Enjoy!
Eight days passed by before Chuck saw anything but that big bright moon rising up above the trees of his family property. Eight days before he saw anything but the black nothingness of a coma. When he did finally open his eyes, screaming and thrashing away the flimsy blankets of his hospital bed, he fully expected to be staring down the snarling mouth of his worst nightmares. But he didn't. Instead, tender arms reached out for him and shoved him against the mattress. A voice called out to him, soothing him.
He laid back and took in deep, slow breaths. Something was wrong. He wasn't where he was supposed to be. It was too bright, and warm. Someone walked into the room and pulled away the tender arms that had remained firm across his chest. One of his eyelids was pulled back and a light was shined at it. Chuck pulled away and blinked his eyes.
"Where am I?" he said.
"You're at St. Juliana's, honey," the woman examining him replied. "Don't you worry about a thing. You're wife here brought you in just in time. You'll be okay."
Chuck turned his head. His wife stared back at him, smiling and clutching his shoulder. "Oh, Jeanie," he said.
Her sweet, sparkling eyes did all the talking; she didn't need to say a thing. Red rimmed and swollen, they showed the many hours of worry, but the lines that creased around their edges also showed how happy she was to see him awake. He reached his hand out to caress her cheek. She met it halfway and melted into his arms.
"Jeanie." He sobbed.
She brought her head up and wiped her eyes. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you bastard."
Chuck laughed. His muscles screamed against the sharp movement, but he was so glad to be alive. No pain in the world was enough to take away how happy he was to be with his wife at that moment.
She leaned toward him and brushed her lips against his. "I love you," she said. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Jeanine pressed her soft cheeks against his scruff.
"No!" Chuck pushed her away hard and sat up on the bed. He couldn't let her get close. He needed to see the doctor. He needed to know the truth. "Get the doctor," he said to the nurse.
She didn't budge. "Now come on, just lay down."
"I said get the doctor."
The woman looked from Chuck to his wife then rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Minutes later she returned with an older man with short, white hair. He walked up to Chuck's bed while the nurse stayed by the door.
"You wanted to see me?"
Chuck sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. "Did I come in here with any scratches or bites?"
The doctor smiled his patronizing little smile and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Bardine, we treated all your wounds."
"That's not what I asked."
He sighed. "Yes, you had a few deep scratches from where the wolf attacked you, but nothing debilitating. You'll be up and out of here in no time."
Chuck closed his eyes and laid his head back against his pillow. "You have to kill me."
Check in next Monday for the next installment!
~Emily White
Wow, an 8-day coma. The main thing that tripped me was forgetting he was married. When the doctor mentioned his wife, I went "Who?" But that's probably because of how it's been since I read chapter one. I like his insistence on speaking with the doctor and having his question answered.
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