4 Changes and Consequences
Hearing noises around him, Kayden slowly opened his eyes, before being stunned by the situation.
He was lying on a hospital gurney under an unfamiliar roof, illuminated by the dim light of dawn.
As he tried to sit up, he felt a sharp pain all around his body, especially in his ankle and ribs. Carefully, he observed the state of his body before moving on to where he lay.
Many bandages covered his body, mainly on the ribs and ankle, where the pain got stronger. His right arm showed several bruises but otherwise seemed to be fine. As for the left, it was connected to an IV sachet of saline to keep him hydrated.
He looked at the incredibly high ceiling, coupled with the noises around him and the curtains put up to provide privacy, and he deduced that he was in a pavilion, probably used as a temporary hospital.
After observing his surroundings, Kayden remembered the ruined palace that had looked incredibly real and how he had fainted as soon as he entered the interior.
He also recalled the promise to himself, vowing that from now on, he would focus on achieving his goals at all costs, no matter what it took.
Kayden's face twitched at the helplessness he had felt before the door and its symbols, still fearful of the unbearable pain.
At that moment, the curtains moved, and an elderly nurse with old glasses, fixed with tape probably after the earthquakes, entered through one of the curtains.
"You have finally awakened! My companions and I were worried after you showed no signs of doing so even when several days had passed," she exclaimed, excited as if talking to her grandson.
Kayden was stunned before realizing he still didn't know how long he had been unconscious. He had assumed it hadn't even been a day yet.
'On second thought, it makes sense that it's been days since it would be impossible to set up this makeshift hospital in such time.'
"Is anything wrong?" The nurse asked, seeing he said nothing.
"No, no. It's just that I haven't processed everything that's happening yet."
"You're telling me, who would have thought that so many natural catastrophes could happen in such a short time? It's like the planet reminding us of our place." She said, confusing Kayden even more.
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated? While it's rare to be an earthquake of such magnitude, and even rarer for two to happen so close, it's not like something like this has never happened before."
"Sure, you don't know that yet. The whole planet is in chaos. Countless massive earthquakes shook the earth completely." She started saying, making Kayden's eyes widen like saucers.
'Countless earthquakes? How is that possible?' He wondered, completely stunned.
"In turn, numerous tsunamis pounded the coasts. Damages are expected to reach 16 trillion before slowing down, approximately 17% of the world economy." She concluded.
It took him a moment to assimilate everything she had said.
After a few seconds, he asked her, "You said that I haven't woken up for days, how many?"
"Let's see... Since you got here, it's been about four days, but if we consider the time you were unconscious before you got here, it would be about four and a half days."
"Four and a half days..." He mumbled before turning to the nurse and asking her what worried him the most, "How bad are my injuries?"
"I think it'll be better if the doctor answers that, but I can tell we've never seen someone recover as quickly as you. I'm going to remove your bandages before the doctor arrives." She explained as she reached over and began unwinding the bandage.
Kayden was still confused since he had never seemed to heal faster than others.
Looking at the old scar from the beginning of his sternum to the left side of his neck, he remembered how it had taken weeks to heal completely, wondering if the doctors were wrong and his injuries weren't so bad.
Just as the nurse had finished unrolling the bandages, the curtain opened, and a middle-aged man walked in.
He had a bushy white mustache and an expression that gave off enthusiasm.
"Well, Kayden, you are truly a case worth studying," he began, although Kayden still didn't understand why they were making such a big deal.
"Three fractured ribs, a sprained left ankle, a brain contusion, and multiple minor contusions." He recited, leaving him dumbfounded.
Now he could start understanding why everyone was so surprised.
"How is it possible for me to have recovered in such a short time?" He asked, stunned.
"That's why your case is fascinating. When you arrived, we were worried you were not waking up." The doctor started, "However, after several tests, we discovered that you were recovering from your injuries amazingly fast and decided not to try waking you up."
The nurse nodded repeatedly, agreeing with what he said.
"It was risky, but we decided to wait for the results to show that we made the right decision," the doctor concluded.
"And that seems to have been the case," the nurse commented.
"Indeed," the doctor chuckled, "it's remarkable how these wounds are healing in just a week, when they would typically require a month to fully recover."
After listening to him, Kayden remembered something else he wanted to ask.
"How did you find me? Did a woman call you?"
"A woman? No, the rescue team found you while searching the city for survivors. You were lucky to escape the building since your area wasn't ready for such earthquakes." The doctor explained.
"I see," Kayden emotionlessly replied, remembering how he had risked his life to save that woman, all so that she didn't even call emergency services when the debris hit him.
Although she could also have been hit, he didn't know why but his intuition told him it wasn't the case.
This brought him back to the cruel reality, reminding him why he had decided to act for his own benefit after the events in the palace.
Remembering the palace, he also found it strange that he had had such a weird dream at the same time his body showed an absurd resilience.
"All right, Kayden, I think you'll be able to discharge yourself in two days, meanwhile you'll have to stay so we can make sure there's nothing wrong with your injuries." The doctor uttered.
"Okay, but where can I go now that my apartment has collapsed?"
"You can stay in a hotel or apply to stay at one of the help centers the government has set up." The doctor explained while he finished cleaning his wounds.
"Perfect. By the way, is there any entertainment here like TV, mobile, books, walking...?" He asked, fearing the answer.
'I hope there's something to do other than stay in bed, or I'll end up dying, but from boredom.'
The doctor stroked his mustache while he thought, "Let's see... There are a few public computers, which you can use thirty minutes per day, and you can also walk around, but indoors since the streets are been repaired. As for the cell phone, I can't do anything."
"That's more than enough, thank you."
"You're welcome. I have to go see another patient, I'll be checking your wounds in the afternoon, be careful not to beat yourself up until then," he said after applying the new bandages.
"Okay, see you later," Kayden said goodbye as the nurse and doctor disappeared behind the curtain.
An hour later, bored out of his mind, he decided to use a computer to check the news and his email in detail.
He walked around the noisy pavilion with a crutch, trying to guess how many patients there were.
When he reached the corner where the computers were, he was surprised there were about two hundred patients, although the surprise diminished after understanding most would have minor injuries.
He approached the person who seemed to be in charge, signed a paper, and quickly sat down at a computer.
After opening his email, he went to the inbox, and what he saw almost made him punch the screen out of anger.
While he thought that, once again, the world was making fun of him, he clicked on the first message that appeared.
