A Touch of Fire (Meridian Island Book 1) Page 2

  “You know we’re all just waiting for her to finally die so she can stop hogging up space we can use for other patients who need it. She won’t die if you won’t let her go. I mean she should just go ahead and just die already,” she finishes on a yell throwing her hands up in frustration.

  Ehnn? Me? I look to ‘brown hair' and her face looks like a thundercloud and I decide to step in before she hits her because she look like she’s about to, I’ve heard enough of this nonsense anyway. What kind of hospital treats its patients like this?

  “And you wonder why ghosts haunt people,” I mutter drily. Her eyes finally snap to me and I watch in satisfaction as she screeches clutching a hand to her chest. I wait her out.

  “Damn, that hurt my eardrums,” I grimace trying to move my hand but it’s still playing possum and I sigh in resignation.

  “Miss—”

  “Don’t ‘Miss' me. Just get the fucking doctor so I can get the fuck out of here,” I grunt the anger finally bleeding through my tone. She nods her head tightly and heads for the door but just before she could step out I stop her. “Oh and you’ll die before I do.”

  I hear my accent bleed through my voice which makes me realize just how angry I am and I breathe in deeply a few times to calm myself.

  I see a spark of anger flash in her eyes but it disappears quickly. I raise a brow challengingly at her and her lips tighten even more but she just shakes her head and steps out of the room.

  “Hmm,” I groan in pain.

  “What is it?” The girl asks her eyes widening but they still remain blank ad emotionless totally at odds with the concern mirrored on her face.

  “Water,” I croak around the burn in my throat and I really shouldn’t be speaking but I couldn’t resist putting that bitch in her place.

  ‘Brown hair’ rushes over to the drawer against the wall at the foot of the bed where she digs through a drawer pulling out a glass which she fills with water, adding a straw to it and I smile gratefully at her.

  She holds the straw to my lips and I greedily suck on it but she immediately snatches the straw from between my lips scowling at me and something flashes through my mind at her severe expression.

  What? I give her my best innocent look and she sighs fitting the straw between my lips once more. I’m just thirsty okay?

  “Slowly,” she admonishes and I nod my head slowly in understanding.

  I take slow pulls on the water this time, the cool water doing wonderfully in soothing my sore throat and the burn in my chest subside a little. I turn my head away when I’ve had enough.

  “Thank you,” I rasp and she nods with a little smile. Something flashes in my head again but it’s gone before I can grasp it and a shiver of unease rolls through me and my eyes widen in alarm.

  She sets the glass on the small table by the bed and sits down gingerly beside me on the bed. She touches my forehead with the back of her hand with a worried look and I look at her curiously for a while before I couldn’t take it anymore. Who the hell is she? And what’s up with her eyes?

  “I’m sorry but who are you?” I finally blurt out and watch as surprise registers on her face. She quite beautiful too I realize with her brown hair and big brown eyes with the fullest bow shaped lips I’ve ever seen on anyone.

  Are they real? I look down at her clothes and they could really use a round in the washer. Just then the door opens and a man in a white lab coat comes through his attention focused on the tablet in his hands.

  ‘Brown hair' gets off the bed and walks towards the man. His eyes fly to her when he notice her standing in front of him but his eyes never come my way.

  She nervously wrings her hands together but there’s just something unusual about the gesture like she finds it difficult to behave in such a mundane manner. They have some kind of whispered conversation with a lot of hand gestures and I feel a frown on my face. I smooth out my expression as best as I can before the doctor turns his attention to me.

  ‘Brown hair’ moves over to the window her movements jerky showing her agitation. Okay, now things are getting weird.

  What is happening?

  I try to move my hands again but they’re still acting as lead pipes and I sigh in frustration. The doctor walks over to me with a smile on his face and I eye him suspiciously at his overly cheerful expression.

  Is this guy really a doctor? He looks quite young, maybe a few years older than me but not enough for me to believe he actually graduated from medical school.

