Chapter 8
Awakenings - Part One
Virginia lay listening. It was an annoying sound, a constant electronic beeping, close to her ear. Beep beep, beep beep. Gradually, other noises became clearer. Voices whispering, clothes rustling, clatter of objects on metal surfaces, tinny voice over an intercom system; "Dr Rose to Ward 7" Dr Rose? she wondered with alarm. She opened her eyes finally and stared at the ceiling. This wasn't her ceiling and this was not her bedroom either.
She sat bolt upright suddenly in a flat panic. Instantly she was surrounded by nurses, their gentle hands restraining her as she flailed on the narrow hospital bed.
"There there sweetheart. Settle now, you're safe now. You're in hospital. We're taking good care of you" the words droned softly over the now rapid beep beep beeping of the heart monitor.
Virginia allowed them to lay her back down, her mind racing backwards, desperately trying to remember how the hell she had ended up here.
"Wha, what happened?" she stammered, having discovered a strange blank spot in her mind. One of the nurses sat down on the edge of the bed, taking Virginia's hands.
"Your housekeeper found you yesterday morning" she said slowly. "She couldn't get you to wake up, so she called an ambulance for you. You've been here nearly 24 hours. We were getting worried that you would never come round"
"Come round, from what?" Virginia asked, not sure if she wanted to know.
"You've been drugged darling. A nasty thing to do to a young girl. We found traces of it in your stomach and bloodstream. You were lucky not to have ingested more. You could have easily stopped breathing at any time"
Virginia's mind reeled. Drugged? How, when, WHY? Then all at once it hit her.
"WOLF!" she screamed hoarsely. "Wolf, wolf, wolf!"
The nurse cradled her as the tears came finally, the horrible realisation.
"Is "Wolf" the man who did this to you, darling?" the nurse asked quietly.
"No no no, not him, never him, he wouldn't. He loves me" Virginia sobbed. The nurse nodded, although she had heard this kind of denial before. They never suspected, usually.
"No, he was with me! Where is he? Is he alright? Tell me!" she demanded. The kindhearted nurse shook her head, puzzled.
"There was no one else in your apartment, Virginia. The paramedics told me so themselves. They checked all the rooms."
Virginia looked into the nurses' face. There was no deception there she could see. But there must be a mistake. Surely. She had to find out, now. Without another thought she began ripping off the various devices attached to her, leads and tubes flying everywhere as she struggled to get free. The nurse looked appalled, trying to shout at her to stop.
"Honey, wait! Let the doctor's see you first. It might not be safe for you to leave yet!"
"You can't keep me here against my will! I know that much!" Virginia shouted back, with more anger than she had intended. She patted the nurse's arm to take some of the sting out of her words.
"I have to leave, please understand. He was with me, he ate what I ate, only three times as much! He must be in trouble somewhere! I can't not do anything." Virginia knew she was rambling, but she didn't care. As long as she could walk she would act. She stumbled across the room to her pile of clothes, stripping off the hospital gown, dressing with difficulty.
The nurse stood looking at her fumbling patient. Three times as much! the girl had said. Surely a lethal dose even for the strongest and fittest man. She couldn't say so, it wasn't in her to crush the girl like that. Better she find out herself. She sighed, resigned.
"At least let me order you a cab, then. You're quite a few miles from where they found you"
"Thank you. I am sorry to have reacted badly. I'm grateful for all your care" Virginia answered softly, calm now, focussed.
Together they walked out to the front doors of the large hospital where the nurse hailed a cab for Virginia. Settling the young woman in the back she gave the driver her patients address. Just before the cab pulled away, she leant in the open rear window.
"Good luck darling. And by the way, your pregnacy is still healthy. We check all unconcious female patients." The young woman sat stunned as the cab drove off. The nurse smiled sadly. Yes, the baby appeared healthy and alive on the ultrasound, fine except for one minor detail, an unusual birth defect that had had the radiographers buzzing with gossip. The infant had a tail.