Author's note: please take care of yourself.

Shakes and stutters

Beca

The light touch around my hand tightened as I held on, my eyes felt so heavy to lift. What felt like a small tug, I woke up to blue watery eyes that I thought I wouldn't have seen for the longest time. She started to cry happy tears touching my face, my hair.

"M-m-mom?" My voice spluttered out, while a nurse was suddenly at my bedside pushing a button on my wrist and checking my vital signs.

"Its me, Bambi."

"Beca, you did it. You woke up. " My dad whom stood as solid as oak for years, was hunched over wiping his face.

"Ma'am, you were in an accident and you're currently at the Azareen Hospital. Your doctor will be here shortly. Do you know your name?" The nurse soothingly called my attention back.

"Bec…ahhh. Mi..mi…che..lss." I said trying to focus on my words, but kept fucking up along the way. I looked hard at my mother trying to convey 'How on earth are they both in the same room without one being mortally wounded?' but the words were getting jumbled.

Mom let out a short laugh interpreting my look correctly.

"Way to ruin the moment, Bambi. Still asking those hard hitting questions, I see. Don't you wanna know where you are or how you got here? Wait till you get the story from your doctor, she's out debriefing Jesse" There was a gradual change in Barb's demeanor from affectionate to impish, "Bambi, wait till you see her. She's gorgeous and you have a love-struck boy waiting for you."

A few minutes of being reacquainted with my parents and the nurse making sure I was stable, the door burst open. Jesse's eyes widened running towards my bed with arms ready to hug and a mouth asking questions a mile a minute. I tried focusing on his words, but it felt like it would delay or speed up.

Looking off to the side, Beca noticed Chloe for the first time. There stood the elusive mermaid that she had known through flashes of red hair and blue eyes, this was the voice that sang and regaled her of stories from Chloe's world. Yet, this was a different version of her in a white coat and formal wear.

Chloe stood back softly smiling watching their much needed reunion. She couldn't ignore the curious static directed towards her by the electric blue eyes. This was the first time since the accident that she saw them.

Stepping forward, the mermaid spoke "Good morning, I'm Doctor Beale. You're at the Azareen Hospital in Nevada. Is it okay, if I ask you a few questions?"

"Glow-ee?" My voice sounded slightly hoarse and disconnected, I was beginning to feel frustrated. As Beca was lost in her frustration, she missed the opportunity to see the small blush form on Chloe's cheeks being caught off-guard. Shaking it off, Beca nodded as a go for questions.

"What is your name and how old are you?"

"Be..cah. Mit-ch-ells. Tw-en-ty two."

"You're doing well, now what is today's date and the last thing you remember?"

"Two thou-sand fif-teen…J-j-june thirt…eeen." how incredibly corny would it be, if I ended it with 'your eyes were the last thing I remembered.' Coughing to cover up my hesitation, I continued. "Work" With the 'k' sounding like a chewed up spitball.

"Well, you're not far off. Today is July 3, 2015 and you were in an accident that put you into a coma for about 3 weeks. You were hit when leaving your work." Chloe hesitated to give additional information, not knowing how Beca would take it.

While Beca was still trying to grasp waking up and filling the gaps, Chloe tried to play out how it would it be if she said the full story: "Our minivan, lost control of the breaks when we were going downhill and it built up speed, hitting you. Now you're here and I feel extremely guilty because I got to learn a lot about you while you were asleep." Shaking the thought from her head, she resolved to not bring up unneeded details that would make it worse for Beca right now.

Sensing that Beca was about to panic, Chloe intervened.

"It's okay Beca. Take deep breaths, its normal for people to be disorientated after coming out of a Coma. You did well, okay? In a few days, we'll get you some real food and you can meet your therapists. They'll help rehabilitate you. "

Beca closed her eyes to rest from the over exertion of meetings. Making sure that Beca was asleep, Chloe asked if she could speak to them out of room.

-x-

Chloe

"We'll be predicting Beca's recovery rate by The Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning or RLCF for short. It goes by levels by the use of her cognitive abilities to questions, puzzles, and how she goes about her daily routine with aid till she doesn't need one. The speech therapists, pt's and specialists that we have here will help give a more specific level update. Will she be staying with any of you?"

"I can only stay here till the second to the last of summer break. I have to go back to work and my wife, Sonia is expecting." Lawrence Mitchells looked away, feeling lower for not being there longer for his daughter.

"I would take her, but I'm living a nomadic life. I haven't settled down for a long time, I could rent a motel and Beca can stay with me."

The last was Jesse, "She can stay with me. I live with a few other guys, but they're pretty chill."

Chloe bit her bottom lip, feeling exasperated. "Well, the patient would need a place to be rooted down and comfortable, having to move to another place could be problematic with her since she's still adjusting to this reality. She can stay here till one of you guys can meet the requirements of being there for her."

-x-

Beca

The schedule with the speech therapist was like an uphill battle, where everyone was deaf and I was mute trying to move forward. They were setting up a communication system with pictures and syllables phonetically. In my head it's all there, the problem is my body.

I wanted to just scream. I wanted my body to work with me. I didn't have the freedom to go to the bathroom or walk where ever. I was being led to another session with another therapist.

When the nurse opened the door, I was surprised to see Chloe in deep thought in a room surrounded by bean bags and stereos. I haven't seen her as much as I did in my other reality, unless it was for check up. She didn't sing to me when I slept or talk to me about her thoughts. Sensing my presence, she thanked the nurse and pushed the wheelchair towards the center.

Looking questioningly up at her, she smiled to me.

"You're going to meet Kommissar Sorensen and Pieter Bulal, they're neuro music specialists from Germany. Ah here they are now."

Two god-like people seemingly chipped out of marble from Michelangelo himself, came in moving a giant system in with them.

Beca looked curiously at the machine.

"Sind Sie fasziniert kleine Maus? Das sound machine." T he man with rippling muscles that rivaled Fabio, with less flowy hair spoke with a thick accent. Correcting himself he repeated it again in English "Are you intrigued, little mouse? "

"Ah I believe the scaredy rabbit, has lost her voice" Beca's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde beauty in uniform. Chloe made a disgruntled noise from behind her.

"May I speak to you outside, Kommissar?"

"Pieter, set up das sound machine."

Stepping outside of the room, Chloe turned sharply towards Kommissar.

"What the hell was that? She just got out of a coma and you tease her?"

"Nicht hinreiβen lassen nehmen sie es einfach" Kommissar spoke calmly, with her palms out. (don't get carried away take it easy)

Chloe sighed knowing the gesture to calm down, inhaling again and exhaling more slowly.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away. She just…got out of a coma." Chloe finished lamely.

"Einige Leute wollen nict behandlt warden, wie sie krank sind" Kommissar smiled knowingly, then repeated it again before re-entering the room. "Some people don't want to be treated like they're sick."

As the door shut, Chloe knew she had to change her ways. Kommissar was right.

Alone on the hospital bed, Beca sat in the middle while the blue light from the t.v. pooled around her keeping the darkness at check. Beca's hands flew to her ears when a blaring honk seem intensified from the t.v. that played close to mute in the background. In the corner of her eye she remembered a minivan speeding towards her, waiting for the collision but that didn't come. It was if her body and mind worked together to block it out. It was the noise that made her cringe, the screeching of tires on asphalt and her body hitting the ground. Flashes of the accident.

-x-

end notes: what are your reactions? Constructive criticism is welcomed please.