The last thing she heard was squeaking. She was strapped in tight as headlights hovered above her, forcing her to close her eyes. Cybil was on a gurney and no idea where she was being taken. She wanted to thrash and yell but… she was just so tired. Her breathing as well as her eyelids grew heavy. Was she sedated with something? She turned her head to see blood all over her right side. What was wrong? What was bleeding? She was too numb to feel any pain. She hadn't a clue as she slipped into a long nap…
At first Cybil's vision was blurry but was that… "Hullo…?" she managed to mutter as she regained control the rest of her body. She still felt drugged and lethargic.
"Oh, thank goodness. I'm so glad you're okay. I thought you were never going to wake up."
Cybil managed to sit up from the gurney and rubbed her eyes. His vision focused to see a woman with long blonde hair in strange clothing. However, the nurse cap caught her eye. So she was in a hospital? But what for? "Are you the one who brought me here?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. Good, her belt was still on her as well as her weapon in case this person turned out to be a foe.
The woman looked confused as she got up to walk toward the cop. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. I just walked in here and saw you sleeping." She stopped before getting any closer, a hint of discomfort in her voice. "You were sleeping so still, and you were barely breathing… I thought you might have fallen into a coma." She managed to flash a smile before finishing. "I'm just happy to see you moving and talking. My name is Lisa, by the way. Lisa Garland. I'm a nurse here."
"In this place? I hope they pay you extra…" Cybil looked around. So it was a hospital… but there was something definitely wrong with this place. She looked over at Lisa and returned her smile. "Lisa. Nice name. I'm Cybil. If you can't already tell, I'm a police officer from Brahms. Now do you care to tell me what the hell's going on with this place?"
Lisa frowned and bit her lip; she knew the question would pop up sooner or later but she really wished she didn't have to answer. "I… I don't know. It's been like this for a while. I'm just in here because… they're out there."
"They're?"
Lisa couldn't hold it in any longer. She was at her breaking point. She gasped as tears began to form around her eyes and she practically ran up right in front of Cybil and sobbed, "I'm just so scared. I'm terrified to go out there."
Cybil felt sorrow for the poor nurse. What exactly had she gone through? How long was she waiting in this room? There were so many questions she wanted to ask but Cybil managed to refrain herself for the nurse's sanity (if she had any left). She began to lift her arms as she said, "Well, you're not alone anymore-" Before she could finish, Cybil doubled over in pain clutching her right side. "Christ, what's going on?"
"Oh! Don't move too much! You're still healing!" Lisa wiped her tears and gained her composure to ease Cybil's pain. She lightly placed her hand over Cybil's and said, "You had a bad wound when I found you so I… took it upon myself to bandage it up."
Cybil's face was stern as she listened to Lisa. She really didn't know how to feel that while she was out someone stripped her form her shirt and healed her. It was a little awkward, but it was all in good reason. It was probably better than the wound was patched up now than to let it get infected. She tugged at the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up, revealing her stomach as well as the wound. She inspected it, but grew uneasy, as the center of the bandage was already been penetrated by blood.
"It was worse than before, trust me." Cybil snapped out of it to see Lisa looking at it as well. She quickly dropped her shirt and slowly stepped off the gurney, which worried Lisa.
"Well, thank you Lisa. But I really need to get going and-"
"No!" Lisa exclaimed, hesitating to stop her. "I mean… It's not safe out there. We should stay here. It's not safe."
"This entire place isn't safe but there has to be a way out. Come with me and we can get out of this together." Cybil was confused when Lisa had nothing to say. Surely it was better finding an exit than waiting for your death? What was up with this nurse? "What's wrong?"
An awkward laugh escaped Lisa's throat as she replied, "Nothing, it's just that… Well, maybe I should patch up your wound again. So it won't bother you again." After all this time, someone had finally entered her life, and now they were about to leave. She didn't want to be alone again…
Cybil stared straight at Lisa, studying her. Something about her wasn't exactly right but she did have a point. She conceded and got back on the gurney. "Fine. But after you're done, let's leave."
"Uhm… okay…" Lisa turned around quickly and gathered supplies throughout the room. The two women didn't speak again until Lisa returned to Cybil with numerous medical supplies in hand. "Uh, if you don't mind, I… I need to see…"
"Hm? Oh. Right." Cybil began to unbutton her shirt as she looked down at her hands. She didn't make eye contact with Lisa when she removed her shirt and placed it next to her. "That better?"
"Yes. Thank you." Lisa could sense Cybil's discomfort and that made her feel the same way. But Cybil wasn't like other patients. For some reason, Lisa felt… different with her. As she worked with the bandage carefully, she couldn't help but take notice of the cop's athletic build. She had a very attractive shape and her skin felt so smooth when Lisa's fingers collided with it. It was like she was getting lost and-
"So how long have you been in this room? Is there anyone else here?"
"Huh?" Lisa's cheeks turned a light pink. She was embarrassed that she didn't listen to a word Cybil said.
"… I asked how long you've been in this room."
Lisa had already removed the bandage and was beginning to clean the wound when she said, "A while… I think I was knocked out. When I came to, everyone was gone. I've been here by myself since…"
"Why don't you leave? Maybe there's someone out there."
Lisa kept her mouth shut as she worked her magic on Cybil's side. She didn't really want to answer her but she felt that it couldn't be avoided. Instead, she changed the subject by saying, "You know, being alone was beginning to turn unbearable. I think waiting is worse than dying… But I'm glad you're here now." Lisa wanted to cry again, knowing what was going to come but she managed to stop herself. She backed away from Cybil, faked a smile and finished with, "There we go. All done."
"I can imagine. And thanks," Cybil said, putting her shirt back on. It really did feel a bit better and that eased some of her stress. She slowly got off the gurney and held out her hand to Lisa. "Come with me. We can find a way out together."
Lisa went to take Cybil's hand, but let it drop. Her eyes stared into Cybil, empty and hopeless. "I-I can't." She turned around, afraid that she was going to cry again. "I need to be here… in case someone else who's hurt shows up."
"Lisa, please be realistic. Just come and-"
"Cybil." There was a short moment of silence between the two women. This was painful. She didn't want to finish. Why? Why did she have to meet this woman? There would be no happy ending.
Cybil on the other hand had enough of the silence. She turned toward the door and said, "Well, I'm going to find a way out. If I find one, I'll come get you. So please just… wait here a little longer. For me." Her hand turned the knob and the door squeaked open. When Lisa didn't say anything back, Cybil walked through and closed the door behind her.
Tears rolled down Lisa's cheeks as she hugged herself. She was alone again.
"I'll wait for you."
