I Know You, Diana

Chapter 19

After a moment of blackness, my eyelids struggle to separate themselves. I wake up to the sound of buzzing, artificial lightbulbs. An oxygen mask is placed gently over my mouth and nose. I look to the side and my parents are crying and cheering. Everything is inaudible at first. It feels like watching a silent film. Suddenly, I being to regain awareness in my body. I move my leg in attempt to reposition myself. My parents stand up and cheer even more. I remove the oxygen mask for my face when I see a nurse run into the room. She begins to cheer as well. She clasps her hands together and rests them beneath her chin. Her smile seems genuine.

My ability to hear returns just in time for me to learn the nurses voice. "Seems like I should get the Doctor then." She smiles at me once more before exiting the room.

My mother is brushing my hair back and petting my face. My father rests his hand on my knee. I can feel how worried they've been. My heart grows heavy knowing how much I happened to stress them out. Tears fill my eyes as I reach in for a hug. They gladly reciprocate. 

"How are you feeling hun? Are you hungry? Do you want something to drink?" I look around to study the room a bit. A few bags of clothes and shoes sit behind the chairs my parents are occupying. I notice a third bag. Then I realize, I had an unexpected visitor. My mother notices me studying the third bag.

"Your brother has been worried sick about you. She continues to pet my head. For months, he has done nothing but work and come straight to the hospital to check on you."

I feel a sinking feeling in my heart. My brother and I have not been on good terms since I became an adult. Our communication has been so poor, it's been difficult to figure out what exactly could be the problem. But still, the concept of him coming to check on me has changed my perception of him a bit. 

I sit back contemplatively. My dad is first to stand up. "You can never go wrong with a little bit of water then. Huh?"

"Grab a few babe. She's probably parched."

My Dad rubs my mother's back in an excited gesture before rushing off to grab some water. My mother watches him leave until she can no longer see a trace of him. She then slowly turns her head back to me. 

"My girl. My baby girl." She smiles in attempt to fight back tears as she continues to pet my head. I study her carefully, not exactly sure how to comfort her. 

"I really thought I lost you this time." My mother has had quite a few scares when it has come to me. It seems like death has had a way of following me around. 

"I haven't been this scared since the day I gave birth to you and the Doctors told me you weren't gonna make it." Tears begin to feel my eyes as my body begins to feel as heavy as a tombstone. 

"And I know I haven't always been the best mother." 

"Mom, you really.." I do my best to stop the direction of this conversation. Emotions have never been my forte. And I have always done my best to avoid having gushy conversations with my mother, a naturally very gushy person. 

"No, let me finish." She seems serious. I sit back in a submissive position as I make room for her to express herself in full.

"I know that certain things still sit on your mind about your childhood.  I made a lot of mistakes with you." I look down to the side, slightly ashamed. Wishing I could take the guilt away from my mother so that she could be less haunted. 

"I don't know what's wrong with me. And you know we don't do therapists in my family. But I feel like I just went into a trance back then and lost my cool with you. More than I care to admit. And I blacked out on you unjustly."

The room is suddenly filled with silence. I let out a gulp that is equivalent to the sound of a pin dropping in a quiet sitting. Before I could respond, the Doctor makes his way into the room. I let out a sigh of relief. 

"Diana!" The Doctor is tall, young, and handsome. He seems genuinely happy to see me sitting up.

"My goodness. Well this is astounding. My name is Dr. Leolios. I've been your attending Physician since the day you arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital."

The name of the hospital catches my attention. I go from being charmed by the Doctor to entering a thinking spiral. The Doctor notices my strain and interjects. 

"Hey, still with me?" I nod and apologize for sidetracking. He smiles before continuing. "Good! So while I have you up and seated so prettily, I'm gonna conduct a reallllyyyy short test with you just to gauge your progress. How does that sound?"

I nod my head and attempt to sit up straighter. 

"No, no, no. Don't you move. That position right there is perfect." My mom places her hand on my thigh as the Doctor comes near the side of the hospital bed. I grow anxious and begin to feel flushed. He is even more handsome up close.

