Page 153 of Unspoken Words
“One, two, three …”
I couldn’t lose her.
“Five, six, seven …”
Not now.
“Nine, ten …”
Not again.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Ellie
The constant beep of amachine pulled me from sleep, the tone too slow for an alarm clock. My eyelids were heavy, like lead weights stuck to my eyes, and I was groggy, as if I’d slept for months or maybe not slept at all, possibly even still asleep and dreaming of waking up.
Disorientated and unsure, I willed my eyelids apart but there was nothing but darkness and noise, my willpower fragile and weak. I gave in to the nothingness only to hear that damn lazy alarm clock noise soon after, this time louder, this time startling me.
“Her eye twitched,” I heard Connor say, his tone urgent.
Warm hands closed around mine, and my sense of touch sparked to life, followed by smell and taste, as if they too had been in a deep sleep. I breathed in and wanted to cough then choke, bitter, hard, metallic tastes and textures crowding my mouth.
Swallowing, I willed my eyes to open again, spectres of light filtering through, ghost-like and mystical.
“Beth, I think she’s waking up again.”
Chairs scraped linoleum and feet scuffled, grating my eardrums.
I moaned.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re in hospital,” Mum said.
“You’re safe, Elliephant.”
“We’re all here for you,” Dad added.
The hands clamped around mine softened but still taut, unrelenting, as if they’d never let go, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt they were Connor’s.
“She just squeezed my hand,” he said.
“Chris, go and get the nurse.”
The creak of a swinging door vibrated through me, and I pushed harder to open my eyes.
Mum, Dad, and Connor’s silhouettes hovered over me, all of them a blur at first, but the more I blinked, the clearer they became, all three of them smiling but not quite.
The door creaked open once again, and a nurse entered the room. Her blonde hair was twisted into a bun, and she had an upside-down watch pinned to her baby blue shirt. Mum and Dad moved back to give her some room, and she leaned over me and smiled while checking the machine by my head.
“Eloise, can you hear me?” she asked.
I nodded.
She touched my arm. “Good. Do you know where you are?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Take your time,” she said, her tone kind and authoritative.
