Chapter 2

A steady flow of beeps slowly woke me up from a deep slumber. I blinked to readjust to the brightness of the room.

“Alex?” a voice softly asked.

I turned my head in the direction that the voice came from. The face of the person kept swimming in and out. Must be the medicine still affecting me.

“Hmm?” I asked, barely heard over the machines.

A cool hand rested on my forehead, smoothing back the hair that was out of place. I lifted my hand to swat at it but was stopped by a painful sting in my arm. With a sharp exhale of air, I lowered my arm back to the bed.

“Go back to sleep Alex. Let the medication wear off. I’ll still be here when you wake up next,” the same voice said.

My eyes sank shut again, the bright lights dimmed against the darkness. Allowing myself to sink into peacefulness, I drifted off to sleep. Images flashed through my mind, mostly those of the fire. It haunted my dreams till I blinked opened my eyes once more.

This time nothing seemed to be swimming in and out of focus. I turned my head to look at the person who had been there earlier. It was a family friend. She was really close to my Grandmother.

“Alex! You’re up!” she said happily. “I’m going to get your nurse.”

My chest tightened, making it harder to breathe. “No, don’t. I can’t be alone please,” I begged Ms. Jimes, the friend.

“But Alex, they need to know that you are awake,” she explained calmly. “I’d just be right back.”

“No! You don’t understand!” I cried out.

“Don’t understand what?”

“I can’t be alone in hospitals. Not since Papa,” I said, words slurring as tears began flowing. “Ple... please.”

“Alexander, you are nearly an adult I think you can handle it,” Ms. Jimes replied.

I closed my eyes to avoid looking at her, tears slowly trickling from the corners of my eyes. I felt her grab my hand giving it a gentle squeeze before letting it go. Moving my head to where I could bury it into the pillow, the tears flowed heavier. Everything was wrong. This wasn’t what it should have been. Where was Grandmother? She should be here, she would never leave me by myself in this hospital by myself.

“Ms. Jimes, where Grandm... Grandmother?” I stuttered through my tears.

I didn’t hear a response from her as I waited. The weight of her hand seemed to press down harder the longer she didn’t answer.

A sob sounded from her before she answered. “She didn’t make it Alex. She was busy with things and ended up getting stuck in it and couldn’t make it out.”

“NO!” I shouted. “You are lying! You have to be. Please tell me you are!”

“I’m sorry Alexander. I really am,” she said quietly.

I pushed myself up in bed, as well as I could, trying to rip out the iv that was in my arm.

“I don’t believe you!” I exclaimed. “I need out!”

As my heart rate began to escalate, an alarm sounded further down the hallway. Footsteps sounded heavy outside in the hallway till they stopped at my door.

“Mr. Fredricks?” a female voice asked. “Are you well?”

“I want to go home!” I cried out. “I can’t be here no more.”

“He just found out that his Grandmother did not make it out of the fire,” Ms. Jimes said. “Would you be able to give him something to calm him down?”

“Ma’am, unless you are a guardian or parent you aren’t able to make any decisions for him,” the nurse told her. The gray and blue scrubbed nurse walked in and came over to my bedside.

“I wanna go home,” I whispered.

“You should be able to go home today. We have to see what the doctor says, Mr. Fredricks,” she said. “I’ll go tell him that you are awake.”

I nodded carefully. The lights were still a little too bright for my liking. Maybe it was normal for hospitals to be like that.

“Can she leave?” I whispered, motioning to Ms. Jimes. “When the doctor comes? I don’t want her here.”

“Yes,” the nurse responded, smiling softly. “We can do that for you. Now I’m just to go tell the Doctor that you are ready to be seen. So he should be coming in soon.”

“Thanks,” I responded, half smiling. “I’m ready to be out of here.”

Ms. Jimes chimed, “But who is he going to go home with? He doesn’t have any other fami...”

Cutting her off, I said, “I do actually. Grandmother’s sister. She lives in town.”

“Why have I never heard of her?” Ms. Jimes sneered.

“Because you ain’t in need of everything that relates to my family life,” I snapped. “If you don’t mind I’d like to talk to her without an interruption.”

“Okay! I’ll just wait outside then,” she sighed. “Here is your phone. They got it out of your clothes when you arrived.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, taking the phone from her outstretched hand.

Ignoring the look on her face, I went and texted my Aunt.

“Hi, Aunty. Could u come 2 the hospital? I need u 2 pick me up,” I texted before sending it to her.

A few minutes passed before my phone chimed with her response. “Yeah, I’ll be there in 30.”

Smiling I watched the door frame, waiting for the doctor and nurse to arrive.