Duskwood: Love's Beginning

36 - Jayna

I awoke to whispered voices. It took a lot to pry my eyes open, and my mouth was so dry. I looked around and saw Jessy sitting next to me on one side, Dan in his wheelchair on the other. Dan noticed first that I was awake. "Hey, boo," he said gruffly. "How are you feeling?"

The tears started streaming down my face once more, thinking of what happened the previous night. I had left him. I had left Jake behind in that mine. I had chosen to save Richy and had no idea if Jake got out...I started mumbling incoherently, unable to form words.

Jessy hugged me. "Oh, Jayna, it's alright, you're OK," she said, rocking me back and forth.

But I shook my head against her shoulder, finally able to talk. "No, it isn't. I..." I lowered my voice. "I couldn't find Jake. I don't know if he made it." I started sobbing, and Jessy hugged me tighter, letting me cry. I felt Dan's large, warm hand cover mine, and I grasped at his fingers.

After what seemed like years of crying, I finally calmed down. Dan handed me a box of tissues and I tried to clean myself up while Jessy told me all that had happened.

When I had told the group that Hannah was alive and safe, and then Jessy told them about Richy, Thomas couldn't take it anymore. The group all squeezed into his car and he drove on the rims of his slashed tires to get to the waterfall. I hadn't updated them so they started texting me like crazy along the way. But by that point, I was in some sort of shock and had no idea that my phone was going off. It took them forever driving at low speeds but when they arrived, they were met by police and the FBI. Lilly demanded to know where her sister was and they agreed to take them to the hospital to see her.

"Hannah's going to be fine," Jessy commented. "Lilly, Thomas, and Cleo are with her."

Meanwhile, Jessy kept trying to call me. A kind nurse noticed my phone blowing up. Since I was there alone and didn't seem to even notice it was ringing, she answered, hoping to find a loved one. She spoke with Jessy, who said she was my sister, and the nurse let her know I was also in the hospital.

As for Richy, he had a gunshot wound on his left arm that had nicked a major blood vessel. He also had a bullet graze his torso. He had coded on the way to the hospital and again during surgery, but they had brought him back both times. He was alive but sedated, because when he'd awakened he'd panicked and had struggled violently, pleading with them to let him die. Jessy's eyes filled with tears as she told me all this, and Dan's face was riddled with guilt. 

A doctor walked in right then, announcing herself as Dr. Grayson, and asked for some privacy to examine me. Jessy squeezed my hand before she and Dan left the room.

I lay there, feeling so lost, as the hospitalist checked my lungs, throat, heart, eyes, and reflexes. I could not seem to stop the tears, and guilt was overtaking me. The doctor finally drew my attention. "I know you've been through a lot," she said. "I've ordered a consult with one of our psychiatrists, just to make sure that you don't need some additional emotional support."

I sniffled, ignoring her comments. "When can I leave?"

"Well, physically, you're doing fine. You have some minor irritation in your airways that should hopefully clear up within a few weeks. Some abrasions to your skin, a first-degree burn on your arm..." I looked down at my arm; I hadn't even noticed the bandage before. "My main concern right now is your emotional health. Sometimes, when people survive something like this, there can be a lot of conflicting feelings."

I snorted. That was an understatement. "I want to see my friend," I said. "Richy Roger."

The doctor tapped on her tablet a few times. "I can't comment on the status of other patients–"