CHANGE OF POV: RAY'S POV
As I came to, my ears were the first part of my body to fully awaken. I could hear a chorus of sounds surrounding me – voices, machines, the hustle and bustle of a hospital.
My fingers twitched, and then I heard a voice that was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. My head was pounding, as if a battalion of soldiers were marching through it.
My eyelids felt heavy, as if they had been replaced with lead. It took all of my effort to finally pry them open, but when I did, I was momentarily blinded by the bright light.
I didn't need anyone to tell me that I was in a hospital, but I had no idea why I was there. I tried to open my eyes again, slowly, and this time they adjusted to the bright lighting of the room. Everything was blurry at first, but eventually I was able to focus on something.
"Ray, can you hear me?" I heard a voice say. It was familiar, and it took me a moment to place it as Sam's.
"Hey, keep it down," I managed to say, ignoring the parched feeling in my throat. "Your voice is so loud."
"Sorry, man," Sam whispered, although to me it still sounded like he was shouting.
"Babe, I'll call you back. Ray just woke up and I need to go call the doctors to check on him." I realized that he must have been on the phone with someone.
He hung up the call and came back to my bedside. "Ray, are you still there?" he asked.
I managed to nod, and he said, "I'll be back in a bit. I want to go call the nurses to check on you."
True to his word, Sam returned soon after, accompanied by a team of nurses ready to assess my condition. As they examined me, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to bring me here.
My head was still throbbing, and my mouth felt like it was full of cotton. I just wanted to close my eyes and go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I need to find out what happened and how I landed myself in the hospital.
As the nurses bustled around the room, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the chaos. My head was spinning and I couldn't seem to focus on anything, their white uniforms a blur of motion.
A doctor eventually came in to assess me, but even their presence couldn't bring me much comfort. They soon left and I was left alone with Sam.
I turned my head to see Sam sitting by the side of the bed, concern etched on his face. "What happened?" I croaked out, struggling to piece together the events leading up to my waking up in the hospital.
"I should be asking you that," Sam replied. "We found you unconscious in the gym."
I tried to sit up, but my body felt like it was weighed down by an invisible force. Sam rushed to help me, propping me up with a pile of pillows.
"Don't you remember what happened?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.
I racked my brain, trying to remember what had happened, but all I could come up with were scattered images and fragments of memories. The more I tried to concentrate, the worse my headache became.
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head slightly. "Just flashes of images. You came to pick me up for school… the cafeteria, the gym with Mia… then… I don't know. I think Lily might have something to do with it, because I remember seeing her face and hearing her voice."
"You were drugged, Ray," Sam said suddenly.
I was shocked, and my heart began to race. "Mia," I said urgently. "Where is she? I need to see her."
Panic was starting to set in as memories started to come back to me. Mia had left the gym to go get something, but I don't remember seeing her return. I just hoped she was okay.
"Relax, man," Sam said, placing a hand on my chest to keep me from getting out of bed. "She's fine. Kira took her home. You should be more worried about getting better."
"I need to go home," I said, trying to sit up again. "What time is it? My mom will be expecting me by now."
"No, she won't," Sam said. "She called yesterday. I told her we were studying, so…"
"Hold on," I interrupted. "You said yesterday? How long have I been out?"
"About 10 hours," Sam replied.
I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, trying to process everything that had happened.
'This is a lot to take in.'
The hospital room was quiet except for the sound of the machines beeping and the occasional footsteps of a nurse passing by.
I felt a sense of disorientation wash over me as I tried to make sense of everything.
'How had I ended up in the hospital? And who had drugged me?'
I had so many questions and no answers. All I could do was try to rest and let my body heal.
Gradually, I could feel the memories coming back. They started as flashes of images, couldn't make sense of them at first. Little by little, they started to make sense.
I remembered Sam coming over to pick me from the house, got to school, cafeteria, then I and Mia went to the gym. I think at that point I almost blacked out but I think I remembered Lily in there and Mia walking out angrily.
Only that part of my memories was still hazy.
Then I remembered having a dream, I and Lily were a thing.
Mia.
"Hey Sam, you there?" I asked opening my eyes.
"Yeah.. I'm here." He said scooting closer
"What of Mia? I guess something happened in the gym, can't remember what." I asked.
"Well, we were looking you two but after closing, we saw Mia and she was quite upset. She seemed to have been crying. Then she mentioned you and Lily kissing in the gym." Sam replied.
"You don't remember what happened?" he asked again.
"I think I can guess what happened. Mia went to get us a drink each but someone brought mine. After taking the drink, I felt numb and I'm guessing Lily came in and Mia got the wrong idea or something." I said, piercing one and one together.
" Rest well, we can discuss this later when you're well rested."
With that, I closed my eyes and dozed off.