Pandora's Box

Chapter 22

I wake up to find myself back in the hospital room. My parents still sound asleep. I look around for Raphael and the older couple, but there's no sight. I let out a sigh loud enough the my mother wakes up. One eye props open before she checks her wrist watch. 

"1:13am? Let me see if I can find someone to give us some updates."

 I pretend to be asleep. She glances over at me and my father before finding her way out the door. My father is sound asleep. He is sleeping hard, as if its been ages since he's slept properly. I touch his arm, extending gratitude before moments of room 333 begin to infiltrate my mind. 

My mom returns with a nurse rather quickly, they both happen to catch you awake. 

"Did I wake you honey?" I nod my head to assure my mom that she did not wake me. 

"Well, it's good that you're up! Sorry it took so long. We had to clean the room, but it's already to move into!" I smile and let out a sigh of relief. My fathers head suddenly tilts back as he lets out a loud snore. We all laughed. 

My mom begins to work on carrying the bags upstairs with the nurse. "Why don't you work on waking your dad up for now?" My mom seemed worried about me having too much idle time, given the circumstances. It made her feel better when I had something to do. I nod in agreement. 

"We will have a wheel chair for you by the time I come back down." The nurse states before escorting my mom to the new room. I can hear that talking as they make their way through the hallway. I study my attention back on to my father. He looks so peaceful, I almost don't want to wake him. 

"Dad." The first attempt is unsuccessful. He is still snoring just as loudly as before.

"Dad." Still no use, he is in a comfortable sleep. I clear my throat before trying a last time.

"DAD!" 

"Huh? What? What happened? You okay?"

He pauses as he looks around. "Where's your mother?"

I chuckle. "You enjoy your sleep?" 

He scratches his head and grins as if he had been caught red handed with the cookie box.

"Mom went upstairs with the new nurse. The new room is ready. We're getting ready to move daddy."

"Oh that's great honey! Finally, you can get some better rest."

I look at my father guiltily. I study the tiny chair he is sitting in. "You are the one I'm happy will be getting better rest."

He rubs his head before crossing his arms and tilting his head at me, as if I should know better than to say such a thing. 

"Okay, bathroom time. Then, we move!" My father proceeds to make his way to the bathroom. I glance back up at the television for a moment, and study the room one last time. Smiling to myself. Grateful for all the encounters I've had since entering Mount Sinai. 

The nurse returns with my mother rather abruptly. "Okay sweetie, ready to go?" She wheels the wheel chair near my bed. She pauses a moment. "Has the Doctor tested her balance yet?"

My mom quickly responds "She has only been up since this afternoon."

"Oh she's fresh. Okay, scratch the wheel chair. We're just gonna transport you to a different bed then. Give me a while so that we can get that set up for you, okay?"  The nurse rests her hand on my shoulder before turning around. She moved quickly and with urgency. 

My mom soon took a seat beside me before noticing my father was missing. 

"Where'd your dad go?"

"Bathroom."

"Of course."

She rolls her eyes before we chuckle in unison. 

"You ready hun?"

"Yes, did they say what room?"

"I think it's 333."

My heart stops for a moment. 

"You okay hun?"

"333? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think I would remember which room I stuck my belongings in." She sticks her tongue out before mockingly placing the back of her hand on my forehead to check for temperature. 

I got lost in serious thought. Suddenly, I am brought back to the imagery of Angel Raphael kissing the woman on the forehead and I feel as if I'm going to be sick.

"Who was in there before us?"

"I don't know hun, I think she said there was an elderly couple of some sort."

"Did she say what happened to them?" My mothers looks to the side and pauses before responding, as if she plans to withhold information. 

"They got discharged."

Suddenly, it feels as if the world has frozen. I can only see the room door, the old man, and the ghastly vapor. My heart begins to beat quickly as my breathing becomes more rapid. 

"Honey? Hun? You okay?" I can't seem to get myself out of this trance to reassure my mother. My body and mind seem to be at odds with one another. 

As my mother continues to try and reach me, there's a knock on the door. "Hospital Transport here for Diana?" 

My mom studies me for a few moments more before standing up and heading to greet the staff.

"Hi, thank you guys so much for your timely response. We're just waiting on my husband."

"Sure. Why don't we work on transporting her onto this bed and then we can go from there."

"Sounds good."

Two men come around to my left side and position a bed on wheels evenly beside me. 

"Hi Diana, so we're just gonna lift you and shift you onto this bed. Sound good?"

I nod, doing my best to keep it together. 

One man guides my arm around his neck as he secures my upper body. The other grabs me from beneath my thigh and calves as they escort me on to the new bed. They place me down very gently. 

"Doing okay?" I pause, still too afraid to be transferred upstairs. 

"Diana?" One of the man attempts to gauge my attention. My mom shifts her hips and folds her arms, equally concerned.

Finally, my father makes his way back to the room. "Alright! Let's move!" 

Tension fills the air as the staff continue to wait for my answer. I let out a faint whisper "Yes, we can go now."