Okay, just rest your head back for me. I'm just gonna lay you down for a quick second." The word choice couldn't be anymore awkward. I look down with embarrassment as my mother begins to realize that I could have the hots for the Doctor. She arches an eyebrow before chuckling. 

"Oh, Dr. Leolios. She's hopped up since she's been awake. Don't be afraid to rest her down real low." She looks at me and winks as the Doctor takes her words very literally and rests my head on to the lowest setting. My forehead begins to sweat. 

"Are you okay? Is it too warm in here?" I grow even more flustered that the Doctor has noticed my angst and shut my eyes tight in agony.

"She's fine Doctor. Please continue." My mother's assertiveness has found its rightful place. The Doctor begins to conduct the tests, and I do my best to forget the awkward encounter.

"Okay Diana. Now I'm going to conduct what is known as the Neurological Wake Up Test. You mother tells me you have an interest in Psychology, so I figured you'd be the type to appreciate being more in loop." The Doctor smiles at me before proceeding. I nod in agreeance. 

"So I'm gonna turn this flash light in a moment. Let me know if there's any discomfort whatsoever. Okay?"

"Got it." I respond. 

The Doctor turns on his flashlight before shining the bright light in my eye. I squint, it's brighter than I remember light being. He drags the flashlight back and forth between each eye a few consecutive times. I begin to grow dizzy. But I do my best to tough it out. I keep my eyes widened until the Doctor finishes the exam. Eventually, he shuts the mini flashlight away and tucks it into his back pocket. 

"Okay, how we doing?" 

"Good." I assure him.

"Beautifullll." His voice is enchanting and well textured. There is a bit of rasp to him. He takes a folder and begins to jot down some notes before proceeding to the next test. 

The Doctor then pulls out what seems to be a checklist of some sort. "The next test will consist of a brief questionnaire. I'm just gonna ask you a couple of questions and you let me know, on a scale of 1-5, how much each question pertains to you."

"Sounds good." I beat him to the curve, realizing that being responsive to him is also part of his observational study. He jots a note down briefly before starting the questionnaire. 

"Okay, on a scale of 1-5, how much pressure do you feel when I touch your toes? 5 begin the greatest amount of pressure and zero being none."

The doctor proceeds to squeeze my big toe. I notice the hospital socks over my feet. As the Doctor squeezes my toe, I notice a difference. The pressure becomes highly sensitized. I feel his touch so precisely that it feels like a shock wave is sent through my body. I begin to breath heavily. 

My mother notices and glances my direction before furrowing her eyebrows. "I know he's cute, but he can't be that damn cute now." She investigates. 

Embarrassed, I quickly redirect. "I, uh, I can feel it. It's just, it's a strong sensation. A strong 5."

Doctor Leolios furrows his brows. A strong 5? Was there any discomfort? Or did anything feel unusual?"

I pause and reflect upon the sensation I just felt before closing my eyes and sinking deeper into the bed. I sigh before responding. 

"It was just, intense. No pain. Just intense is all."

The Doctor pauses before responding. "Should we continue the test, or do you need me to stop?" 

"No, please continue!" My mother leans back into her chair and folds her arms. She seems worried but does her best to bite her tongue.

The Doctor continues to press on various points of my body asking similar questions until he makes his way to my head. By this time, my father has finally returned. 

"Oh wow, I thought you got kidnaped." My mom jokes. Smiling from ear to ear, my dad responds. "The food here was at such a good price, I couldn't help but get some! Those lines were long as hell though."

My father suddenly notices the Doctor before glancing at me. His mouth opens curiously. "Oh, did I interrupt?" The Doctor chuckles before stepping outside. It seems like we're just about done here Mr. Keruvim. Food sounds like an excellent idea."

The Doctor shuts his folder and makes his way towards the door. He pauses and glances at me. "I'll be back a bit later to check on you. It's good to have you back Diana."

I smile at the Doctor as my father rushes to sit down, eager to feed me. My mother rubs his back warmly, as to express compassion towards my father. As he unboxes the food, we proceed to eat together as a family again. For the first time in months.