  “Hello, Miss Darko. How do you feel?” he asks the smile still on his face and I blink.

  Seriously? Is this guy for real?

  I can’t move any part of my body, I wake up in a strange hospital and there’s a strange woman who knows my name, my throat fucking hurts and the only part of my body that I can move besides my mouth are my eyes and he asks me how I feel?

  How the hell does he think I feel? I think in indignation.

  “I feel like a museum exhibit on cloud nine,” I respond in the sweetest voice I can muster and then roll my eyes at him.

  He face colors instantly and he coughs into his fist avoiding my eyes. I look pointedly at him and he sets the clipboard in a holder at the foot of the bed. He moves around the bed a few times doing Lord knows what and then finally he comes back into my field of vision, his attention back on the clipboard in his grasp.

  “I told you something was wrong,” the low voice whispers and my eyes snap to ‘brown hair’.

  What’s wrong? Is my kidney failing? Or my liver? My heart starts thumping really hard in my chest making it hard for me to breathe a little and the heart monitor starts beeping like crazy.

  I take in several deep breaths to calm down and think of the big bowl of okro soup and akple I’ll prepare for myself once I get out of here. Maybe I’ll even head down to the fish market and buy some fresh tilapia and then fry it myself.

  Mmm, when was the last time I ate anything?

  I look back to the doctor and he seems frozen in place watching me with a strange mix of emotions colouring his face, something akin to relief and some other emotions I don’t really care to identify right now.

  What does ‘brown hair’ mean something’s wrong? This is really starting to freak me out. I feel a pang in my chest but it feels distant, like it came from someone else, kind of like an echo of someone else’s emotion and I frown.

  I try to move my hand again but it still won’t budge, then I feel my fingers twitch. I sigh in relief and wriggle them experimentally. Thank God, whatever drugs they’ve drowned my system in are starting to wear off.

  “Uh…doctor?” I say slowly but I don’t get any response from him. I don’t think he’s moved from his position yet and he doesn’t look like he will anytime soon.

  His eyes suddenly fly to ‘brown hair’ and this look transpires between them and I wouldn’t have caught it if I wasn’t looking so closely. What had that been about? Is everyone here crazy then?

  ‘Brown hair' gives a discernable nod of her head a look flashing in her eyes and I get the feeling of dread in my belly, the one I usually get when I’m in trouble.

  I’ve never felt it this intensely before, not even the times that I would swing from trees and slip or miss a branch or even when I know I’m about to get a good beating from Nanaga Sena for disappearing all day from home without telling her so why do I feel the sudden urge to get away.

  I don’t understand what I actually need to get away from, I just know I need to get away and fast. So the first chance I get, I’m out. Well, let me rephrase that.

  First thing I’ll do when I can feel my feet again is get the hell out of here.

  “Hey!” I snap finally losing my patience. Geez. Why’s everyone acting strange? Come to think of it, what am I even doing in a goddamn hospital? How did I get here?

  “You were brought in by the chopper,” ‘brown hair’ says nervously.

  Oh, I must have said that out loud.

  I look to her and she hasn’t moved away f
rom the window but her eyes are trained on me now with such intensity I feel awkward and fidgety which is really uncomfortable with me being unable to move.

  There’s still some light outside but not much which means it’ll be dark out soon. Good, I need the cover of the night to be able to get away undetected. I look back at the doctor when he clears he’s throat loudly and I stare pointedly at him.

  “Yes doctor,” I say neutrally. Can’t have the good old doctor getting suspicious. I really need to get out of here.

  “How much of the incident do you really recall?” Incident? What incident?

  “Huh? What incident?” I ask in confusion and he rears back in surprise.

  “You don’t remember what happened?” He asks, his voice full of surprise.

  Some people paa! If I’d remembered, would I still be asking?

  I sigh and relax back in the bed closing my eyes and letting my mind clear of everything. I feel the headache recede a little and the throbbing in my skull calm a little. There’s just one thing I need to know anyway.

