I Myself Am Strange and Unusual

The beeping of a heart monitor woke me up. Groggily, I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room... the hospital room.

Memories smacked into me like a kick in the face. Did all of that really happen?

I remember swerving off the road, taking that turn too fast, flipping, smacking into a tree, being thrown from my car... all of it. And it was all on purpose.

A lot of good that did me. Here I am, alive and well.

I remember people poking and probing me to see if I was even alive. I also remember... that voice. That girls voice. And her face, that was the last thing I remember before passing out. Her face would never be forgotten.

"Oh, Mr. Malia, you're awake."

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a nurse come into the room. "Hi," I mumbled.

"How are you today?" She smiled lightly, adjusting a few of the IV cords.

"Fine."

She frowned lightly, "are you okay or are you just not talkative?"

"I'm usualleh not talkative."

Her smile returned to her face as she sat down at the edge of my bed. "Ah, so you are from England. She was right. Well, Lee, you're on your way to recovery, so just sit on tight and we should have you out of here within a few days, okay?"

"What 'appened?" I asked.

She sighed and patted my arm lightly, causing me to flinch. It was sensitive from the IV needles. "You don't remember at all? You were in a car accident, sir. Ran right off the road."

Well I knew that. I sighed, "no, I meant aftah that. When I passed out. I don't remembah at all."

"Your heart rate dropped to nearly nothing. If it weren't for Mike, Audrey and Matt-"

"Audrey," I interrupted. "Audrey was the small girl helpin' me, yea?"

She nodded, "yea if it weren't for Audrey getting your heart beat to come back, you'd be dead." She chuckled hesitantly.

I frowned at the irony of the situation. The one girl that I wanted to see prevented me from getting the one thing that I wanted. "Is there a way fo' me to see her?" I urged. "Yeh know, to fank her or somefin."

The nurse looked up to the clock and frowned. "Well she's on duty right now-"

"Can yeh get in contact wiff her?"

Her head snapped back at me, a confused look spread onto her face. "Uh- yea I suppose I could if I needed too." Beeping from the IV machine caused her to get up and tinker with it a few more times. She changed the bag hanging from the drip before sitting down at the edge of my bed again.

"Can yeh get her to come here when she's done?" Her brows furrowed. "Please? I need to fank her. I do owe her my life, yeh know." Again, the irony.

She sighed and patted my leg. "Audrey is quite a fire cracker so I don't know if she'll come, but I'll try just for you."

"Fanks," I nodded my head, a small yawn escaping my mouth.

"Rest, Mr. Malia. Rest will get you out of here quicker."

I nodded my head as my head lids fought to stay open. One thing about being in a hospital is that the drugs hit you fairly quickly.

A few hours later, I awoke to the sound of a chair sliding across the floor. My eyes peaked open to see a girl with black hair frosted with white - no, not blonde - white highlights. She hastily lifted the chair and placed it near my bed before plopping down with a sigh. A light smile hit my lips when I saw her face. It was her. It was Audrey.

"You're more known as the quiet one of the group, but for the love of all that is holy, if you keep staring at me, I will not turn into a unicorn. "

My face flushed lightly as I recognized her voice. "Sorreh," I mumbled.

"It's all good," she smiled lightly, swinging her feet over the arm of the chair, laying her body down. "So Margaret told me that you wanted to see me?"

"Margaret?"

She raised her eyebrow, an enthused smile on her face. "Margaret... you know... the nurse?"

I mentally smacked myself for looking so stupid in front of her. In my defense, the pretty ones usually don't speak to me. "Oh, yea... well I did."

"Okay... what'd'ya want?" She asked.

"Oh, uhm, h-hi," I stuttered. My face flushed again. I look and sound so stupid right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually not like this in front of girls - even pretty ones.

"Hello?"

I sighed, "sorreh. I'm not usualleh like this. I swear."

That time she laughed; it was intoxicating. It even caused a chuckle to come out of myself. "Well that's good. I hope the medication isn't screwing with you too much."

"Onleh a little." I smiled at her, "so, uhm, anyway. I juss wanted to fank yeh for saving me."

"No problemo, Mr. Malia. It's kind of my job. It's what I do."

"So yeh a fan of the band?" I asked. Obviously she had to know something. She knew my name in the ambulance, so it's a safe assumption.

She grinned and stood up, lifting the hem of her shirt up to right below her chest. There were song lyrics scrawled out on her ribs. "I guess you can say that," she chuckled, sitting back down into the chair.

"And yeh not freaking?"

"Freaking? Because I'm talking to the Lee Malia?" I nodded my head and she laughed. "I'm a fan, but I'm not a freak. You people are real people. I treat you like a normal human being."

"Yeh are one of the few that do. I like it."

"Thanks I guess," she smiled lightly.

She was so beautiful on the outside, and from what I saw, beautiful from the inside too. How did a girl like this just fall from the sky and into my life?

My eyes lulled a bit from the medication. I suddenly grew very tired. I watched Audrey as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. That's when my eyes caught it. The scars on her wrists.