The Journey of a Lifetime [Part One]
a short story...
One
She lay on the hospital bed and stared at the ceiling above her. The ceiling was painted with beautiful green murals of birds in a rainforest. The room itself was also the same color but of a lighter shade. Green had a calming effect on her as it was her favorite color and she took deep breaths to clear her mind.
The previous day she had fainted at work and had been rushed to the hospital. She recalled feeling nauseous and having a throbbing headache before she fell from her work desk. She could still see the commotion she had caused due to her fall; co-workers hurrying out of their cubicles to help her, strained voices shouting for medical help, chairs screeching, and muffled gasps. The last she remembered before the blackout was blood slowly flowing into her eyes from the bump with her desk on her way to the ground.
She was awake now and a white bloodstained bandage was wrapped around her forehead. She wondered how long she was out. The bedside table had a bouquet of flowers and a card on it. It was from her family, she didn’t need to check. She decided to, however.
She stretched her right hand towards the table and she jerked the drip connected to her veins. She muttered a silent curse and grabbed the card slowly. It was large and decorated with flowers, typical of them to bring her something so unoriginal. She smiled and opened it to read the message within. To her relief the text was handwritten.
We received the news about your fall and we stayed in your hospital room all through the night. We had to get back home this morning, so that the twins can go to school and so we could also bring you something later. We hope you’ll be feeling better by the time you’re reading this.
Get well soon.
Your loving family.
Her face lit up as she read the card. When she was finished, she closed her eyes and took in the scent of the card. It smelled like jasmine, like home. She could see her family in her mind’s eye. Her husband was slim and dark complexioned with a mustache over his lips. He had a thick afro and his strong frame made it hard to believe that he was in his early fifties. Her twin daughters took after their father almost completely and they didn’t resemble her. They were both tall, slim, and dark-complexioned. They also kept their hair full and un-permed, in an afro just like their father. They were identical twins and the only thing that could tell them apart clearly was a birthmark that could only be seen when unclothed, so they were virtually indistinguishable.
It was unfair of Nature to set her apart from her family like that. They got along as a whole and she didn’t have any problems but it was sometimes stressful having to explain the situation to strangers. Overall, she was content with the way things were.
However, she was a complete contrast to her family. She was plump and short. Her brown hair was long and flowed down her back which drew comments from people wherever she went. She was also fair-complexioned and seemingly introverted while her family was bubbly and outgoing.
Her eyes opened and she was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the room bulbs. She returned the card back to the table and at that same moment, the doctor walked in.
‘I can see you’re feeling better already. I hope you had a good night’s rest.’ The doctor smiled and wrote something in the file he carried. He was tall and had an endearing quality about him. It made her feel more at ease and she smiled back in response.
‘Well, you’ll have to spend a few days here so we can run some tests on you.’ He walked closer and stopped by her bed. She could see his name tag on his chest pocket. Dr. Harrison. He unhooked his stethoscope from around his neck and checked her heart rate. After that, he felt her neck with his right hand to check her temperature and finished up with her pulse by placing his thumb, index finger, and forefinger on her wrist. He did everything calmly and smiled in between checks to make her feel comfortable.
‘The basics seem fine right now, but later I’ll be back to run some of those tests. I have to see some other patients.’
He left as quietly as he came and she reverted to staring at the murals above her.