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"The school work is hard, but I enjoy it. It is hard being a college student and a solider, but I'm making it. The job at the hospital isn't too bad and I get paid well." These things kept running through my head as I drove to my parents’ house. "At the end of the semester, I will be able to go to Atlanta to take my certification test. My dreams are coming true!"
The paramedics were shining a light in my eyes. "Stop!" I was crying and yelling. "Stop!" This time when I yelled stop, I punched at the light trying to make it go off. Someone grabbed my arms and held them down. I heard a ringing noise and I couldn't feel my right arm or my legs. "Turn off that light please! I can't feel my legs or my arm! Please stop that ringing!" I was begging and pleasing -something I never did.
Suddenly, I was being lifted onto a helicopter. "No! I'm scared of heights! No!-" everything went black.
The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital in a white gown in a hospital bed. I tried to lift up onto my right arm but when I did, pain shot thought it. I didn't notice the tears streaming down my cheeks as I screamed out in pain. A face I recognized cane running into the room. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?" The man looked worried and mad. "Yes, I'm in pain. That is what is wrong. Am I really crying? Who are you and why do I recognize your face and voice but not know who you are?" The man gave me some pills for the pain and looked at my arm. "Yeah, you were crying." He wiped the tears from my face. "I'm Doctor Tim Marvin. You really don't remember me?" Dr. Marvin seemed hurt. The fact I was in a hospital just registered in my mind. "No, I really don't remember you. Why am I here?"
He just stared at me. "Stacey, that hurts. It really does. You had a wreck last night. A drunk driver ran a stop sign and almost killed you. Then, when we were trying to get you to wake up and were doing some tests to make sure you weren't blind or deaf or anything, you started screaming at us. You punched me in the eye, too. That hurt too, by the way. You really had us scared. We called your name for five minutes and then we yelled it when you started yelling at us, but you didn't seem to notice. Then, you said something about something ringing. As of right now, we don't really know-." Everything went black again.
Someone was holding my hand. My eyes were open, but I didn't see. Everything was silent and I couldn't move. I was scared. I tried to talk but no sound came out. I didn't know what to do and felt my heart drop. I didn't care about living anymore. Laying there was depressing. I went to sleep.
I could see when I woke up. It was amazing. I looked around. I was still in my bed. Dr. Marvin seemed to be asleep in the chair by my bed. I tried to call his name. I didn't hear anything, but he jumped out of the chair. He leaned over the side of my bed and I watched his lips move. "I can't hear you." He looked worried. An idea came to me. "Write it down. I'll read it." He searched the room until he found a pen and a pad of paper. "Are you alright?" His handwriting was beautiful. "I'm fine but why can't I hear and why can I barely move?" He wrote frantically. "I don't know. You scared me and everyone else, Stacey." Tears formed in my eyes. "I'm really sorry. I really am. I don't know what is wrong with me." I started crying. Once I started, I couldn't stop. Dr. Marvin hugged me and wiped away the tears. He stayed there even as I fell asleep.
I could see, talk, and hear when I woke up, but I couldn't move. "Hello?" It sounded like someone jumped out of their seat across the room. "I'm coming, Stacey. Oh, she can't hear. What did I do with that pen and paper? I swear, I would lose my head if it wasn't attached." I laughed. "I can hear, and see. I can't move and it is driving me nuts!" He smiled. "Want to move around a little bit?" I shut my eyes. "I can't move, remember?" He smile because bigger. He walked over to me. "I'm going to move you." Before I knew what was happening, Dr. Marvin had picked me up. "Where would you like to go, Stacey? I'll take you anywhere- in the hospital." We laughed. Dr. Tim Marvin's laugh was mesmerizing. "I don't see how you can pick me up, much less carry me." He got a serious look on his face. "I'm Superman. Didn't you know?" I knew it was a joke, but I wanted to believe it. "Alright, Superman, I don't care where we go." With this, he walked out of the room toward the roof of the hospital.
"Yeah, Superman, I'm scared of heights. Please tell me that we aren't on the roof of the hospital." He just laughed and placed me in one of the few chairs out there. "I thought some sunlight would do you some good." The city smelt bad but the clouds were beautiful. We stared at them and talked until his voice lulled me to sleep.
