head to meet Betty's barley opened eyes. She smiled. "Good morning, Betty. How are you feeling?"

"Like the sun is gonna burn my eyes out any second." Betty admitted as she closed her eyes again.

Helen chuckled. "Well, you won't have to deal with it much longer."

Betty opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Helen with confusion. She sat up and scooted back on the bed and laid her head on the bed rest, and in her luck the sun wasn't in her eyes anymore. "What do you mean?" She asked as she stretched her arms with a yawn.

"We're letting you go soon, Betty."

Betty jolted her head towards Helen with wide eyes. She forgotten that she had to go back home. "I'm leaving today?"

Helen looked back at the papers. "Well, I'm actually not sure."

Betty furrowed her eyebrows as she tilted her head to the side. "So, I'm not leaving today...?"

"Well, you would have been able to go home today but now I'm not so sure after that miniature heart attack you had yesterday, and considering the fact that you can't walk on your own yet."

Betty shook her head. She dreaded going home, but she didn't want to be stuck in this hospital anymore. "I wouldn't call it a heart attack. And plus, I can walk."

Helen raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Show me then." She challenged as she crossed her arms, she knew Betty hadn't walked since she helped her to the bathroom to get all of the blood that was on her hands off.

Betty looked to the ground underneath her and looked back at Helen. "Fine, I will." She said as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"So, you want me to walk?" Betty looked back at Helen's unconvinced expression.

Helen nodded and raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Betty to start walking. Betty sat there with her legs dangling over the hospital bed, not knowing if her legs were gonna give out if she set them on the floor. "Okay, I can do this." Betty encouraged, trying to boost her confidence up.

Betty slowly put one foot on the ground, after a few seconds she put her other foot on the ground. All of her weight was leaning back on the bed, she was scared to put her weight on her heels. Betty looked back at Helen who now was on the edge of her seat with a worried look on her face, she was ready to jump up and sprint towards Betty once her knees gave out.

"Betty, if you don't want to―"

Betty didn't let Helen finish her sentence before she pushed off the bed and transfered all of her weight on her feet. She was tired of people being worried about her, she hated the feeling that everyone felt bad for her. She just wished she could look at someone and not see sympathy written all over their face. She didn't want their pity, she didn't want people to sympathize her pain. She just wanted someone to look at her like a normal person for once. Her whole life people have always looked at her either like a fat ugly piece of trash, or a poor girl who has no one who cares about her, and she despised that.

Betty took a deep breath. She picked her foot up a little and slowly put it down in front of her. She then picked up her other foot that was behind her and set it down beside the other foot. She turned around and looked at Helen with a 'I told you so' look.