Every day Callie and Mat would come by to entertain me. At first I felt smothered and didn't know how to act towards them, but gradually I looked forward to their visits. However, each day I spent recovering I became more uneasy.
The thought of being summoned just because Amo was bored was terrifying. Callie and Mat's visits were distractions to this deep set panic. After all there was no logic to 'I am bored, go risk your life for my entertainment.'
Mat grabbed my hand and stared at me in the eyes.
"Are you okay? It doesn't look like you have been sleeping much. Is it difficult to sleep in the hospital?"
I smiled at him. He had taken it upon himself to show small tokens of affection like holding my hand more and more recently. I felt conflicted about calling him out on it and wanting his warm feelings to melt the terrified state I held underneath my carefully composed face.
"It is a lot more difficult to sleep in the hospital than I remembered."
He would pretend that this was an honest answer, but grow more worried as his visit continued. This same pattern continued for days, and he even started to argue with the nurse as she pushed him outside the ward at the end of visiting hours.
"You have a devoted boyfriend."
"He is not my boyfriend. Just a party member."
"Well he certainly wants to be your boyfriend then. Would you like a sleeping pill tonight?"
"No, I don't want to rely on medication."
"Ring for me if you change your mind. You can't heal if you continue like this."
I smiled at the nurse. It wasn't that I couldn't sleep. I just did not want to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind replayed every brush of death I had and I was unable to stop it from forcing me to experience them over and over.
The doctor said that my sleeping problems were probably because of the trauma that I went through. I began to wonder if it was punishment for not entering the tower in so long. This seemed like something he would do.
I pulled up the covers and sighed. I would need to sleep tonight. My mouth became immediately dry and I unintentionally shivered. Even my body had a negative reaction to sleep. I forced my mind to quiet and shut my eyes.
A tiger stalked me in a forest. Blood soaked its maw and Kei's face, staring blankly in the distance, appeared. So we were starting after he died this time.
"Save me!"
My mind went blank. That was his voice. Kei…
"Save me, Kai."
The head was looking at me now and speaking. Why? Why do you need to show me this? I am trying to save you. Please. Wait a little longer.
"I don't think I have a lot of time left. I understand if you can't make it. We only knew each other for one day after all. I just wanted to say it was fun. Goodbye."
I reached out towards him, but the tiger broke my view and I was attacked. Instead of fighting back I fell to my knees. Don't leave. I will save you.
I woke up in a cold sweat clutching the blanket. The sky outside my window had already started to lighten.
"Another nightmare?"
The nurse handed me a cloth for my face. We had this ritual every morning. My heart rate would send her into my room and she would greet me as I woke up. I apologized for sending her in so early again.
"It's fine. I wish there was something we could do to stop the dreams. However, it seems like a negative status from the dungeon is causing the issue. The doctor has sent for a consult. Can I get you a drink from vending or something?"
I shook my head and laid back on the bed. My broken ribs were almost healed, but they ached when I moved quickly. The nurse laid out a towel and a change of hospital clothes.
"Go ahead and take a shower. I will be in with your breakfast in an hour."
I covered my face with my arm and took as deep a breath as I dared. This had been the first time that my dreams had added elements aside from what had actually happened. It felt like the possibility of Amo influencing my dreams was becoming more true every time I closed my eyes.
I decided to take the nurse's suggestion to shower and quickly washed off the cold sweat. The warm water eased my muscles and I felt a bit better than the day before because I had slept.
Surely Mat wouldn't look at me with such a worried face now that the dark circles were gone. I knew he would see through that though. It was like he had a sixth sense when it came to how I was actually feeling.
I wasn't sure if I should be happy or annoyed by this ability. I guess it was useful some times and annoying at others. At least I could successfully hide things from Callie.
Callie had decided to help out around the hospital since I was stuck here for a while. She would listen attentively to the nurses directions and even the doctor had taken to teaching her various things. It seemed that no matter where she went she charmed those around her.
I wonder if that was a skill that she received from the tower? Callie was adorable so I had always thought that was why I felt inclined to pat her head and dote on her, but maybe it was a skill she received from the tower instead.
After drying off, I put on the new set of hospital clothes. They were loose fitting and easy to move around in so I didn't mind them too much. I was already at the point where I could move around on my own, but the doctor insisted that I still needed to be monitored.
The physical therapy room had an advanced exercise room, so I used it in the mornings before visitors were allowed in to get back in shape. Breathing was still difficult when I jumped around, but I felt mostly normal aside from the nightmares.
I would get a check up after breakfast and right before visiting hours. My days were incredibly boring. When I stepped out of the bathroom two individuals were waiting in my room.
I frowned when I noticed the association's uniform. I had forgotten that they wanted to speak with me about the tower and why I came back almost dead. I had heard that my doctor barred them from the clinic until my condition stabilized. I guess today was the day they were allowed back in.
"Visiting hours are not until later, but in the essence of safety we deemed an earlier visit best."
I did not like the smile on this woman's face. I am sure it was their job to investigate, but wait outside while I shower. This was just creepy. My stomach growled in anticipation for breakfast.
"We brought bagels."
The man sitting to the woman's right held up a bag. I decided to forgive them. At least they were sensible enough to bring food. It had been a long time since I ate anything but hospital food.
"My name is Anne and this is my partner Carlos. If you feel up to it we would like to ask you some questions."
I hopped back on my bed and held out my hand for the bagels. Carlos laughed and handed me the bag. I picked out a blueberry and a chocolate chip one and handed the bag back.
"What do you want to know?"
I chomped on the blueberry one and waited for the interrogation to begin.
"Let's start with what floor caused your recent injuries."
I smiled and laughed briefly. Anne frowned and narrowed her eyes. I guess my attitude didn't make sense to her. The real start was explaining that I could visit any tower in the region.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. It's just that I didn't get hurt in Crystal City's Tower."
Anne looked dumbfounded, but Carlos looked interested for the first time in our conversation. What was more important was that he did not have the dumbfounded expression that Anne did.
"Anne, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for this one. Go get a coffee and wait for me."
Carlos ushered Anne out of the room. My suspicions were right. The association would only send an inquiry if they suspected something from me. Otherwise, they would wait to see if I reported something like usual. It seemed my days of quietly flying under the radar were over.