  “How long have I been here?” I ask quietly and after a few seconds of silence, I open my eyes just in time to see the exchange between ‘brown hair’ and the doctor.

  “What?” I ask again looking between them suspiciously.

  “Seven months,” he sighs squeezing the bridge of his nose.

  Seven months? I’ve been out of it for seven months? I deflate further into the bed my blood running cold.

  “Where am I?”

  “That’s enough for today, why don’t you get some rest?” he answers instead and I almost curse at him but I remember my plan to get out of here and instead clench my jaw shut.

  Rest? He just told me I’ve been out of it for seven months and by some miracle I’m awake and he opens his mouth to say ‘get some rest’?

  It takes everything in me not to scream at them but I can’t have them shooting more drugs into my system now. I bite down on my lips when the words threaten to spill out of my mouth and close my eyes.

  “Makafui—” I hear ‘brown hair’ move close to me but she stops a little ways away from the bed.

  “Get. Out,” I grit out quietly because I don’t know how loud I’ll scream if I try to speak louder than that.

  “Come on Stella, you should get some rest too.”

  An image flashes in my head but it quickly vanishes before I can grasp it. I frown a little. What’s that? It’s just like the other times but none of this makes any sense.

  What kind of accident will happen that will make them bring me to a hospital and I’d be unconscious for seven goddamn months? I’ve never been sick a day in my life which creeps Grandpa Mawuli out to no end.

  I shake it off with a tired sigh and lie still. For the next few hours, I don’t say a word to anyone, I only keep my eyes close waiting for the drugs to hurry up and wear off so I can see about cooking that akple.

  A couple of people come in but I don’t move or say a word and after a while, the room goes quiet and I don’t hear anyone out in the hall either.

  I sigh in relief and finally open my eyes with a pained groan. The drugs have worn of for a while now and I try to sit up only to fall back on the bed immediately in pain.

  What have they done to me? I grab my side close to my heart at the intense rush of pain shooting through me. My vision swims out of focused for a while and I swear I see myself falling over a cliff.

  What the hell? That felt so real. I breathe through the pain and when I can finally think clearly again, I give it a minute before deciding to try again.

  I groan at the pain that shoots down my back but I grit my teeth through the pain and sit all the way up. I blow out a heavy breath sweat beading on my forehead and yank off the blankets.

  My legs are covered by soft blue cotton pants and I look down to see I’m in a white shirt with a few buttons down to midriff. I’m keeping the shirt, and the pants too. I deserve it after everything I’ve been through and it’s at least better than a hospital gown.

  Now I don’t have to worry about my ass being on display while I make my escape. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I grunt at the soreness in my muscles and look around the room grateful it’s empty.

  Thank God for small miracles. I look out the window and it seems it’s already dark outside and has been for a while.

  Perfect.

  My stomach growls softly and I ignore it. This isn’t really the time to go scavenging for food or maybe I can just look for a single sandwich which wouldn’t hurt anyone. I shake my head quickly to dislodge the thought before I give in and start looking for a sandwich.

  Pushing off the bed, I stand on my legs and hiss when my feet touch the cold floor my toes curling in reaction and I look around for something to wear on my feet but there’s nothing in the room except for the drawer beside the door, the heart monitor and some other equipment. I notice an IV stand beside the heart monitor and I look down at my hand.

  Oh. I yank the needle out of my arm with a wince and pull off the peg thing on my finger. Maybe I can take the peg thingy with me?

  I sigh at my thoughts and stand on my feet letting go off of the bed. My knees start knocking together and my hands clutch at the sheets again.

  Taking in a deep breath, I let the sheets go and push away from the bed a little grimacing at the strain in my legs and slowly drag a foot testing its strength.

  I drag the other one too and slowly make my way to the door. Damn, even my ass hurts and at this pace I’ll be escaping this place some time tomorrow afternoon. I change direction to the window instead since it closer to me than the door.

