Alex managed a half-hearted smile himself, although it was false and vaguely more of a grimace. "Welcome back, Alex. I'm Doctor Welsh, and you are in Montgomery General Hospital. Do you know why you are here, Alex?"
Alex only nodded, unable to speak, his throat a mass of sore tissue and dried out vocal chords.
"Alex, I need to ask you some questions, and I need you to answer them VOCALLY, okay? You lost a lot of blood, kid, and you may have suffered some brain damage, but we need to make sure before we jump to any conclusions." Alex nodded again, sighing gently, and croaked out a feable "okay." Doctor Welsh seemed happy with this response, because he instantly flipped a page over in the clipboard he was holding.
"Okay now, Alex, do you know where you are?"
"Montgomery General Hospital."
"Good, good, short term is fair. Now, how old are you?"
"21"
"And what is your name?"
"Alex Browning" He managed again, more hoarsly though.The doctor nodded and reached to the table next to Alex, his hand disappearing just outside of his vision, returning a moment later holding a white styrofoam cup. Doctor Welsh handed this to Alex, who took it in shaky hands and looked inside, relieved to find plain ice water. Taking a slow sip, he coughed once as it soothed his dried out throat immediately, taking more small, quick sips in turn. Feeling better able to speak now, he handed to cup back to the doctor who accepted it with a grin.
"Now, Alex, where do you live?"
Alex froze. He hadn't been expecting this at all. Not since they had left his hometown had anyone even questioned the fact that he was a normal, everyday member of the community, no matter where they were staying at the time. Avoiding the doctor's unusually grey eyes, Alex decided on the truth.
"I don't live anywhere, doc. I'm a traveling man, just me and my friends. We are on a cross country tour, kinda like on MTV."
Sighing in relief as the doctor seemed to accept this answer, his pen scribbling madly in chicken scratch on his sheet, Alex could only marvel at his own ingenuity. He had told the truth, sure, but not all of it. Just enough to satisfy the doctor's curiosity. Standing abruptly, Doctor Welsh smiled kindly and said
"Well, Alex, that's all I need to know. It's pretty obvious that your fine, you just need a little rest and some fluids, is all. Were going to keep you overnight, just so you can build up some more fluids, and then release you on tuesday, okay?"
Alex only nodded again, happy to have the doctor leave. Hopefully, his friends were still there, waiting to see him. He prayed that nothing had happened to them just yet, what with....he shook his head, forcing himself to ignore that for now. He had survived again, just as he always had, and he would just have to make sure that he worried about himself for now. As the doctor closed the large oak door behind him, Alex sighed deeply, the fatigue he had been feeling the entire time the doc had been there, but had been drowned out by tension, finally catching up with him and slamming him in the face. He layed down upon the not-uncomfortable hospital issue pillow and mattress, settling his aching head into the soft, foam stuffed material and turning onto his side. He placated himself to watch the lines jumping up and down on his heart monitor, surprised at just how fast it was moving despite his resting position. Closing his eyes, he wasn't aware how quickly sleep took him until Aleisha Moreno awoke him with a playful sock on the arm. Groaning lightly, Alex rubbed his now sore shoulder and turned over, happy to see more of his friends standing over him, their faces taught with worry.
"Alex," said Aleisha in her usual southern California drawl, "We were so worried about you! What happened, man? I mean, one minute you were taking a shower, and the next you were bleeding on the bathroom floor. Did....did.." she lowered her voice to a whisper, although the quiet, enclosed room made it louder than what she wanted. "Did..'it'...attack, again?"
Alex shook his head, setting his back against the headboard and surveying his friends worried expressions.
"I'm not sure, guys. As far as I know, no. But, then again, weirder has happened. I was having that dream...you know...the one about...yeah, Mark, that one."
Mark had tapped his ring finger, where the tan line from his own wedding band shown brighter in the false light.
"Next thing I know," he continued, "I was on the floor and Morgan was screaming at me, the mirror in the bathroom shattered all around me and blood seeming to seep from all parts of my body. I really don't know if 'it' is becoming stronger, or if this is just some tactic he hasn't used yet...psychological warfare, or something...and it's trying it now. Whatever is happening, we have to keep on our toes. No one does anyting alone." He glared around the room and said again "Anything."
