Frayed (Torn #2)(9)
“Damn straight girly! I look forward to seeing both of my Dollfaces,” Emma said with excitement, but she immediately paused. “Uh, I have something else to tell you… Carter’s been emailing me on a daily basis. I haven’t replied to any of it, but he stills sends them. These emails are mostly about how his day went and what not… do you think I should respond to any of them?”
The hellish f*uker, when would he ever stop with Emma? “Listen up, Em… You’re not obligated to reply to those emails. Ignore them and pretend they’re not there. You will not open any of those emails and read them. You do get that this will f*uk things up with Bass, right? I know you mentioned that you two aren’t official—that you’re in the ‘getting to know each other’ phase—but you should know better! Unless you’re not into Bass, that is. Then go right ahead and read them.” It’s only been a few months since Carter and Emma broke up. It’s clearly normal for her to still have a wee bit of affection towards her ex, but come on! Bass Cole was hot and heavy for her. I didn’t want my friend to mess that up. Bass was the solid deal. Anyone with eyes would know that he was serious with Emma. That’s just a simple fact.
“Seriously, I’m stupidly crazy about Bass. We’ve been inseparable. You’re right; I will go on and ignore them. I’ve got to go. We have a bonfire going with some of the crew out on the beach. See you very soon, Babe. I love you and I’m only a phone call away.” Emma spoke with utmost sincerity . , I i t simply made me tear up.
I mumbled my thanks and told her that I loved her too before I hung up. It was a good thing that I decided to pick up when Emma called. As short as the phone call was, it had alleviated a tiny fraction of the dark shroud that blanketed me.
The door burst open and the nurse entered. She went to one of the cabinets and handed me a hospital gown. “Trista? Here’s the gown for you to change in. I’ll be taking you to the surgery room afterwards.”
I took the gown away from her hands and stood up. “Okay,” I murmured quietly, before I went inside the bathroom. I changed into my hospital garb on autopilot. When I emerged from the bathroom, the nurse was still there, patiently waiting for me.
“You can leave your things here. Everything is secure, so you don’t have to worry about your items being stolen.” She held the door open for me and I stepped out of the room.
The well-lit hallway reminded me of being in a movie where the person was heading for a death penalty execution, sterile and cold. A few more turns and a corridor later, I finally arrived in the surgery room. Positioned in the middle of the bright room was the “execution” table. The medical staff met me cordially before a female doctor greeted me and from then on, things happened quickly.
I was instructed to get on the daunting surgical table while they started preparing everything. As soon as I laid down, I immediately closed my eyes and tried to drown out the sound of everyone. Only opening them when the doctor addressed me, “Trista? This procedure will be very quick. It’s going to be over before you know it. How are you feeling?” The doctor’s kind eyes probed into me.
I blinked back a few times before I responded to her question. “I’ve been better.” If I really had a choice, I would’ve stayed mum and ignored her completely, but heck, she was my doctor, I was obligated to respond.
A nurse tapped my arm and searched for a vein to prick a needle into. “We’re going to give you something to sedate you.” The doctor smiled down at me before she nodded towards the nurse, which I took as a signal to start injecting me with the sedative.
“How are we feeling? Still good?” the doctor asked me again after the nurse finished with my arm. I gave her a small nod, deciding to not really talk if I didn’t need to.
I saw her nod her head again and I heard some stuff being carted towards us. The doctor then started shooting questions at me. I suppose it was a strategy to distract me from what’s really going on around me. What did you major in? What do you want to be? Do you like the beach? Do you like Sea World? I mumbled my replies to all of her mild, pseudo-interrogation, questions. She kept on going until I thought I couldn’t stand it anymore, then everything started to get blurry. Her voice had begun to sound like she was speaking through a glass wall as my senses started to decline quickly. The noisy background heightened before my lids drooped low and shut completely, the noise fading right along with my consciousness. Darkness swallowed me whole. Silence filled me.
* * *
I woke up disoriented and slightly drugged as I took in my surroundings. I might’ve grunted a bit since a nurse immediately had begun seeing to me.
“How are you feeling, dear? When you’re feeling a little stronger, we have tea and crackers for you to nibble on. Do you need some water?” the nurse checked on my vitals as she went along asking questions.
“No, I’m okay.” I spoke with a dry mouth and explicit tightness in my chest. It was done… no more… pregnancy.
“Sleep some more. You did great, Trista. I will be back to check on you shortly.” The nurse gave me a pleasant smile before she took hold of my hand for some type of affection. It was a comforting gesture that I appreciated greatly.
Even in my drugged stupor, sleep didn’t come again. I laid in the silence of the room, my mind taking stock of the minute that slipped away. It took the nurse exactly an hour until she came by again with the promised tea and crackers.