  Grunts escape me at how wobbly my legs feel and I pray I don’t drop into a heap on the floor. I walk slowly to the window on the other side of the room and look outside.

  Hmm, the ground isn’t that far down or I don’t think it is. I really shouldn’t trust myself with my night blindness and all but I think I can easily jump out. I look into the darkness and I really can’t see much past my nose but that isn’t going to stop me from getting out of here.

  I reach out to open the window and within the next second, something slams into my middle so hard I go flying through the air and my back connects with the wall with a resounding thud and I fall to the ground with a pained grunt.

  I roll over and clutch my stomach in pain and groan quietly as agony shoots through every inch of my body. I stay still as my vision darkens and spots dance in my eyes and I breathe slowly through my mouth and wait for it to pass.

  I let out a long sigh when I can finally see more than two feet in front of my face but I give it a few minutes before getting off the floor.

  What. The. Hell. Just. Happened?

  I touch my hands to the small of my back and straighten sharply and let out a low curse at the cracking sound that fill the room. I move back to the window but not too close though—I don’t want to know what it feels like to fly again—to check for what had sent me flying like that.

  Nothing seems out of the ordinary so what had sent me flying through the air? I look around but there’s nothing there for me to blame the pain in my back on.

  Okay so the devil incarnate that’s the window is out. I look at the door warily and then look back at the bed longingly but quickly shake off the temptation to go lie down.

  Something’s seriously wrong with this place and I need to get out of here like yesterday. So despite the pain in my body, I drag myself over to the door and stare at it suspiciously for a while before jerking my hand out experimentally and then snatching it back really quickly with one eye closed.

  I breathe in deeply and grab the doorknob, slowly turning it to pull the door open and then sigh in relief when nothing happens but it creaks really loudly and I cringe squeezing my eyes shut.

  Why’s it that every time I try to open a door quietly, that’s the only time when it decides to make noise? I curse under my breath but at least grateful it didn’t send me flying through the window and step outside hesitan
tly.

  What if this is a mistake? I’ve seen how this ends in movies. Maybe I should just go back and wait for the doctor. But what if I stay and regret it later? What if the doctor comes back later only to kill me?

  ‘That window will kill you before the doctor can get a chance,’ the voice whispers in amusement and I bristle in irritation.

  ‘The window doesn’t scare me,’ I scoff rolling my eyes at her dramatic attitude.

  ‘Remember Charlie doll?’ it whispers conspiratorially. ‘This window is worse than that doll.’

  ‘Okay I’ll see you outside,’ I say quickly decision made. That revolting doll. How can something be much scarier than that?

  I step out and close the door softly looking both ways before turning down the hall. I walk for a while before I grow tired of not knowing which way to go anymore. Is it left or right?

  Right looks legit but it can also mean dead-end but what if I take a left turn and fall into a pit of fire? My head is starting to throb at all these thoughts. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath and slowly blow it through my mouth.

  ‘Conscience.’

  ‘I’m right here.’

  'What should I do?’

  ‘What you feel is right,' she sighs and I feel her irritation but I ignore it.

  'And what exactly might that be?’ I drawl growing impatient with her evasive ass.

  ‘I don’t know but you better make up your mind fast.’

  ‘What do you think I’m doing, getting a foot massage?’ I snap in exasperation.

  ‘Whatever, just hurry up.’

  'What the hell are you even doing in my head right now? You’re completely useless,’ I hiss at her.

  ‘Well suck it up. You asked for my help,’ she snaps and I can practically see the attitude dripping from her tone.

  ‘Yeah, I definitely need help if I’ve resorted to talking to you,' I grumble irritably.

  ‘Left.’

  'Thanks,’ I mutter reluctantly.

  ‘What was that? I didn’t quite hear you,’ she teases with a laugh.

  ‘I said THANK YOU!’

  ‘There’s no need to behave in such an uncultured manner,’ she huffs before I feel her drift away.