Something happened around her, she couldn’t explain what, but something. She felt a sharp pain. She wanted to look at herself, but she couldn’t even open her eyes. The shadows coalesced around her again and she tried to shove them away, but she found that she couldn’t.I love you, Elizabeth, I’m so sorry, she thought as the shadows enveloped her. Warmth surrounded her and she lost herself to the darkness.
A rhythmic pulsing found it’s way into her consciousness. She tried to ignore it, to go back to the darkness, but it was persistent. She tried to turn away from the noise but couldn’t. She opened her eyes.
“She’s awake,” Ava heard someone shout.
I’m alive!The thought practically shouted from her mind. She blinked a few more times, the light from the room flooded her vision, searing painfully, but she was alive. She tried to move her hands, but pain like she’d never felt before shot through her.
“Let’s get you off this vent, honey,” Ava heard a voice say. She recognized Kellie, the head nurse. She tried to open her eyes again; this time the light didn’t penetrate quite so deeply and shapes started to emerge. Ava gagged as someone pulled the tube from her throat, the contracting muscles sending bursts of pain through her.
As she gasped for air, she felt a warm hand on her own. She recognized the touch. Straining with effort, she turned her head to find Elizabeth sitting at her bedside looking down at her. Ava had never seen such a beautiful sight. Elizabeth’s light-colored hair fell around her face, the dusting of gray giving it a sliver highlight. Her eyes were bright and watery, and the lines on her face were deeper, but she looked happy, elated even.
“Welcome back,” Elizabeth said, her voice catching. Ava noticed a tear slipping from the corner of Elizabeth’s eye. “You scared us for a while there.”
“Wh-what happened? How long…” Ava found that she didn’t even have the strength to finish the question.
“You don’t have to talk, Ava,” Elizabeth said. “Be patient, you will feel better soon.”
Things started coming back to Ava in bits and flashes. She wanted to ask about the other patients, about how they figured out how to stop the virus. Was it permanent or was this something they still needed to finish? Ava’s forehead creased in worry, and even that little bit of movement caused pain.
“It’s alright, Ava,” Elizabeth whispered. “You’re safe, it’s over.”
Ava slowly turned to see who else was there. Kellie was next to her and pushed some medication through her IV tube. Ava felt warmth spread through her, but the pain subsided. Her mind grew foggy and panic started to seize her as her eyes tried to drift closed.
“You can sleep,” Elizabeth said, though her voice felt far away. “I’ll be here when you wake up. I love you.”
I love you, too, Ava thought, but couldn’t make the words form as her consciousness escaped her once again.
The next time Ava opened her eyes, the pain had dulled. She looked around the room. It was dark, and the machines had been silenced, though they still pulsed their life-affirming numbers and codes with dim light. She rolled her head to the side to find Elizabeth sleeping in a chair next to the bed. Pain still grasped at her, but she reached over and touched Elizabeth’s hand.
Elizabeth moved slightly, her eyes fluttering open. “Hey,” she said softly and turned to Ava. “How are you feeling?”
“I hurt,” Ava answered honestly, though it was not nearly as difficult to speak. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost a week,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle, “you missed all the fun.”
Ava furrowed her brows. “What about the others?”
“They’re fine, most of them have gone home already,” Elizabeth said with a soft smile. She went on to explain how they had found the drug trial and the struggle to get them to share the medication, how they tested it and found that it worked, but that it neededhelp from the other medication to slow the virus enough to get the job done. Ava felt that Elizabeth glossed over how close she had come to death, and a small niggling of guilt crept though Ava as she realized how close she had come to giving up.
“It’s gone then?” Ava asked, her throat tightening.
“It is,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “You are going to be fine, you just need to rest and gain your strength back.”
Relief coursed through Ava and tears slipped from her eyes. Elizabeth’s brow furrowed in concern.
“What is it? Are you in pain?” Elizabeth asked.
“No,” Ava said, “well, no more than I would expect, I’m sore, but, no.”
“What is it then?” Elizabeth asked, squeezing Ava’s hand.
“It’s done, it’s over,” Ava said. “You… you have to go home.”
Elizabeth laughed gently. “That’s what you’re crying about, you think I’m going to leave?”
“Aren’t you?” Ava asked. She wasn’t even sure why her mind was taking her in this circle, she knew what she wanted to say, but struggled to form the words.
“Ava,” Elizabeth said and brushed her hair from her forehead.
