Trust Issues
Chapter 2
The things he most dreaded dragged Nathan Ford up from unconsciousness – the persistent beep of a heart monitor, the distant murmur of a hospital in action, the prevalent stench of disinfectant and the heartless chill of ever-present medical authority.
'Sam!' he thought. 'No, I can't take this.'
"I think maybe he's waking up."
"Is he waking up? Go call the doctor."
Nate began to realize that he wasn't the one standing watch. He was lying down. He was lying in a hospital and… His chest hurt like Hell. What had happened to him? He struggled to remember.
After what seemed like only a moment he felt a hovering presence and an unfamiliar voice spoke: "Mr. Ford? Nathan? Can you open your eyes for me?"
That sounded like entirely too much trouble to go to. He not only hurt, he was terribly tired. He wished the voice would go away and let him go back to sleep.
Something touched his face then pried open one eyelid. A dagger of light slammed through his skull, and he moaned in protest. The touch and the light switched to the other eye despite his attempted objection. He managed to turn his head away, but it was forced back again, and the voice demanded his attention in a firmer tone. He finally surrendered to the insistence and opened his eyes.
An out-of-focus face floated in and out of his vision.
"Mr. Ford? I'm Dr. Harry Sullivan. Do you know where you are?"
Nate grunted, and finally forced the word 'hospital' from his dry throat.
"That's right, you're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"
Nate had had enough of trying to see this guy clearly. He let his eyes close, but shook his head and muttered "No. I can't…" He realized that what he was saying was true. He had no idea why he should be in so much pain, why he should be in a hospital. "No. What?"
"I'd rather you remember that on your own, Mr. Ford."
If he couldn't get answers, he didn't see any reason to keep dealing with this person. He decided to ignore the doctor, ignore everything and soon, to his relief, it all drifted away again.