Be Together for One More Night
Reverse Everything
The constant drone of monitors pierced my ear drums, thudding against my brain. Every inch of my body was filled with an ache, sting or some form of pain. I was alive and breathing. Thoughts were mixed up in my mind. The kaleidescope, the pieces completely mixed up, broken. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, adjusting to my new surroundings.
I was in a bed, propped up slightly, wires and tubes snaked around me, machines standing either side of the bed, beeping to show I was still alive. A thin cover was hiding my legs from view, but you couldn't miss the size of my right leg. I couldn't move it at all. Something had gone wrong in my plan.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Kyle. His voice was soft, probably holding off the lecture for now.
I turned my head slightly to face him and looked straight into his eyes. "It hurts, everywhere." My voice was hoarse from it's lack of use. I wondered how long I'd been unconscious for.
"Thats what you get for jumping out of your window, genius," he sighed, leaning back into the chair positioned beside the bed. He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. "Why'd you do it?"
"I thought maybe another bump on the head would reverse everything, and I'd remember again. Now I realise that only happens in movies and on TV."
"You didn't even hit your head, you landed on your leg, that's why it's broken. Isla, why didn't you tell me you planned to do this? Or didn't you plan it, was it some kind of impulse decision?"
"I did plan to do it. I just wasn't sure when. But, Brian was following me upstairs and I think falling from a window was the better option than being beaten by him." I sighed and winced at the pain in my chest. "I wouldn't have told you. You'd have only tried to talk me out of it."
"Correct. You want to remember, Isla, not kill yourself."
"Well, I'm alive now, right?"
He didn't answer. I'd proved my point. I knew we both knew there was the chance I could've died, but I hadn't. And I wasn't about to jump out of anymore windows anytime soon. I leaned down and moved the cover from my body, looking at the cast covering my leg. It was itchy and uncomfortable. It was heavy and sticking out like a sore thumb.
"I'm an idiot," I mumbled, covering my leg back up. I didn't need to see the result of my experiment anymore.
"True. But you're an idiot I love no matter what you do."
I chewed my lip. "Why do you love me? I'm awful to you, yet you stick around."
"There's a whole bunch of reasons."
"Well, I'm not going anywhere right now am I?" I pointed towards the bulky cast and looked back at him.
He shifted slightly in the chair and unfolded his arms, placing his hands in his lap and staring down at his curled up fingers. "Well, I - "
One of the garish curtains of the cubicle were wrenched open and standing there was a face I hadn't seen for a long time. He smiled at me, yet his eyes were filled with worry and concern. He stepped inside and pulled the curtain closed behind him, giving us privacy from the prying eyes of doctors, nurses and nosy patients.
"Dad?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips, I tried to sit up straighter, but winced slightly at the sudden movement.
"Isla, stay still, for god's sake, don't hurt yourself anymore," that strong Irish accent I'd waited to hear met my ears, drowning out the bleeps of the monitors and the howls of a patient a few cubicles away. All my troubles and fears melted away and I leaned up to hug my father. "I've missed you."
He hugged me back, gently, trying not to hurt me, and kissed my forehead. "I know, but I've come to take you home. After that Brian guy phoned the hospital, they found your mother slumped on the sofa, an empty bottle in her hand. I don't want you going back there when they can't look after you properly."
"Dad, when you say home, where do you mean?" I asked, knowing the answer. I just wanted to hear it to be sure.
"To Ireland, where else?" He smiled at me, then his eyes landed on Kyle.
"Um, I have to go. I'll come back tomorrow, if that's okay," he mumbled, standing up and cracking his shoulders, making me shudder.
"Of course it's okay, Kyle. I love you," I said, quietly, looking up at him, hoping he'd kiss me. Even if my dad was there, I still needed Kyle. Like a fish needs water to survive.
He smiled and nodded. "I love you too," he kissed my cheek sweetly, then quietly left the cubicle, closing the curtain behind him.
I can't go back to Ireland. I simply can't.
I was in a bed, propped up slightly, wires and tubes snaked around me, machines standing either side of the bed, beeping to show I was still alive. A thin cover was hiding my legs from view, but you couldn't miss the size of my right leg. I couldn't move it at all. Something had gone wrong in my plan.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Kyle. His voice was soft, probably holding off the lecture for now.
I turned my head slightly to face him and looked straight into his eyes. "It hurts, everywhere." My voice was hoarse from it's lack of use. I wondered how long I'd been unconscious for.
"Thats what you get for jumping out of your window, genius," he sighed, leaning back into the chair positioned beside the bed. He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. "Why'd you do it?"
"I thought maybe another bump on the head would reverse everything, and I'd remember again. Now I realise that only happens in movies and on TV."
"You didn't even hit your head, you landed on your leg, that's why it's broken. Isla, why didn't you tell me you planned to do this? Or didn't you plan it, was it some kind of impulse decision?"
"I did plan to do it. I just wasn't sure when. But, Brian was following me upstairs and I think falling from a window was the better option than being beaten by him." I sighed and winced at the pain in my chest. "I wouldn't have told you. You'd have only tried to talk me out of it."
"Correct. You want to remember, Isla, not kill yourself."
"Well, I'm alive now, right?"
He didn't answer. I'd proved my point. I knew we both knew there was the chance I could've died, but I hadn't. And I wasn't about to jump out of anymore windows anytime soon. I leaned down and moved the cover from my body, looking at the cast covering my leg. It was itchy and uncomfortable. It was heavy and sticking out like a sore thumb.
"I'm an idiot," I mumbled, covering my leg back up. I didn't need to see the result of my experiment anymore.
"True. But you're an idiot I love no matter what you do."
I chewed my lip. "Why do you love me? I'm awful to you, yet you stick around."
"There's a whole bunch of reasons."
"Well, I'm not going anywhere right now am I?" I pointed towards the bulky cast and looked back at him.
He shifted slightly in the chair and unfolded his arms, placing his hands in his lap and staring down at his curled up fingers. "Well, I - "
One of the garish curtains of the cubicle were wrenched open and standing there was a face I hadn't seen for a long time. He smiled at me, yet his eyes were filled with worry and concern. He stepped inside and pulled the curtain closed behind him, giving us privacy from the prying eyes of doctors, nurses and nosy patients.
"Dad?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips, I tried to sit up straighter, but winced slightly at the sudden movement.
"Isla, stay still, for god's sake, don't hurt yourself anymore," that strong Irish accent I'd waited to hear met my ears, drowning out the bleeps of the monitors and the howls of a patient a few cubicles away. All my troubles and fears melted away and I leaned up to hug my father. "I've missed you."
He hugged me back, gently, trying not to hurt me, and kissed my forehead. "I know, but I've come to take you home. After that Brian guy phoned the hospital, they found your mother slumped on the sofa, an empty bottle in her hand. I don't want you going back there when they can't look after you properly."
"Dad, when you say home, where do you mean?" I asked, knowing the answer. I just wanted to hear it to be sure.
"To Ireland, where else?" He smiled at me, then his eyes landed on Kyle.
"Um, I have to go. I'll come back tomorrow, if that's okay," he mumbled, standing up and cracking his shoulders, making me shudder.
"Of course it's okay, Kyle. I love you," I said, quietly, looking up at him, hoping he'd kiss me. Even if my dad was there, I still needed Kyle. Like a fish needs water to survive.
He smiled and nodded. "I love you too," he kissed my cheek sweetly, then quietly left the cubicle, closing the curtain behind him.
I can't go back to Ireland. I simply can't.