Infection

Emotionally: I’m done

Mentally: I’m drained

Spiritually: I’m dead

Physically: I smile

For the next week or so, Aspen Thomas barely left the lounge room filled with a massive collection of brightly coloured cushions, rugs and armchairs. Except that it is to shower and go to the toilet. During that time the only people she saw Anaelle and Lealia.

She had thought that the pain caused by her cheek would cease after Anaelle had cleaned it up, but it hadn’t. In fact the pain had become worse. Her cheek felt as if it is on fire and looked it too. But it wasn’t just her cheek, it was her whole body as well. Her body was burning and small beads of sweat made her forehead shine, yet she felt so cold.

For a long time Aspen had kept these hidden; hiding the swelling of her cheek, wiping the sweat of her face and firmly shutting her mouth whenever Anaelle or Lealia came into the room. She didn’t want to cause anymore trouble, didn’t want the Zhang’s getting sick of Aspen and having to look after her. But she couldn’t hide it anymore, Aspen Thomas knew that something was horribly, horribly wrong.

Uncertainly, Aspen rose on her weak legs, attempting to focus as the world around her spun. As if drunk, she swayed and stumbled to the door and for the first time entered the corridor leading to the kitchen with Anaelle or Lealia by her side.

Hearing the door of the lounge room opening, Lealia peered out from behind the open fridge door. Her brown eyes widened as she saw Aspen, and her swelling cheek, the sweat the glistened on her forehead and her knees that were knocking together as the trembled.

“Pen are yo-“

“I think I need to go to the hospital” Aspen interrupted weakly

And then her knees failed, and the world around her went black, but not before she heard Lealia screaming her name.

When Aspen awoke, she was surrounded by white walls, beeps and the sound of scurrying feet against tiles. Not knowing where she was, Aspen opened her mouth wide; preparing to scream. Abruptly she slammed her mouth shut as she saw Anaelle Zhang rushing towards her, her brown swollen and red from the tears she had shed. Anaelle’s short legs worked as fast as they could, and when they finally reached Aspen she pulled the feverish girl into her chest, holding her tight as if fearing she might disappear. Aspen felt small droplets, that must have been Anaelle’s tears, fall upon her bald scalp.

“I’m so sorry Aspen! I should have noticed and I didn’t I’m so sorry!”

Over and over again Anaelle pleaded for Aspen to forgive her

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault” she soothed, though her voice was muffled against Anaelle’s chest.

A not so discreet cough was made above Anaelle’s sobs and the irritatingly consistent beeps. The two women looked up and almost instantly a powerful sense of fear erupted within Aspen. A fear that she was ashamed of. Before them stood a man that was around 30 years old, the stark white lab coat he wore contrasting with his dark skin and curly black hair. Sensing Aspen’s sudden, and immeasurable fear, and knowing that men still frightened Aspen, Anaelle placed her body protectively between the man and Aspen, even though she knew there was nothing to protect her from.

“I’m sorry” Anaelle apologised, though she didn’t sound even slightly sorry “but Aspen needs a female doctor.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs Zhang, but that is really not possible.”

At the sound of his deep voice, Aspen had begun to shudder violently, her breaths quickening as she held back frantic sobs.

“Well make it possible” the older woman snapped, her eyes darting nervously to the shuddering girl behind her

“I’ll see what I can do, but first I’ll just check the wound to see the extent of the damage.”

And with that oblivious man walked forwards. Hearing his footsteps and the smelling the cheap coffee of his breathe, Aspen opened her mouth wide. This time as she opened her mouth a loud, blood-curdling scream erupted high above the incessant beeps. In utter desperation she threw herself onto the cold, tiled floor and crawled into the far corner of the room to scream amongst the wires and machines. A crowd of nurses filled the room, some running to the screaming girl and other who were pulling the male nurse out of the room as he yelled.

“I meant her no harm!”

The already hospital room had another occupant as a woman walked in calmly. Her greying hair pulled into a loose knot at the back of her neck, a pair of thickly rimmed glasses resting on her Roman nose and on her chest sat a name tag which proudly read

‘Dr.  Sheryl Williams’

With a few hushed words from Dr Williams the confused and slightly panicked nurses filed out of the room. Once they were gone the doctor walked to where Aspen cowered beneath a machine with flashing lights and crouched in front of her, speaking to Aspen softly

“It’s okay, Aspen,” she said “they are gone. He is gone.”

Silence, except for the beeping, filled the room as Aspen closed her mouth, seeming to trust the woman who shone with such a strong aura of power and authority and yet seemed so understanding and gentle. With surprising strength for such a tiny person, Sheryl Williams pulled the newly silent girl to her feet and led her to back to the hospital bed. Wearily, Aspen sand into it, the use of the little amount of strength she had length leaving her weak and exhausted.

Abruptly the doctor spun to face Anaelle and motioned for her to follow to the hallway outside. Aspen supposed that their conversation had meant to be private, but even over the noises coming from the machines Aspen could hear every work the two women spoke.

“The wound is infected, Mrs Zhang” Sheryl Williams’ voice said “why was Aspen not brought to me sooner?”

Purposely ignoring the disappointment and contempt in the other woman’s voice, Anaelle replied “That wasn’t possible at the time.”

Williams now sounded absolutely horrified “that is no excuse! This girl’s life was a stake and this is the first time I have seen her! You are a doctor, Mrs Zhang, you know what could happen to her if the wound was not cared for properly!”

“You don’t know the circumstances,” Anaelle interrupted furiously, her French accent becoming stronger in her anger “if I had brought her here sooner, she would have been harmed further!”

“Well then inform me of the circumstances,” Williams spat

Attempting to keep calm, Anaelle spoke slowly and Aspen had to strain her eyes to catch each of her words “She is my daughter’s best friend and the same day that we found her on a front porch, Lealia told us that her neck was covered in bruises and the shape of a hand was red on her cheek. And all the evidence points to Aspen’s father,” now unable to control her anger, Anaelle spoke quickly with pure fury in her voice “and as soon as she is ready I will be taking her to the police to get the monster behind bars.”

Then Aspen heard angry footsteps thudding against the tiled floors and shortly afterwards Anaelle had stormed into

Aspen’s hospital room. The anger in the woman’s face faded into surprise and then amusement as she saw Aspen sitting on the white sheets, a guilty look on her face.

“How much of that did you hear?” Anaelle asked, her brow creased in amusement

Aspen had the audacity to look sheepish as she responded “All of it…”

Silence was shoved between them as Dr Williams re-entered the room, looking slightly more repentant than she had when she left.

“I’m going to clean the wound now, Aspen, with some chemicals to try and kill some of the bad bacteria in the burn, but it’s going to hurt so we are going to put you under. We don’t want you to be in anymore pain, not after what you have been through!”

As the last sentence slipped the tremble in her voice became stronger and she hurriedly wiped away a small tear before Aspen could see it.

Taking a deep breathe, Williams continued quickly “While you are under the aesthetic we will do some surgery on your cheek. Normally we would put your name on a waiting list, but I think I we wait any longer the infection will get worse. Now do you know what skin grafting is?”

Aspen nodded confidently, even though her mind was reeling with all the information that had been thrown at her. Only minutes later Aspen was lying down on her hospital bed, surrounded by a group of three female nurses, all chatting happily to her.

“Okay sweetie I want you to count to ten” the nurse with curly red hair “and by the time you wake up you’ll be brand new!”

By the time she had gotten to two, Aspen was under, and for the first time in a long time she was at peace with the nothingness in her mind and was able to forget about what the little monsters in Mr Thomas’ mind had done to her.