Chapter 45

Scarlet:

*Beep...beep....beep...*

'Ugh I am so tired of these fucking machines; the constant beeping is only adding to the pain in my head.'

"Well good morning sleepy head. How are you feeling this morning?" Stella looks like hasn't slept in days.

"Oh, you know just another day in paradise. I'm so ready to go home. I am really hating this fucking feeding tube and the stupid catheter is the worst and then of course there is the damn beeping. My head is throbbing horribly. How are you this morning?" I give her a sincere look hoping I don't seem insensitive. I grimace as the beeping continues making it hard to focus, I begin to get dizzy, and my world begins to darken I can hear Stella's muffled voice, but I can't make out what she is saying. My world darkens further and fight with everything in me to avoid going out I don't want to sleep anymore.

"Oh, Scar I am so sorry. I wish I could make it all better. Your head throbbing like that is probably is probably the severe concussion. Do you want me to get your doctor?" She looks at me concern, I am so relieved that she is speaking because it is helping me to fight the black out that threatens to take over my mind.

"Please Elli just no more medicine that will make me sleep anymore it makes me feel worse." I close my eyes and focus on visualizing the block out being forced into a box while Elli goes to get my doctor. When she returns my doctor is with her to my relief.

"Hello there, Miss Scarlet, Stella has told me that you would like some medicine that won't make you sleep. Unfortunately, I cannot give you any medicine just yet. Here in about 10 minutes, you will be going for another MRI. After that I can give you some tramadol, it might make you a little sleepy, but we have already given you some Tylenol and we need need to alternate medications. I will come check on you when you come back alrighty?" She gives me a friendly look.

"I understand thank you so much. I just don't want to sleep anymore." I feel a little upset at her answer, but I know that it's protocol.

"I fully understand, however the more sleep that you get the more time that you have to heal. Our bodies heal faster and better while we sleep. Sleep is a good thing even though you feel as though you may think that you are sleeping too much." I nod my head in understanding. She smiles at me politely as she leaves my room.

"Well, this hopefully will be a good thing, if your MRI looks good, we can go home not only that, but you will be free of the feeding tube. I can't wait till we can get you up and moving and home that much quicker." She is practically bouncing up and down in her seat causing me to smile. I look at James and see him smiling at her with so much love in his eyes. The love that he has for her is radiating off of him. I feel so happy that she found someone who seems to love her just as deeply as she loves. 'I swear to God if he hurts her, I will fucking kill him.'

A couple minutes later another nurse walks into my room and I feel a slight bit of anxiety. "Hello, sweetheart." She gives me a sweet smile. "Can you please verify your name for me."

"Hi there, my name is Scarlet Williams." I say and I can hear the anxiety in my voice as I speak. She smiles at me again nodding her head while she checks the clip board in her hand.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I am Natasha and I am here to take you to imaging. Don't be nervous everything will be ok. We will take very good care of you and get this done rather quickly." She walks over to my bed and releases the brake on my bed and wheels me out of the room and down the hallway. She gently turns into one of the imagining rooms with a huge circular machine.

"Alright honey we are going to gently move you from your bed to the other one, ok? Please hold still and just stay calm alright." I nod in understanding. I see about 3 other nurses surround my bed and I feel them each grab a corner of my sheet and lift me, and I feel like I am floating on a cloud as they place me on the other bed.

"Okay lovely I will be back for you when you're finished with your MRI. Make sure you hold as still as you possibly can and fallow the instructions as they come to you." I hear the break on my bed release, and I can hear her wheel my bed out of the room closing the door behind her. Underneath of me the bed lifts up and carries me into the middle of the round machine where my arms are resting at my sides and still touching the walls of the space around me. I begin to feel anxiety in such a small space, so I close my eyes reminding myself to hold still and I listen for the directions that I know are soon to come. I hear the machine start to power up and begins to sound louder and louder and my heart speeds up, but I lock my muscles in place determined to hold as still as possible that way I can get done with this quickly.

I try to picture myself at the beach in the warm sun listening to the waves crashing all around me and feeling the warm sand between my toes as I walk close to the water line. I do everything that the imagining nurse instructs me to do without opening my eyes, I feel myself getting fidgety and I strain to keep my muscles locked as best as I can knowing that I should be done soon...I hope. Finally, I feel the start pulling me out of the machine and I wait to open my eyes until I feel the bed lowering. Once I hear the door open and the wheels of my bed approaching, I open my eyes and see Natasha the friendly nurse who brought me in here smiling at me.

"You did really good sunshine. We are going to lift you back onto your bed in 1...2...3..." They set me on my bed once again. Just as I felt like I was floating on a cloud I am amazed at how gentle and seamlessly they are able to lift me and move me.

With a great deal of relief, I exhale and smile at my nurse, "Thank you for taking such good care of me and being so gentle. It really makes me feel better and more comfortable. Honestly I have never liked hospitals...not since my parents died anyways." My care team smile at me sympathetically as nurse Natasha wheels me out into the hallway. When I get back to my room Stella and Cam are there waiting for me along with my doctor.

"Cam! I am so happy you are here bubba!" I can't stop the tears that begin to fall as the nurse begins the process of hooking me back up to my machines. Cam smiles at me and walks to the side of my bed on the opposite side from the nurse and gives me a quick hug. My doctor cleans my port for pushing medicine and smiles at me and patiently waits for Cam to move out of the way.

"Alright deary here is that tramadol I told you about. I will be back to talk with you shortly when we receive the results from your MRI." She finishes pushing my medicine and leaves the room. All too soon I begin to feel groggy, and I lose the fight against sleep.