Chapter Three

When Jane found herself awake again she was in the same room she was in the last time she was awake, though she was sure time had passed, there was no doubt in her mind now that she was in a hospital. Apart from the medical equipment that had been there the last time she had gained consciousness for what seemed like a fleeting moment, there as now a doctor in a white coat standing far too close to her for her comfort.

“am I in the psychiatric ward, or in the ICU?” she asked brushing the strand of hair out of her face, trying to judge just how long she had been in the hospital by how much the dye had grown out. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to work, all of her hair was its natural chestnut brown color. It was substantially short as well but long enough to get in her eyes, at least three inches.

She had to have been here at least five months, or longer. Logically it made sense that she would have sustained a head injury that caused them to shave away her hair and that was why it was in the process of growing back.

“The ICU.” The Doctor responded politely, “Miss Browning, do you know what year it is?” he asked while shining a light into her eyes.

Jane sighed, as much as she respected that this was his job she really didn’t want to have to put up with this bull s**t right now. From what it seemed like she had been in a coma and really the first thing she wanted to do was not answer a bunch of questions about what year it was, but if that’s what she had to do.

“ lets see, If its been as long as I think it has been that would mean it missed new years and that would make it 2013.” She smirked at the doctors face. “ most likely somewhere between February and march am I correct?”

The doctor just smiled at her, “today is February 15^th 2013. You’re a very smart girl, ill go tell your mother that your awake.”

Jane groaned loudly letting her head slam back into the pillow, “is there any way you could like NOT tell  her I'm awake, or stress that I need my rest and that telling me anything extremely boring could kill me?” she asked voice dripping with contempt for her mother.

The doctor smiled with his hand on the door knob, “ill see what I can do.”

Jane spent the next five minutes trying to get her bearings straight. Franklin was dead, dead as in she would never see his face again. Never hear his voice, make him laugh, joke with him about her overbearing parents or threaten to fire him. She had lost the only real friend she had ever had.

She missed his funeral, that was another thing she knew. His mother may have loved her, she had met her a few times when she went there when she just didn’t want to go home and had no where else to go. However Jane wasn’t stupid enough to think that she was going to put of burying her only son until she woke up from a coma.

Obviously there wasn’t any concern about her waking up, she wasn’t hooked up to too many machines, the doctors weren't very worried about her. Joking even and they hadn’t even sent anyone in to explain this to her but she had a feeling that had to do with papa. He had a thing about keeping information away from her as long as he could, he thought it was her greatest tool against him. He was probably right but she deserved to know what was going on. 

Jane fiddled with the iv they had implanted in her the crook of her elbow. She had always hated hospitals. She had never been a particularly healthy child, she spent a lot of her childhood in them. Much to the dismay of her parents at first, eventually however they found a way to spin it so it looked good. It was great for press, publicity. It was good for their image at the country club, for her fathers image as mayor.

Her mother Vivian Browning took care of her sickly daughter Jane who was constantly in the hospital as a child. Of course it was a perfect explanation when Jane became the rebellious teenager she was. Jane laughed to herself. Being back in a hospital bed was almost like being back at home, except a hospital is more of a home to her than her home had ever been to her.

With that thought her mother walked into her room. “oh mother dearest what impeccable timing. I was just thinking about you. When can I leave” Jane asked

She wanted this conversation done with, out of the way as fast as possible. She hated speaking with her mother it was one of the few things she dreaded more than speaking with her father, and god she really hated doing that too.

“ The doctors said now that your awake they have more tests to run, you should be able to leave sometime tomorrow. Your brother is in the lobby he wants to talk to you I expect that you will be civil to him or at least you will be more civil to him than you were to your father yesterday. You are expected to start therapy on Thursday. You will no longer dye your hair these ridiculous colors anymore its what caused this whole mess in the first place Jane. If it hadn’t been for your need to drive into a dangerous part of the city that young boy wouldn’t have put his life at risk. Your expected to be at home before nine pm. I wish to know where you go and who your with at all times do you understand me.”

Jane’s heart dropped at her mothers words, though she herself had thought the same thing it was different to hear them out of someone else’s mouth. Its one thing to blame yourself for the death of someone you care for. But its entirely another thing to know that another person blames you as well. Tears fell down her cheeks and the words she wanted to speak caught in her throat. Rather than speaking Jane nodded in approval.

“I will be sending your brother in momentarily. Clean yourself up for gods sakes Jane.”  With those last words her mother straightened her skirt and walked out of the hospital room heels clicking out into the waiting room as she left.

Jane let out a gasp of breath trying to pull herself together, knowing very well that if her brother came in and she was a mess that he would tell her mother and that her life would just become even harder than it already was at the moment.

She pushed her hair out of her face, wiped the tears out of her face and pinched her cheeks to make them more red than her eyes. She may look horrible, but she was in the hospital. If that didn’t give her an excuse than she didn’t know what did.

Reviews

[melissa]

I agree with jake 100%

[Jake Donald Stephens]

This girl's mother is the WORST B***H OF THEM ALL.
And that's saying something.