16. Hospital
1204 Words
Daniel's POV:
I lay in bed with her. She snuggled against me, her head pressing on my shoulder, her hair touching my face. I couldn't mistake her for anyone else. It was her. I knew the dream was new, but I was happy to see her again, even in a dream. This time, it felt incredibly real and vivid. Her touch was cold. I couldn't recall if I had ever felt coldness in my dreams before. The surrounding lights were strange, the bed hard, and my body ached. I could barely move. Was this a nightmare? But I welcomed it for that moment, cherishing the sensation of her slight weight on my shoulder.
"Please don't let me wake up," I mumbled.
She lifted her head, looking at me with her gorgeous eyes. It was challenging to move. I was also afraid that if I did anything, I would wake up. Nevertheless, I took a risk. I grabbed her with my other arm and pulled her on top of me so her chest was against mine. We both leaned in for a kiss. The familiar cold lips met mine. The joy from the touch spread throughout my body, making me soft in my heart and hard in other places.
Then I heard the door open.
"Excuse me," I interrupted, looking over her shoulder. A man in a green medical uniform walked in, and the girl casually moved off the bed.
"I am back with the results," the man announced. "It's a viral rhinitis virus," he continued.
I was bewildered. This wasn't a dream. I looked around. I realized I had an IV hooked up, pulling when I moved and causing pain to radiate from my arm. I was in a hospital room. The doctor was talking to me. The mysterious girl was there. It wasn't a dream. I didn't understand how this was possible.
"How deadly is it?" she asked the doctor.
"You have a common cold," he replied. "The nurse will be here shortly to take the IV out and give you the paperwork to check out."
Then I heard the door open.
He left, and now I was alone with her. As the initial shock wore off, my memories started to trickle back.
I'd gotten really sick shortly after the club adventure, and Caleb had been taking care of me. He even stayed overnight and brought his girlfriend since they got back together again.
I was still in shock after I met the dream girl, everything I saw and experienced at the club, and getting sick after was a complete disaster.
I remember I coughed so much that he gave me some liquid cough syrup, which didn’t help, and then he gave me some pills. I had no idea what they even were. I remembered being so tired, then waking up with her, it still seemed surreal.
“Hi,” I told her, rubbing my eyes just to make sure it was true.
“Hello, Daniel,” she replied nonchalantly.
I wanted to ask her how she knew my name, but it sounded stupid.
“How did we get here? Did Caleb drop me off? My friend, we were at the party together,” I stuttered.
"No, I brought you here. Caleb is still at your place."
“How deathly is it?” she asked the doctor.
How had she even found me? How had she brought me here? But before I could ask, we were interrupted by the nurse and another woman handling paperwork. As the nurse unhooked my IV, the mysterious girl watched her closely, almost baring her teeth. The hospital worker asked me for all my information: ID, insurance, address. There was no information in my medical chart, leaving her confused about how the doctor was able to even ordered any tests.
I only had my pajama pants and shirt, which were sitting on the chair next to the bed. I didn't even have my wallet. I asked the girl who'd been with me if she knew anything about it, but she just shrugged and rolled her eyes.
“You have a common cold,” he replied. “The nurse will be here shortly to take the IV out and give you the paperwork to check out.”
I told the hospital worker that I could return with all the documents later, but she became irate. I tried to reason with her, but she only got more frustrated. Suddenly, my mysterious girl got up and told her to leave us alone. The woman immediately calmed down and left the room, leaving the paperwork in my hands.
"Let's get out of here," the girl urged me.
I was alone with her. The initial shock was over, so my memories were coming back.
"How did you do that?" I asked.
"I have a knack for human touch," she replied.
When I got up and realized I was wearing the hospital gown, and my ass was exposed. The girl looked at it like I was a piece of the pie. It felt good, but I quickly grabbed my pajama pants and pulled them on. Why did I have them in the hospital was beyond me? But thankfully, we were leaving, walking through the hospital. I had a lot of questions for her. However, I also felt weak and wanted to get home, but there was more important things on my mind.
“I don’t want to lose you again,” I blurted out. I could not help myself staring at her. “Can you give me your information? Your phone number, anything so I can find you again?”
“Why would you lose me?” She looked at me confused. “I am taking you home!”
“Do you have a car parked in the garage, or can I use your phone?” I asked her but a feeling of relief washed over me. She was coming with me! I could still touch her arm. I didn’t have to let go of her. Not just yet.
We were slowly walking and I was talking but my eyes were still devouring her. I could not believe how stunning she looked. There was perfection about her I could not understand, and it took my breath away. I didn’t know if it was her face, her figure, her hair, or the way she just seemed to care a little about people around us. There was also sadness I could feel and it reminded me of my loss. My heart sank as I thought about my late wife, yet I could not let go of the girl. The guilt and the sorrow were part of me, but she was a new light in my life, even though I realized I knew nothing about her, not even her name. She was different and yet familiar. I knew that meeting her at the St. Valentine’s party was not the first time we had interacted, but I didn’t understand how I could have forgotten her and why I had seen her in my dreams.
When we reached the hospital exit, the sun blared through the glass doors, and the girl jumped back so quickly that I almost fell.
- Writer