Everyone shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at each other fleetingly, sometimes blushing. Finally, Kirsten Reilley, Morgan's sister, raised her hand. Nodding towards her, she lowered it slowly and, like a child asking a teacher for a restroom break, asked slowly
"Alex...what about...um...well, you know that there are more guys than girls here, and we can't all be....watching each other, ya know? I guess...well, what I'm trying to say is...er..."
Someone bumper her, and she almost fell forward, stuttering even worse. Glaring back at her attacker, she looked back at Alex and sighed. Finally, she blurted out
"What about when we have to go to the bathroom? What then? Are we to keep our eyes on each other at ALL times, Alex? What about showers? I mean, I'm not trying to be a prude, but this is important, and it just concerns common decency, right?"
Alex grinned at Kirsten's honesty, and shook his head. "Kirsten, death doesn't care about decency, or privacy, or any of that. So, yes, we will watch each others backs at every juncture. We will team up, in pairs, so that everyone has a partner. Now, let's see..."
He lifted his finger and began a head count, making sure to check gender as well. "Six guys, including me, and four girls. Well, I guess Kirsten and Morgan can watch each other. They ARE brother and sister after all. And Aleisha and Megan can watch each other, since they are such good friends. Now, I know that Courtney and Steve are an item, so they can watch each others backs, like they like to so much."
He grinned at them, and Courtney blushed, elbowing Steve in the ribs, who only chuckled. "Now, the rest of us fellas can watch each other. We'll be like a regular foot ball team! Just, no towel snapping, 'k guys?"
They all laughed at this, and the mood seemed lightened again. Smiling at his friends, Alex again felt somewhat safe, knowing that all these people, and possibly more to come, were there to keep him alive, and he them. He had never had a closer, more trustworthy family before, and it made him happy to know that, no matter what, if death did finally catch up with him, he would die having had known them. They spent the rest of the visit chatting about where to go next, and Tom Bombadil(what are the odds of that? Alex had constantly asked when they met) suggested Reno. They all thought that that was a great idea, and so made out a route map and driver plan before they left. Alex waved goodbye to the Courtney as she closed the door behind her, grinning widely at him. He sighed again, looking over at the clock. 'Geesh, eleven already?' he thought. He turned over again, and closed his eyes, the beep of his heart monitor loud in his ears. 'This is going to be a short night.' he sighed, then fell into unconsciousness. Behind him, against the far wall, just above his dresser, the large numbered clock, with it's sweeping second hand, stopped ticking.
Alex only nodded, unable to speak, his throat a mass of sore tissue and dried out vocal chords.
"Alex, I need to ask you some questions, and I need you to answer them VOCALLY, okay? You lost a lot of blood, kid, and you may have suffered some brain damage, but we need to make sure before we jump to any conclusions." Alex nodded again, sighing gently, and croaked out a feable "okay." Doctor Welsh seemed happy with this response, because he instantly flipped a page over in the clipboard he was holding.
"Okay now, Alex, do you know where you are?"
"Montgomery General Hospital."
"Good, good, short term is fair. Now, how old are you?"
"21"
"And what is your name?"
"Alex Browning" He managed again, more hoarsly though.The doctor nodded and reached to the table next to Alex, his hand disappearing just outside of his vision, returning a moment later holding a white styrofoam cup. Doctor Welsh handed this to Alex, who took it in shaky hands and looked inside, relieved to find plain ice water. Taking a slow sip, he coughed once as it soothed his dried out throat immediately, taking more small, quick sips in turn. Feeling better able to speak now, he handed to cup back to the doctor who accepted it with a grin.
"Now, Alex, where do you live?"
Alex froze. He hadn't been expecting this at all. Not since they had left his hometown had anyone even questioned the fact that he was a normal, everyday member of the community, no matter where they were staying at the time. Avoiding the doctor's unusually grey eyes, Alex decided on the truth.
"I don't live anywhere, doc. I'm a traveling man, just me and my friends. We are on a cross country tour, kinda like on MTV."
Sighing in relief as the doctor seemed to accept this answer, his pen scribbling madly in chicken scratch on his sheet, Alex could only marvel at his own ingenuity. He had told the truth, sure, but not all of it. Just enough to satisfy the doctor's curiosity. Standing abruptly, Doctor Welsh smiled kindly and said
"Well, Alex, that's all I need to know. It's pretty obvious that your fine, you just need a little rest and some fluids, is all. Were going to keep you overnight, just so you can build up some more fluids, and then release you on tuesday, okay?"
