Two breaths.
Her chest is rising and falling naturally.
There’s no wheezing, no struggle to breathe.
She’s breathing on her own.
Thank you, God. She’s breathing.
“See?” Dr. Briney beams. “She’s strong and a fighter. We’re going to watch her for an hour up here just to be on the safe side and then I’ll have her moved to a regular room.”
“I want her in a private room where the press can’t get to her.”
He grimaces. “We’ve had an issue here before, but I suppose you know all about that being a Raptors player.”
“I do.” I don’t, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“We’ll make sure she’s in a private room. Will the security team you have on her remain as well?”
“As long as she’s here, they’ll be here.”
Even if asswipe is stuck in jail. His family isn’t and can harass her.
“If everything goes according to plan, she’ll be awake in a few hours. I suggest you take a shower and find some clean clothes before then. You don’t want her first breaths to be serious BO do you?”
“No. Collin’s here. I’ll take a shower while he sits with her.”
“Then I will go let them know to come back in, but remember, Mr. Hutchinson. Two people in this room at any given time. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Good, I’ll send them in.”
I turn away from him and watch as Cora checks Daisy’s vitals and her dressings, smiling for the first time in a week.
She’s breathing.
And they’re going to wake her up.
But they’re all right about one thing—I stink.
I don’t want her waking up to that.
She’s breathing and she’ll be awake within a few hours.
Thank you, God.
CHAPTER 45
Daisy
Haveyou ever dunked your head underwater in the pool or the bath? Everything around you goes quiet, the sounds from above muted and distorted. That’s what everything is like right now—distorted and muted. It all sounds so weird. It’s like I can almost make out someone talking to me, but when I try to focus on it, the voice blurs out and I’m left floating in this gray fog of nothingness.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been like this. I don’t really like it. I try to open my eyes, but they’re heavy. It’s like when you’ve slept for hours and hours and you simply can’t drag yourself out of the semi-conscious state of awareness. I read a book once about a demon that trapped people in the realm between sleep and the waking world. It tortured and terrorized you while your body refused to move because you were still technically sleeping. That’s me right now, and the demon is just the sound of nothingness.
Every once in a while I get a twinge of pain, but I’m not sure from where. It’s irritating enough that I notice it and as timegoes by, the twinges of pain increase as does the need to open my eyes even if I can’t. I’m restless and this nagging pain is starting to become more than irritating. I want to move to relieve the pain in some way, but I feel trapped, with nothing to tether myself to. I’m sinking or maybe floating into this unending gray fog.
“Come on, Red, open your eyes.”
