Shattered Glass Chapter 5: Protector
Protector
"BEEP...BEEP...BEEP":
That noise is all I heard for many days as I drifted in and out of consciousness. It woke me up for a few brief seconds, and lulled me back to sleep. I didn't know where I was, what happened to me, or why I couldn't open my eyes. All I knew was that I was broken, well more broken. My spirit, personality, my being mentally was a wreck. Now my body was in the same boat, and I had no idea how bad. From the few seconds each time I woke up, I tried to ping the nerves in my body to respond. I got no reply, it felt like I was separated. Was I in surgery? Will I remember this? Why am I so cold?
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"beep... beep... beep"
It was much quieter now. I could hear, but everything was so faint and slurred my brain couldn't register. I couldn't even follow the sounds, the voices. Everything sounded like a quiet version of rush hour on a busy highway, if that's possible. I try to ping my nerves again and got a few responses. I was hungry, awfully thirsty, and I could tell I was laying down on my back with one leg suspended in the air. I was also toasty now, and somewhat comfortable. It felt however that I had been laying down for days, not moving, not doing anything. I wander just how long it has been.
I try to open my eyes and have success, of course now I have to focus on the images I am getting. Everything being a blur, I see colors and outlines, but nothing else can be seen. I squint a little and that bring a moving object in focus. I try to relax and that helps a little more and I can now guess how far away, or close rather. I blink a few times and I finally have enough detail to see, enough to see a Black Panther hovering over me, staring into my eyes. Funny, I wonder if I was even looking into his?
Before I could even try to voice a question or statement, all I faintly hear is "Oh Thank God You're Alright!" Which I guessed would be an accurate statement seeing how I'm alive, but pretty much false for everything else.
I try again to say something, but nothing seems to work in that part of my body yet. I still feel very numb, and my extremities weren't responding yet either so I guess I must be on some very strong drugs. Did I even open my mouth before I tried to speak? These memory lapses are going to drive me insane
"Hydromorphone. You are loaded with it. Don't worry though, you are... going to be fine" I heard Alki speak. There was also something else that I barely caught from him whispering to himself. It was "I'm Sorry Babe. I Hope..." then it got to quiet for me to hear, he was still talking for a second or two afterwards, but I couldn't make it out. Did he even mean for me to hear any of it? Did he...?
I hear the alarms in my head going off as loud as they can, but hardly hear them as the drug starts to reassert itself again. I wanted to ask him why he said babe... wanted to ask......
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Silence... There is no noise. No beeping, no machines, just pure silence. My body no longer dulled by overpowering neurotoxins, least what it felt like. I don't have to ping my body for feeling as I have sudden pain signals thumping in my head. However they quickly dull to a point that I can ignore them.
Opening my eyes I am blinded momentarily, not because it is bright or anything, but because it's been so long since I used them. In all honesty the room was dark, just bright enough for someone to read. I look over to the main light source to find out that it's just the sun shining through highly tented windows.
I'm lying slightly inclined on a bed of sorts, all kinds of buttons with pictures that are suppose to entail some idea of their purpose. Huh looks more confusing than a DVR remote and just as pointless. Who uses all those buttons anyway? I can't possibly think anyone with a life has all their functions mastered. I look around at my surroundings to discover my bed was against the right wall of the room, door being on the left. The window, which was mostly what made the left wall, showed treetops, making me think that I was at least 3 stories high. In front of me was a neat little television stand with 3 dresser drawers for clothes, as if anyone used them. I would have been tempted to look for a bible in one of them but the fact that I had half dozen needles in me made me scared to move.
I hear the door open and my thought immediately shifts into "Oh shit this doctor is going to tell me what I already know and make me, or try, feel better" Hah hilariously this isn't even my fault. I didn't do this to myself, how could I feel bad about it? I mean that would be ironic, to feel bad about what someone else caused you. "Babe" the word flashes in my brain and the sudden remembrance of what happened... at some point ago cause me to get anxious and panic a little.
"Ser?" I heard the panther voice. My senses still a bit out of order so I couldn't pick up on the tone to well. He comes around the corner walking slowly, probably not expecting me not to be up. As soon as he saw that my eyes were open I swear he jumped on of his fur. "Oh Thank God You're Alright, and Awake."
Awake, yes I was quite that, however alright seemed to be a bit vague. I knew I was in pain, and I could feel my injuries just enough to know where they were and how far they extended. Other than that I couldn't really tell just how bad they were.
"How long" my voice was dry and grainy. I decided against continuing and settled that I would 'short speak' for now. Something that Furs did when they were first produced. English, let alone other languages, were very hard for Furs and it took a few genetic modifications to make it reasonably easy for us, though it was still a pain. Most of the time now however we don't think about it, and most don't use 'short speak' anymore, even in a group of all Furs. Hmm Produced, I think I could have found a better would but it was all in my head so in the end it doesn't matter.
"11 days and some hours, maybe 6. How are you feeling?" His reply soft and sincere. His question however was something that I was not ready to answer, but I had this feeling that I couldn't, or even want to keep something from him.
"Bad, Pain but Numb. Little Discomfort." All furs were taught 'short speak' in early childhood, it made the grasping of sapiens language easier. I hope he still knew it, cause I wasn't going to explain anything right now.
"Are you mad... at me?" How could I be mad at the only person who has spent more than an hour around me? Sure this was his fault... well that's not fair. The fact that this happened to me was just a random coincidence and he happened to be there, and happened to take me there. If I would have gone by myself it would have probably still happened.
"No. Coincidence." Was my short reply back. "Why call 'Babe'?" I asked not meaning to, least not yet.
He stopped walking towards me and stared straight into my eyes for a few seconds. Quickly he shifted his eyes from side to side with a thoughtful expression on his face. I guess he was trying to come up with some sort of excuse, or a reason to explain why he called me that. Did he think I wouldn't remember something like that? He stopped shifting his eye and looked at the floor and sighed. For at least 10 seconds there was silence, he wasn't even breathing at this point. I saw his mouth move a little articulating some words but with Furs and their difference muzzle structure you could never tell what they were saying unless you knew the species way of talking. Panthers, well felines in general, are ones I didn't know.
I shifted my gaze to try to look as honest as caring as possible, which it really wasn't. I only played the "sad face" when I wanted something that would normally benefit me no matter the cost to other people, and it only worked sometimes so I naturally guessed I was bad at doing it. I heard him sigh and he looked right into my eyes. He took a few more steps forward until he was about a foot away from me and announced with no hesitation "Because I love you"