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by Scott Normandin
Alex felt
himself awaken, but his eyes remained closed
like coming out of a light sleep. He heard
a steady electronic beep to his left and
felt the soft cushion of a mattress beneath
him. He was in a hospital. There was not
the hustle and bustle of the daily hospital
routine around him so he assumed it was
nighttime. He had hoped it was still the
same night he had remembered passing out.
His stomach was still in pain and he felt
cold.
He moved
his hand up to his forehead with his eyes
still closed and felt the tug of an IV tube
coming out of his arm. His hand touch his
head and Alex felt nothing but cold clammy
flesh. This was serious.
Alex opened
his eyes to reveal a dark private hospital
room, his body hooked up to monitoring equipment
that made a small symphony of sounds that
broke the silence. His eyes adjusted and
he scanned the room for the light coming
from the crack under the door.
He reached
over to the plastic pendant that hung nearby
that held the button to call for the nurse.
He wanted to know what it was that he had.
His first instinct was that he contracted
some kind of rare oriental disease that
probably had not ever been treated in this
part of the world. Such news would not surprise
him, for sure. He knew that this had something
to do with the restaurant he had come from
and he could only imagine the worst. He
calmly pressed the button.
Moments
later a nurse opened the door and walked
in slowly. She moved cautiously and carefully,
with no facial expression. This was unusual.
He had seen nurses before and they were
more likely to walk into a room as if they
had a purpose. They tended to have a strength
and stamina. Most of all, a smile for even
the worst of all patients. It looked to
Alex as though his instincts were proving
themselves more and more.
The nurse
paused at the foot of his bed and folded
her hands across her waist in front of her
and her demeanor did not change. She seemed
scared to be there. The somber look on her
face revealed more than any words she could
have uttered.
"You're
awake?" she asked.
"Yes,"
Alex responded. He was thristy, and his
voice cracked. "I still hurt like hell.
What the hell do I have?"
The nurse
avoided the question, "I had to page
your doctor, he will be right in. He wanted
to be notified as soon as you woke up. I
wanted to let you know he is coming and
you won't have to wait long. Is there anything
I can get you for now to make you comfortable?"
She kept
her distance. Alex thought maybe whatever
he had was extremely contagious and she
was really being cautious not to become
the next host for whatever virus he had.
He wanted nothing more than to just leave
and sleep this whole thing off at home.
"No,
nothing for now," he said. He would
have to wait now for the doctor. The nurse
turned and left, with more eagerness than
she had when she arrived in the room. Alex
just closed his eyes and slept until the
doctor arrived.
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