"Ms. Reznikov? Ms. Reznikov?" Nicky felt someone shaking her shoulder. She must have drifted off to sleep.
"Ms. Reznikov?" the doctor said.
"Ms. Reznikov?" Nicky repeated.
"Yes, Nichole Reznikov. Galina Reznikov has you listed her as her daughter. That is you isn't it?" The doctor was double checking some kind of chart as if looking for reassurance.
Nicky couldn't help but smile. The first real sense of her mother since all of this happened.
"Just call me Nicky."
"Alright, Nicky, I have some good news and some bad news." The doctor got so serious it whipped the little smile right off of her face and put her back into fearing life mode.
"The good news is, your mother is awake."
"Oh my God." For the first time, tears that weren't stemmed from sadness sprang to Nicky's eyes and a small, genuine smile played at the corner of her lips. "May I see her now?" Nicky almost pleaded.
"You may. But the bad news is, she doesn't seem to know where she is, what has happened to her, or who anyone is. Which is an indication that there certainly has been brain damage done. Now whether it is permanent or temporary, time will only tell. It is also crucial that for no reason should you get frustrated with her or try to make her understand anything; that will only confuse her and frustrate her." The doctor explained.
"I know how to talk to my mother." Nicky sounded way more defensive then she meant to be, but she supposed it was natural. She did, after all, of course this entire time demand the best for her mother.
"Take me to her." Nicky grabbed the little black bag and stood up. The doctor followed suit and led her out the waiting room and towards an elevator.
"She is on the 4th floor, room 429. She may have fallen asleep, she is on a lot of medication. Remember, she won't know who you are. It'll be a shock for you both I'm sure."
"Thanks for making sure she didn't die. That's really all I care about." Nicky stated as blunt as ever she was.
She did not even knock, but she did open the door slowly, so as not to startled her fragile mother. She was trying so hard no to cry because she didn't want to disturb her mom in anyway; but when she stepped into the room and looked at her mother, she had fallen asleep.
Nicky looked around for a clock.
4:30am.
Quickly, Nicky scanned the room for her vital signs. Breathing a sigh of relief, she saw that they were normal and she was just asleep. She had her normal skin color back, for which Nicky was grateful. And her chest was rising and falling at a pace that satisfied Nicky.
Nicky closed the door behind and was barely in the room. She looked at her mother and even though she knew Red would not hear her, she whispered anyways.
"Hey, Mommy. It's good to see you."
Nicky could feel her sinus start to work and her nose wrinkle.
"Why are you like this, Mommy? What happened? What happened to you?"
She could feel the tears about to hit her eyes.
"Why are there tubes and needles in you? Why are you hooked up to a machine?"
The tears formed in her eyes.
"Why can't you remember things?"
Her heart was breaking with each question she was asked.
"Are you going to wake up soon? I wanna talk to you, Mommy. I miss talking to you."
Tears silently slid down Nicky's cheeks as she began to walk towards the bed. She looked so peaceful lying there. She looked as though she weren't in bed and Nicky hoped that that was the case. Red didn't deserve pain. Red deserved nothing but good things and good feelings.
She hesitated, but it was her instinct so she went with it. Nicky brushed her fingers up and down Red's arm. She was warm, like she should be. The longer Nicky observed her mom, the more relaxed she felt. Perhaps her being in surgery wasn't the entire reason Nicky was so worried and nervous. Maybe some of it was the fact that she just wasn't with her, physically with her. When Nicky was with Red, she felt more calm automatically. Red has always had that effect on her, always. Red always said it was their bond and Nicky would have to agree.
There wasn't much room in the bed, so Nicky grabbed a chair that was in the corner and pulled it as close to the bed as she could get it. She put the little black bag on the floor next to her and wrapped the blanket around her. She sat in the chair and leaned over so that her head was resting in Red's lap.
Nicky let out a big sigh. She was with her mommy again; all was well in that department but Nicky feared what it would be like for Red to not remember who she is. Pushing that thought aside, she nestled her head into her mother's lap and quickly fell asleep, thinking that she wouldn't rather be anywhere in the world, in this type of situation or not, than by her mother's side.