Tears rolled down my cheeks from the eyes from which I couldn't see. The pain held my mouth shut. My body was tense as fire shot through it. "Tim!" I managed to say that one word before another rush of pain and fire shit trough me. I could feel my body writhe upon my bed. Someone rushed into the room but ran back out and yelled something. I couldn't hear because pain was rushing through me again. Tears fell even harder. The not knowing what was bothering me was driving me insane. "Stacey, talk to me. Say something." Tim's voice was full of worry. I could hear it. "Can't." The sound was a mere gasp but it was there. I passed out again.
"I don't know what is wrong with her. I'm doing everything I can to find out and treat it. Last night, she woke up in pain and blind. She has been blind, deaf, unable to move, unable to talk, and fine- all at different times and some together. It's unnatural!" I couldn't see, still, but I could hear and move. "Tim? Who's there?" It was frustrating not knowing who was in the room. "Stacey, it's Tim. Your friend, Tiffany, your parents, and some guy are here to see you. Can you move? Are you in pain? Can you see?" I wondered who this guy was. "Yes. Not really but a little. No. Hey, Tiffany. Hey, Mama and Dad. Who is the guy?" I knew it was merely a gasp, but it had to be said. The guy, I think, started talking. "Honey, it's me, Rex. Don't you even remember your own fiancé?" I was shocked. "I didn't even know I had a fiancé. I really don't remember you. I'm sorry. But, if you say I'm your fiancé, I must be." I felt pain fly through my body at that instant. My jaw clenched and my body started writhing. I felt someone try to hold me down and I heard Tim yell. "Get out! Send a nurse in, but y'all stay out!" He was mad; I could hear it in his voice.
I woke up to the sound of a telephone ringing. I was in a different room. "What?!" Tim was still mad and I thought I would wait until he calmed down a little bit before I told him I was awake. He glanced over toward me. "Well, she's up. Bye." He slammed the phone down, took a breath, and walked over to me. "Hey, Stacey. Feeling any better? Have any senses missing? In pain?" He smiled gently at me. "Yes, I think I have all of my senses. I'm feeling a lot better. Partially because you aren't mad at me- I don't think. The pain isn't as bad. Most of my body is numb, actually. What's wrong? Why are you so mad?" He looked at me. "Your body should be numb. It took a lot of Novocain to make your body stop spazzing. I'm glad you have all of your senses. We may have fixed that problem, though I have no clue how or with what. In fact, you are a complete mystery to me. I'm glad you are feeling better, though. Really, I am." His voice had a calming effect on me. I don't know how or why, but it did. "You didn't tell me why you are mad. Never mind, I'm sorry. It is none of my business. I'm sorry I'm so much trouble. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm really sorry." Tears came and refused to go away. Tim walked out of the room, mad- madder than I had ever seen anyone.
A few hours later, Mama told me what Tim had done when he stormed out of the room. "He walked into the waiting room and knocked Rex out- in one punch. I was surprised he is that strong to tell you the truth. I think he has the hots for you, still." I started to laugh but the seriousness on Mama's face made me stop. "Mama, he can't have the hots for me. It is against the patient-doctor rules. You should know that." She looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Just because they are rules doesn't mean anything. You should know that. You are going to be a nurse, remember? I think he knows that. Therefore, it wouldn't be against the rules." Mama laughed. She was in her matchmaking mood and there was no way to get her out of it. "Mama, am I really engaged to Rex?" My eyes showed worry. I didn't know who to believe and who not to. Mama looked away. “Mama?†She wouldn’t look at me. It was getting annoying. “Fine, don’t answer me. I don’t care. I’m calling the engagement off because I don’t remember him, anyways.†Everything went black again.
When I woke up, my head was pounding. I pushed the call button for a nurse to get something for a headache. As I waited, Tim walked in. “Hey, Sunshine.†He had a bright smile on his face. “Hey.†He checked my blood pressure and as he was glancing up at me, he noticed the nurse call button was lit. His smile ran from his face. “Why’d you need a nurse?†Tim reached over and turned it off. “I was going to ask for something for a headache. That isn’t a problem, is it?†He smiled at me again. “Hang on and I’ll get you something. So who was that Rex guy?†He seemed completely interested and refused to make eye contact with me as I told him. “I don’t really remember him. I don’t even remember his face. I think I’m going to call the engagement off since I don’t remember him. Nothing about him is familiar. Why’d you knock him out?†He looked away again. “Who told you about that?†It seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it. He began pacing back and forth. “What he did to you before. What made you get in that car when you mad like you were. The way he treats you. The things he says to you. The way he treats your parents. How he stole you from m-. Never mind. I just can’t stand him. And the way he looked at you when you didn’t remember him or that y’all were engaged.
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