Empty Spaces Chapter 4

Set from Piper's POV

Thanks for all of the reviews it's been years since I've written for the fun of it and I feel a binge coming on.

For a very long time there was only the darkness, almost like being trapped in a windowless room. Slowly other things started to filter into her conciousness, the distant echoes of faint sounds like the whisper of a breeze through leaves. Quick flashes of images that looked like memories but felt like a dream. The thing that helped ground her the most though was the distinctive scent of disinfectant, it was both strong and familiar and she felt it pulling her back. Back to the slow steady beep and muttered conversations, back to the light and sensation. She could hear the beeping pick up its pace as she started to feel the awakening of her body and the gathering storm of pain that was quickly coming with it. Her body ached from head to toe, her hands were absolute agony. She didn't even have to try and move them to know it wasn't an option, and there was a heavy weight settled over her chest that just wouldn't let her breathe. She was startled by the pained whimper that escaped her lips and the accompanying movement caused a wave of pain to rise up only crash down upon her.

She couldn't even register the sudden presence of the doctors and nurse who had steadily working around her as she came to. They'd been working on her steadily since loading her into the back of the big red rig, but it was still unsure. The doctors and nurses had been suprised not to find more grievous wounds under the woman's thoroughly blood soaked uniform, but that didn't mean she was out of the woods just yet. While her breathing had improved her heart rate was still a concern and the furrowed brow of the doctor reading the ECG printout was not reassuring. She couldn't see the dark haired man in the green scrubs or hear the string of orders he called to the others who were still busy cleaning her up, attaching even more wires, putting in more tubes. All she could feel was the pain as the wave crashed down again sinking her back into the darkness.

Still the commotion around her continued around her in a twisted little ballet bent on keeping her alive. They'd done what they could for the other inmate, but it had always been to late for that one. They'd called the time of death shortly after their arrival. It had been sad in a way he knew he wouldn't be able to tell his wife about later when she asked him about his day, the broken little girl in the pretty christmas costume. He shook his head to refocus on the task in front of him, this one was ready to head up to surgery but there were others already waiting on his help. He signed off on the chart in his hand before sending up a silent christmas prayer for both of the women he had cared for that night.