It's Yours

I felt myself resurfacing into the world of consciousness. I remembered both of my dreams, though they were actually memories, not dreams. And I remembered the people in my room. I opened my eyes.

“She’s awake!! Becky, Paul, Janie, she’s awake!!” Thom shouted happily. Then Becky and Paul and Janie were surrounding me.

“Oh Emma!” Janie threw her arms around my neck. Her tears of joy were mirrored by everyone else in the room.

I didn’t speak. Paul called his parents to tell them I was awake. They were there five minutes later. They had come from the cafeteria. They called in the doctor and nurse.
And I still hadn’t spoken a word.

“Hello Emma. My name is Dr. Frances. I understand that you were admitted a week ago.”

Inside I was gapping, astonished. I had been asleep for a week? Holy shit!

Outside I was a statue. Never moving, hardly breathing.

“Do you remember anything?”

I did. I remembered everything. Even the memories that I had worked so hard to suppress. But my head was moving left and right, not up and down.

“That is quite understandable. Your brain has suffered from a severe traumatic experience. It seems that neither you nor I know what that was. I believe it might have been triggered by that slap.” He indicated my cheek, “Do you remember being slapped or physically harmed at all?”

I did. I remembered my best friend since second grade slapping me so hard I tumbled to the floor. I remembered her clacking out, leaving me alone. I remembered her saying that she had slept with Jake. I remembered her ripping my soul to shreds.

My head went left and right again.

“I understand, I understand,” Dr. Frances mumbled, running his hand through his shaggy black hair. ”There is one other thing, Emma. I ran extensive tests to try and understand what had happened, and I found something else instead. It might be best for your friends to leave the room. Unless of course you want them to stay and hear.”

I gulped. This was it. This doctor knew I was pregnant. Better him than me telling them. I nodded. He seemed to take that as my wanting them to stay.

“Well then, are you aware that you are almost three months pregnant?”

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. I just nodded. Dr. Frances started nodding too.

“Okay then. Here is a number for an obstetrician. Her name is Dr. McKenzie and you should see her as soon as possible. She can give you a list of okay food and pregnancy vitamins. She will also get you all set up with ultrasounds and other medical procedures.

“Now, I would like to keep you here for another night to observe you. You just pulled out of your coma and there is a good chance that you could slip back into it. I will see you tomorrow, Emma.”

He wrote the name, number and address of the obstetrician on a blank sticky note and then placed it on my bedside table. He nodded to my family and left. The nurse came towards my bed.

She was about my mother’s age. She was wearing blue scrubs that said the name of the hospital on them. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and laugh lines. I trusted her automatically.

“Hello Emma. My name is Laurie.” I recognized her voice as the same nurse that had chided Becky. “Now I just need to check you vital signs and then I’m gone.” She smiled a bit. “I’m sure that you need to talk with your family.”

She wrapped a pressure cuff around the top of my left arm and took a thermometer out of one of her pockets. While the machine took my blood pressure she stuck the thermometer in my ear. Then she checked both and smiled at me.

“Perfect.” She declared and then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Everyone pounced.