Page 41 of Cruel Bet

When I wake, it’s only for a moment before sleep drags me back under. My eyes cannot open, the brightness is too blinding.

“Her pupils are dilating and responding nicely… we think...”

The beeping of an alarm.

The feeling of a warm, strong hand, holding mine.

“Arianna, please wake up.”

“Did you see it? Her hand moved!”

But still, I sleep.

This time, when I wake up, it’s different. The light is still bright, so my eyes remain shut, but my hand twitches as my senses slowly reanimate. Everything hurts.

My head feels swollen and pounding. My throat is dry and sore.

Slowly, the light stops hurting as much and I blink my eyes open. I’m in a hospital bed.

Tentatively I wiggle my fingers and toes. Sluggishly, they respond. The relief that I can move, that I’m not trapped in my own body is overwhelming. Slowly, I become more alert. As my eyes roam around the room, they land on a sleeping form in the chair by the window.

“Nikolai,” I say in barely a whisper, my throat is so painful.

The words come out so quietly it’s a miracle he hears me, let alone wakes. But his eyes immediately spring open.

“Arianna, you’re awake, thank god!”

He rushes over to me, seemingly afraid to touch me in case I break.

“We need a doctor in here!” he shouts, not taking his eyes off me.

He’s looking at me with such tenderness and concern that I’m confused. Am I still dreaming? My Nikolai is anything but soft. The caring man before me can’t be the same person.

A doctor enters and checks me over, asking me questions.

“Can you tell me your name?”

My eyes flicker to Nikolai, I’m not sure how to respond. Has Nikolai told them my real name?

He realizes the mistake and quickly answers for me. “Doctor, is this really necessary? My wife knows her name is Jane Brown.”

The doctor shoots him an irritated glare. She evidently doesn’t like him, nor care for his demanding tone.

“Yes, Mr. Brown it is. Jane has been in a coma for three days and I need to ask some basic questions to check if the lack of oxygen to her brain has caused any damage that didn’t show up in the tests.”

Relieved, I answer the rest of her questions as best I can. Apart from the first one, the others are easy. When she asks about the attack, I am truthful, saying I don’t know who attacked me. That it was a man who broke into our home.

By this point, I’m exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open, and I soon slip back into sleep.

***

I’ve no idea how long it’s been since I fell asleep again. But when I wake, Nikolai is still there.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, jumping up from his seat to rush to my bedside, concern furrowing his brow.

“Like shit,” I reply with a small smile.

“Let me get the doctor, they can give you something for the pain,” he says turning to leave.

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