Beep~ beep~
I opened my eyes, the occasional beeping sound of the life support machine following the same steady pattern as my heart.
It was slow and it seemed louder than it actually is.
'Where am I?' I wondered but it didn't take long for me to figure it out. From the beeping to the thick scent of antiseptic.
The pain that wracked my body and the white colors all around were the icing on the cake.
I turned my head, gazing at the window. I could feel the gentle warmth of the sun filtering in through the light curtains.
My lips curled downwards. It was a smile, but it was one that made my heart ache in a more painful way than my battered body.
'How did I get here?..." I wondered. I slowly blinked, closing my eyes for a bit as I tried to recollect. Didn't take long for the memories to come pouring in.
Creak~
I turned my head to the other side, towards the door that was opposite the window. A nurse stood there, her brown eyes were constricted and her mouth opened in a shocked gasp.
She immediately turned around, most likely going to call the Doctor.
I waited patiently, as still as possible. I was multitasking.
On one hand, I was recollecting memories, on the other hand, I was observing my surroundings while also trying to figure out how long I have been here.
I ignored everything else.
A few minutes later, a middle aged man walked into the room, his breath a bit rough. Probably from the running he did to get here.
The nurse also seemed to have a variety of emotions flowing through her eyes and it made me suspicious of my situation.
I could tell, they looked at me like I had grown a pair of wings, like I had come back from the dead, like I was a miracle.
"How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked after doing some tests. I stared at him for a moment, not replying.
I was taking in his appearance and his every action, from his soft gaze to his balding hair. His name tag which said 'Dr Meyer' was pretty eye-catching too.
"Maybe he suffered from some brain issues? As expected…" the nurse sighed sadly as she suggested to the Doctor.
"H—How long?" My voice came out hoarse. My throat hurt and I found it hard to speak properly.
The Doctor and nurse duo stared at me with surprise once more. I could see the hope in the nurse's eyes return and the Doctor smiled softly for a moment before his smile vanished and his look was replaced by one of sadness.
"Nine months."
It was my turn to be surprised. Nine months. I've been in this hospital for nine months, laying half dead, struggling for my life.
I felt the familiar thug on my heart, a pain that seemed to want to consume me whole. The reason for the pain was not the amount of time I had spent, although almost a year of my life was wasted, I wasn't one to dwell on such.
No, the reason for the pain is the incident that led me to the hospital and the fact that I was sure the effect was negligible on the culprits in general.
But I decided to ask anyway,
"What happened to them?"
It was only normal for an investigation to occur after I was rushed into the ER, and I was sure it didn't take the authorities long to find the culprit. They were one of their own after all.
But having been in a coma, I knew nothing of what happened here. But as my Doctor, I knew Mr Meyer would know.
His expression immediately became downcast. I could see the sadness and disappointment on his face and it was even deeper in his eyes.
I couldn't fathom why this man was feeling such for someone like me, someone he didn't even know.
"Nothing. They were merely given a light tap on the wrist."
"Ahh—" I sighed, my voice was gradually becoming clearer the more I spoke. It still hurts like hell though.
I smiled sadly, I expected as much.
I've always been called weird, from a young age, I behaved differently from most boys my age. I read when others played sports and I admire almost anyone, regardless of gender.
Being a kid, I chalked it up to nothing and I went along with the flow for most of my youth. Until a few years after my highschool graduation, when I was attacked by a bunch of former classmates.
They apparently found my picture on a gay dating site and catfished me. I wasn't even angry, but they treated me like I committed third degree murder.
I can't remember much, except red clouding my eyes and the pain that followed after.
I expected as much. While I wasn't exactly bullied in school, I wasn't treated well either. But this… I never expected this from anyone. They called themselves humans.
"W–hen can I– be dis–charged?" I asked, my voice cracking in the process. A different kind of pain taking over.
"It might take a while. I guess once we are sure you are alright." Doctor Meyer replied.
I nodded my head, my eyes focusing on the window. The sky looked clear, barely any clouds. Such a beautiful day, yet I was stuck with this ugly feeling.
"Can I be left alone?"
I didn't pay attention even as the nurse and the Doctor left the room and closed the door behind them.
Clack~
But the moment the door was shut, I felt streaks of warm liquid glide down my cheeks. The tears began to pour and my eyes immediately became blurry.
But even with my low vision, the empty table beside my bed told me all I needed to know.
I was in a coma for nine months and not a single visitor. Even though I had a relatively large family.
I was beaten to near death and my assaulters are probably just waking up with a hangover from clubbing too hard the previous night.
My parents… they were alive and well and yet…
I wanted to shout, I wanted to scream and I wanted to thrash around and let all of my anger out.
But I couldn't, so I remained quiet, my hand clenching my shirt tightly as the tears poured.
***
Skyy hospital was and still is among the top hospitals in H city. It was known not only for its superb consultation but also for its amazing surgery team.
It was mostly due to this team that Elliott was able to survive the unfortunate incident.
The hospital had four floors, each level opened only to a particular level of people. Elliott's room was located on the third floor.
The floor was bustling, as much as such a floor could. Although the amount of hospital personnels and patients on this floor was way less than that of the floor below, it still had its fair share of hustle and bustle.
"Doctor, should we contact his family?" Hana asked Doctor Meyer as they both walked down the corridor, heading for the Doctors lounge.
The middle aged man glanced at her and sighed, his eyes deep and filled with wisdom as he spoke slowly,
"You should know the answer to that."
Hana became silent for a moment, her gaze lowered. She understood the Doctor's point of view. It had been nine months, apart from funding the hospital bills, there were no signs of the patient having any family members.
"Not even one visit in nine months, that's heartless." Hana frowned. She clenched her fist as anger bubbles within her.
"Such is life. That young lad has been casted out, separated from society. People like that…."
Although the Doctor didn't complete his sentence, Hana got an inkling of what he meant.
"What should I do now?" Hana asked. She was a kind nurse and one of the reasons she became a nurse was to help those in need.
She felt like even when perfectly fine, Elliott will still be in need of their help. Thinking about the situation, Hana felt her heart breaking for the patient.
"I can't even imagine how he's feeling right now." She muttered sadly.
"We'll do what we are supposed to. I will write a list of checkups and heats to be carried out and you'll make sure to follow through along with regular checkups."
Doctor Meyer sighed, pausing for a while as Hana looked at him in surprise. She didn't expect such a reply.
"Once he's fine, we'll discharge him." Doctor Meyer added.
"But Doctor—!" Hana began to protest but she was cut off by the Doctor.
"We can't do anything. Trust me." Doctor Meyer sighed sadly, his eyes glazed as he seemed to recollect a past memory.
"Right now, the only one he can depend on is himself."
"But Doctor, he will be severely affected by this! He might even become su–"
"Hana, leave it at that." Doctor Meyer interrupted. He began to walked first once more before slowly adding,
"It might be hard, but if he pulls through, he might just be reborn."