I was falling. I was waking up. I am so confused.
"Wait," someone says. "She's waking up."
"But we've only just finished surgery a few minutes ago."
"Was she conscious the whole time?"
"Ms. Dawson," my doctor says to me. "Can you hear me?"
My eyes are closed and my head hurts but I can hear him. I try to speak to no avail.
"Ms. Dawson?" He calls me again.
I try to nod my head. It works.
"She was awake?!"
"Darryl- out," the doctor calls. I vaguely remember his name being Dr. Holden. "And," he adds. "Don't go anywhere or tell anybody about this, yet."
I heard someone leave, presumably Darryl.
"Ms. Dawson," Dr Holden begins. "You need to find a way to tell me if you were conscious during the surgery." He gives me his hand. "Squeeze once for yes, twice for no." I squeeze once. He sighs. "Did you feel anything? Any pain? Once for yes, twice for no." I squeeze twice. He sighs again, this time sounding relieved. "Do you feel pain now?" Once. "Can you speak?" Twice. "Okay."
He continues to ask me a few more questions before he leaves and I feel a couple of people start to move me to something a lot comfier- a bed, I guess.
AUSTIN'S POINT OF VIEW
We're sitting there, side by side in the waiting room chairs. Mr. Dawson, Trish, me, then Dez. I can't keep still. I'm so anxious.
"Dez," I begin. "Do you th-" I'm cut off by the sight of Mr. Holden approaching us.
"Mr. Dawson," he says. "Friends. As you know we just finished the surgery. Ally is supposed to be in a coma for a while."
"How long, do you think?" Mr. Dawson asks.
"Well," the doctor replies. "That's the thing. The injection wasn't strong enough to put her in a coma, apparently, something we have just found out ourselves. Soon after we finished and were cleaning everything up, we felt her stir as if she just woke up. To our knowledge, that was unheard of, but Ally did."
"What?" Mr. Dawson says.
"What does that mean?" I demand.
"It means," Dr. Holden says. "That Ally was conscious for every bit of the surgery. She was just very numb. For part of it I imagine she did sleep. But it was a voluntary sleep, not medically induced. She fell asleep and woke up on her own. She is awake now. However, we need to do some post-surgical surveillance to make sure everything is okay, so you can't see her yet. But I assure you I'll let you know what happens as it does."
"So Ally is going to be okay?" Trish asks.
"It appears so."
I sit down and put my head in my hands and weep. I'm so relieved and so happy. Dez pats my back and Trish comforts Mr. Dawson who is clearly relieved, too.
Ally.
Ally's okay.
ALLY'S POINT OF VIEW
I'm okay. I'm okay. I sigh in relief.
I hear rustling in the room and I very slowly will my eyes to open. My vision's blurry but I see Dr. Holden.
"Doc-" I start to say. He whips around. "Doctor Holden?"
"Yes, Ms. Dawson?"
"Can I ask a favour?"
