That Blue Gibson

CH 68

Liz opened her eyes at the feeling of someone pulling on her arm and was met with a woman in pink scrubs busily unwrapping the bandages around her left hand. She shifted a little and the woman glanced at her face.

"So sorry, dear," she whispered with a smile. "Just freeing your hands."

Liz tried to speak, but couldn't make the words she wanted to say come out of her mouth. She worked her jaw a little, making sure it still functioned as the nurse gathered the discarded gauze and moved around the bed to her right hand. Liz wondered why she was standing so far away, leaning over the bed at an exaggerated angle to get at her hand.

"He hasn't moved since they brought you up six hours ago," the nurse whispered, cutting into the gauze with shears and discarding the second set of bloody cotton in a bright red bin. "Do you think you could try some water?"

Liz nodded and began to look around the unfamiliar room while the nurse patted her leg and left, quietly closing the heavy door behind her. She narrowed her eyes at an opened Red Bull can on the table next to the bed. Who the hell would bring her Red Bull? She was trying to think when a soft muttering just to her right startled her. Carefully lifting her head she saw Dave sitting in a chair next to her with his head resting on his arms on the bed. Afraid she was hallucinating; she ran her fingers through his hair, wincing a little when the cuts on her hands stung. He moved a little and sighed, relaxing back into sleep when he suddenly bolted upright with a gasp, his eyes wide. Looking around the room in a panic, his eyes locked on hers and his shoulders slumped forward in relief. "You're awake," he said, quietly this time and looked her over.

She tried to smile, unable to form any words and feeling uncomfortable under his stare. She was sure she looked like a total mess.

The nurse returned with Liz's water, surprised when she saw they were both awake. "I'll let Dr. Michael know you're up," she said quietly, setting the water on the tray next to the bed. "Ring me if you need anything."

Dave focused his attention back on Liz and looked her over. "How do you feel?"

Liz opened her mouth to speak, but once again couldn't form words. Frustrated, she snapped her mouth shut and shrugged. She knew her head hurt, she knew she was on some sort of heavy pain med that dulled the ache, but she wasn't able to understand much else at the moment. Just then her doctor breezed into her room looking a little tired.

"And how's my luckiest patient holding up?" he asked, pulling a computer monitor towards him as he looked her over.

"I don't think she can... speak?" Dave tried, feeling a whole new sense of panic when Liz nodded in agreement.

"Okay...," her doctor said with a touch of concern. He clicked around on the computer for a moment then squinted at the screen, "Liz? Have you had any previous trauma to your skull?" Her eyes went a little wide, giving him the answer he needed. "Of course your records aren't here yet," he mumbled, "Good thing we did that MRI instead of just an X-ray!" he laughed a little as if Dave and Liz were in on the joke and turned back to the monitor to quietly study the pictures of her skull.

Liz stared at the ceiling, trying her hardest to get her body and brain to function together again. She could think and understand somewhat normally, but she just couldn't get her body to do the same. Panic rose in her chest and she gripped the thin blanket covering her just as her doctor leaped from his chair, sending it rolling across the linoleum until it crashed against the wall behind him.

"I'll be back in just a moment," he said quickly and practically sprinted out of the room.

Liz felt Dave's hand on hers and she weaved her fingers with his while staring up at the ceiling. She knew something was wrong, she was scared and she was confused. Two nurses hurried into the room and immediately began unhooking her from the various wires and tubes wound around her.