Alara's POV
04:35
I can't breathe. I'm choking. There's something blocking my airway and I'm trying to cough to expel it, but I can't. I try again. Nothing.
I shiver, feel the prickle of goosebumps on my arms. Why's it so cold in here?
Voices above me, talking among themselves. Women's voices. They sound nice; I don't think I'm in danger here, but where is Claire? Surely I should at least hear her voice. Is she not running the show here?
"I think she's starting to breathe on her own…yep, there's a nice cough. Alright, let's get ready to extubate."
I'm rolled over onto my side without warning.
A calm, soothing motherly voice: "Alara? Alara, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand, sweetheart?"
Every muscle in my body feels like jello right now but I manage a tiny squeeze before my arm flops back down onto the bed like a wet noodle. The word "ragdoll" pops into my head.
"Good girl."
"Can we get some suction? I think she may have regurgitated a bit."
Someone sticks some sort of metal straw in my mouth; it's loud and makes a horrible wet sucking sound. The metallic taste makes me want to throw up. I try to raise my hand to push away whoever's manning the thing but I still have very limited use of my limbs. My effort doesn't go unnoticed, though.
"She's getting agitated; how are her airway reflexes? I'd like to get this tube pulled in thirty seconds or less."
"She's coughing, that's good enough for me."
"Okay, Alara, you're doing so well. We're gonna get this tube out now, so give me a nice big cough, okay?"
I try my best and in one swift movement something long and plasticky is pulled from my throat, and I gag violently, nearly vomiting. I inhale desperately, loudly; it feels like my lungs aren't working and I panic before beginning to hack my lungs up. Tears fill my eyes.
"Cough, honey. Good girl, keep coughing." She wipes my mouth with a cloth and then straps an oxygen mask to my face. "Take niiiiiiice deep breaths and keep coughing for me. Good girl." She rubs circles between my shoulder blades and gives my back two nice thumps for good measure. "The oxygen should make you feel better."
She's right. The feeling of cool oxygen flowing down my throat and filling my lungs is nothing short of heavenly. It soothes the burn and as I lie on my side, sucking in this lovely gas, someone tucks a thick warm blanket around me. It feels amazing, like someone just took it out of an oven. Finally comfortable, I begin to drift off…
