Chapter One

Chevelle

“I can’t believe he still brings her flowers every day, even after all of this time. He never misses, not one single day.” A voice says. I try to concentrate on it, wishing more than anything to drown out the constant beeping in my head.

“That’s the absolute sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I wish I had a guy who’d bring me flowers, and it doesn’t even have to be daily. It would just be nice to feel special every once in a while.” Another voice responds, sounding incredibly sad.

“We need to go. Doctor will be making his rounds soon and he won’t be happy if he catches us in here.” The first voice states.

*Here? *

*Where am I? *

Where is here?

The sound continues, picking up pace, the beeping growing faster. It makes me feel weird, but I can’t actually put into words what. Just, weird. I know I can feel my heart beating faster in my chest, each beat in sync with the beeping sounds assaulting my ears.

“Lora, look at her monitor. Her heart rate’s elevated.” The second voice states.

“Look, her fingers are twitching too. Maybe she’s trying to wake up. You think?” the first voice asks, going up a few octaves. “It’d be a miracle. And... it’s almost the anniversary…you know?”

“Harriett, think you could go find Doctor? I think maybe you’re right. And he’ll want to be here when she wakes. He will want to be the one to explain the situation and do an exam to assess her mental state.” The first voice, Lora, informs the second voice, Harriett.

I listen as footsteps sweep across the room and then the door shuts. I fear that I’m alone once again, nothing but me and the darkness that’s always lurking, just waiting to pull me back into its grasp.

“Honey? Can you hear me?” Voice Lora asks. The sound of her voice causes me to relax just a bit, the darkness receding once more.

Something cold tickles my skin, causing my hand to jerk and a low, deep sound to leave my throat. “You felt that?” She asks again, her voice becoming soft, almost a whisper of disbelief.

There’s a pounding at the door, the sound startling me. I feel my heart beating against my chest as I listen to the beeping in my head increase in pace again, the sound grating on my very last nerve. The door creaks as it slowly opens, more footsteps bursting into the room along with another voice.

“What’s going on here?” The voice asks, coming to a stop nearby.

“Doctor, I think she may be trying to wake up. She was moving her fingers, and when I touched her hand, she flinched and gasped. Normal coma patients don’t react that way, right?” Voice Lora questions, hope lacing her words.

Coma patient?

The annoying sound continues, in a slower rhythm now, like it had been before.

“Chevelle? Can you hear me?” The Doctor voice asks, causing me to lose my train of thought, instead allowing me to focus on another.

Chevelle?

Who is Chevelle?

Something warm slides against my skin, it’s not shocking like the cold sensation from before. Instead, it’s almost comforting.

“Chevelle, if you can hear me, can you squeeze my fingers?” Doctor voice continues.

I hear his request. I try to fulfill it by squeezing his fingers like he asked but, I don’t know if it’s working. I will my fingers to cooperate and to please do as he asks. I try again and again in the short span of a few minutes, practically screaming inside for them to just do this one thing.

Please.

My body fails me.

“Okay, Chevelle. Can you at least try to move your fingers? Any of them. Can you give me something? Some kind of a sign that you can hear what I’m saying?” Doctor voice requests.

I try. Dear Lord, do I try but nothing happens. At least, not that I can tell. The beeping picks up again, growing faster, the sound seeming to grow louder with each beep.

“Lora, are you sure? She isn’t responding at all. You’re positive that you didn’t just accidentally jar her while checking her stats?”

“No, Doctor. I didn’t. I know what I saw and heard.” Voice Lora says sounding hurt that he doesn’t believe her.

*Please. I can hear you. *

*My body just won’t work. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know where I am, or why. I don’t know why I can’t open my eyes or speak. *

*I’m scared. *

*It’s so lonely and dark here. *

Please, help me.

“We all know the chances of her waking after being in a coma as long as she has been. And even if she were to, her quality of life would be, well, she basically would have no quality of life. You both know this, you went to medical school, just as I did.” The doctor said, sounding exasperated.

“We know the stats, but maybe she isn’t a normal coma patient. I mean, just look at her heart monitor, it keeps spiking. Does that not mean something?” Voice Lora asks, desperation evident in each word she speaks.

There’s a long pause, nothing but the beeping disturbing the silence taking over the room. “Just keep monitoring her.” He sighs, “If there is any change, come get me.” The Doctor's words are full of frustration, lacking the hope that Lora and Harriett seem to have. I hear the door open and then close and I know that the doctor has left the room.

“Why didn’t you stick up for me? You saw it too. I know you did!” Voice Lora shouts; hurt lacing each word as they leave her mouth.

“I-I don’t know. Just…you saw her just now. Not a single reaction.” Voice Harriett says, trying to defend her lack of a defense for voice Lora.

“But the monitor. Before and again when he asked her to give him something, anything, the monitor went haywire.” Voice Lora pleads, it sounds like she’s trying so hard to prove something that she really can’t even be sure of.

“That proves absolutely nothing.” Voice Harriett snottily replies.

Yes, I’m aware of what is going on all around me. But I can’t give them what they are asking of me. I can’t move my fingers or open my eyes. I don’t understand what’s holding me down, keeping me under, buried in the darkness but I’m here.

“Whatever.” Voice Lora says. Footsteps sound across the floor; a door opens then closes again.

“Fuck!” Voice Harriett growls, alerting me to who I’ve been left with.

*Traitorous voice Harriett.

I don’t like voice Harriett.

She should have stuck up for voice Lora.

I like voice Lora.

She seems nice, motherly.*

Voice Harriett heaves a loud sigh and then following suit, I hear her shuffling across the room to leave also. There is a brief moment of silence, then the door creeks and shuts behind her.

Now that I’m alone, the darkness pulls me back into its abyss.