Alex only nodded again, happy to have the doctor leave. Hopefully, his friends were still there, waiting to see him. He prayed that nothing had happened to them just yet, what with....he shook his head, forcing himself to ignore that for now. He had survived again, just as he always had, and he would just have to make sure that he worried about himself for now. As the doctor closed the large oak door behind him, Alex sighed deeply, the fatigue he had been feeling the entire time the doc had been there, but had been drowned out by tension, finally catching up with him and slamming him in the face. He layed down upon the not-uncomfortable hospital issue pillow and mattress, settling his aching head into the soft, foam stuffed material and turning onto his side. He placated himself to watch the lines jumping up and down on his heart monitor, surprised at just how fast it was moving despite his resting position. Closing his eyes, he wasn't aware how quickly sleep took him until Aleisha Moreno awoke him with a playful sock on the arm. Groaning lightly, Alex rubbed his now sore shoulder and turned over, happy to see more of his friends standing over him, their faces taught with worry.
"Alex," said Aleisha in her usual southern California drawl, "We were so worried about you! What happened, man? I mean, one minute you were taking a shower, and the next you were bleeding on the bathroom floor. Did....did.." she lowered her voice to a whisper, although the quiet, enclosed room made it louder than what she wanted. "Did..'it'...attack, again?"
Alex shook his head, setting his back against the headboard and surveying his friends worried expressions.
"I'm not sure, guys. As far as I know, no. But, then again, weirder has happened. I was having that dream...you know...the one about...yeah, Mark, that one."
Mark had tapped his ring finger, where the tan line from his own wedding band shown brighter in the false light.
"Next thing I know," he continued, "I was on the floor and Morgan was screaming at me, the mirror in the bathroom shattered all around me and blood seeming to seep from all parts of my body. I really don't know if 'it' is becoming stronger, or if this is just some tactic he hasn't used yet...psychological warfare, or something...and it's trying it now. Whatever is happening, we have to keep on our toes. No one does anyting alone." He glared around the room and said again "Anything."
Everyone shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at each other fleetingly, sometimes blushing. Finally, Kirsten Reilley, Morgan's sister, raised her hand. Nodding towards her, she lowered it slowly and, like a child asking a teacher for a restroom break, asked slowly
"Alex...what about...um...well, you know that there are more guys than girls here, and we can't all be....watching each other, ya know? I guess...well, what I'm trying to say is...er..."
Someone bumper her, and she almost fell forward, stuttering even worse. Glaring back at her attacker, she looked back at Alex and sighed. Finally, she blurted out
"What about when we have to go to the bathroom? What then? Are we to keep our eyes on each other at ALL times, Alex? What about showers? I mean, I'm not trying to be a prude, but this is important, and it just concerns common decency, right?"
Alex grinned at Kirsten's honesty, and shook his head. "Kirsten, death doesn't care about decency, or privacy, or any of that. So, yes, we will watch each others backs at every juncture. We will team up, in pairs, so that everyone has a partner. Now, let's see..."
He lifted his finger and began a head count, making sure to check gender as well. "Six guys, including me, and four girls. Well, I guess Kirsten and Morgan can watch each other. They ARE brother and sister after all. And Aleisha and Megan can watch each other, since they are such good friends. Now, I know that Courtney and Steve are an item, so they can watch each others backs, like they like to so much."
He grinned at them, and Courtney blushed, elbowing Steve in the ribs, who only chuckled. "Now, the rest of us fellas can watch each other. We'll be like a regular foot ball team! Just, no towel snapping, 'k guys?"
They all laughed at this, and the mood seemed lightened again. Smiling at his friends, Alex again felt somewhat safe, knowing that all these people, and possibly more to come, were there to keep him alive, and he them. He had never had a closer, more trustworthy family before, and it made him happy to know that, no matter what, if death did finally catch up with him, he would die having had known them. They spent the rest of the visit chatting about where to go next, and Tom Bombadil(what are the odds of that? Alex had constantly asked when they met) suggested Reno. They all thought that that was a great idea, and so made out a route map and driver plan before they left. Alex waved goodbye to the Courtney as she closed the door behind her, grinning widely at him. He sighed again, looking over at the clock. 'Geesh, eleven already?' he thought. He turned over again, and closed his eyes, the beep of his heart monitor loud in his ears. 'This is going to be a short night.' he sighed, then fell into unconsciousness. Behind him, against the far wall, just above his dresser, the large numbered clock, with it's sweeping second hand, stopped ticking.