I was on my vacation down at Folks County, suffering from high criticism from my family who would have simply preferred Miami, but aux contraire, I preferred this lovely woodland. Everything in the air yelled green, places like this were magical, there was no better word to describe it.
I was staying in some newly opened cabins near the edge of the forest, camping was great but having campers for lunch would have been quite a potential problem. None of us decided what to do in this lovely place, except yelling at each other which apparently was the meal of the day. After the hundredth insult flew over my head I decided to take a walk leaving the angry mob behind.
I walked the road and everything was blissfully quiet. I could actually hear the rush of the leaves above my head, something you could never have in the city, a plane shot down maybe but never this.
Suddenly, I heard the distant roar of tires so I pulled aside and watched the car pass by. I was back to my lonely and peaceful walkabout soon enough.
"Look out!" yelled somebody behind me. I didn't realize who or what it was until he crashed into me. Jacob landed flat on his back while the motorcycle fell on me. He shook his head and arose. "Oh, my God!" He lifted the cycle like it was made of rubber and threw it aside where it landed with a loud crash.
"How did you do that?" He smiled.
"Is that what you're worried about?"
"Well, I'm aching all over… and I could surely cry but what good would that do" His smile faded.
"OK, up we go" he lifted me and I yelled in pain. Jacob didn't have to ask, my legs practically shredded with the impact. I guess the surprise of the moment hadn't quite hit me until that very moment. My good moods died against my will and I blanked.
When I woke I was in the hospital, a place I wouldn't want to visit specially not on my vacation time. I was in the ER, I could hear the buzzing of doctors and nurses going crazy trying to shut people up. I decided to make a run for it, anywhere should be better than this place. I took the oxygen thingy off my nose and wipe it out of force of habit. The real kicker was when I tried to move my legs, they were flat broken. I slumped on the bed hopelessly staring at the white imprisoning casket. I was drowning what would have been shouts of anger when the curtain opened with a start.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Cullen" said a very pale man.
"hey" was all I could manage as courtesy.
"What's wrong?" he stared at my face instead of my actually injury problem.
"You mean, besides the obvious"
"Really, tell me what's bothering you" he sat by the bed. "Maybe I can help"
"No, but thanks" He seemed discouraged if at all. I could tell he meant well, but his face was rather stiff as opposite to faces I knew contorted with contempt. He looked at my chart and examined whatever they had written about me.
"Well, you do have both broken legs so I can imagine what that would do to your vacations"
"Yeah" I smiled.
"Oh a smile. How lucky am I" he smiled back. "Your family's outside. They want to see you, shall I let them in?"
"If you must" I answered slumping back on the bed.
"I'm afraid I do. Be right back" He went out of the examining room and when he came back he wasn't alone. I wish he had been though. It's amazing how quickly a second goes by when you really don't want it to. My mom and dad stared at each other angrily, while my aunt and uncle were busy poking on the recently acquired I pads. My cousins had simply refuted to come, probably on the what's in it for me motto.
"Mr. and Mrs…?" asked Dr. Cullen politely. None of them looked around. My father broke the uncomfortable silence only to make it more uncomfortable.
"See this?" he flared a hand close to my face, ignoring the doctor.
"The IPhone?"
"Vacation accidents aren't insurance covered! This is how much we'll have to pay" he said in a would be caring tone.
"Always complaining about the money" said my mother which made me wonder: a nice comment from my mom? "Who's gonna take care of the house while I go out? Valuables cannot be left alone" and there it was… same adorable people I've always known. Had me worried for a second.
"The name's Dena" I answered to Dr. Cullen and looked down. I was used to this crap, but the doctor meant well which unfortunately made me feel embarrassed.
"Mr. Dena" He called his attention. Everybody looked seriously offended of been interrupted from themselves. "Your daughter has serious injuries, her legs are severely broken and she'll need at least a couple weeks before you could move her" He was certainly hoping for some kind of reaction, boy was he wrong.
"Thank you doctor" My mother smiled angrily. Dr. Cullen left giving me a faint smile, more of a silent good luck.
I kept hearing hospital costs and money spending on a vacation totally lost so I zoomed out, away into the woods I so longed to walk into.