Page 60 of A Light in the Darkness

In my head, I’m still trying to get into the rest of my brain, to get access to myself. But all the doors are locked, and there’s nothing in this place… no hurt, no pain, no joy.

It’s a great white void.

“Why are you worried about smoke inhalation?” I hear someone ask, and I start to open my mouth to tell them I’m not worried, but someone speaks first.

“Because I pulled her out of the fire.”

“Mmm. Taken to pulling people out of burning buildings these days, have you, senator?”

I don’t hear if the senator says anything back to her before the woman disappears. It doesn’t take long for Dimitri to fill the space she left, dropping to his knees in front of me so that he can get a good look.

“Claire.” His voice is soft. “What happened?”

I open my mouth—I think I do—but no sound comes out, and then there’s something being forced over my head. I jump, clawing at the chain before it can close into a loop, but hands force mine down, pinning me in place, and no sound still comes from my throat… no cries, no pleas, no scream.

A moment later, something is pressing against my face, smothering me, stealing my breath.

The woman is in front of me again, and her glossy orange lips are moving, so I force myself to still so that I can hear her saying something about breathing. She doesn’t seem to realize I can’t breathe when I’m being smothered, but I try anyway. She has a nice face, and the Scooby Doo characters on her top make me feel oddly secure. Bad people don’t like Scooby Doo—he’s the one who stops all the bad guys.

“Good.” I hear the word a minute after her mouth turns into a smile, and she nods at me, pleased with whatever I’ve done. “You’re doing great. Keep breathing.”

So, I do. It’s all I can manage. I can’t think, can’t find the energy to move, but I can breathe. It’s a simple enough thing to do, and it pleases her the more I do it.

“Great job, sweetie.” She says, and I’m suddenly aware of her hand on my back, rubbing small circles. Without explanation, my eyes fill with tears that I blink back, and after a few moments, she pulls the strap from around my head. “I’m going to get some stuff to take care of your other injuries. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

I shake my head automatically, and she smiles and leaves the room again. It’s hard to breathe without her here—I feel like I forgot how to do it in her absence, but I don’t want to disappoint her, so I focus on taking breaths in through my nose, forcing air through my spasming throat.

God, it hurts.

“I’d like to speak with my patient alone.” The woman says as she comes back in, pushing a steel metal cart before her.

I don’t hear who objects, but someone says no, and my head turns in his direction. I’m vaguely surprised to see the senator still sitting next to Dimitri, leaning forward with his hands clasped together.

“I’m not leaving her.” Dimitri says, shaking his head.

“I wasn’t asking.” The woman’s voice is hard. “I can have security remove your ass from the whole hospital if you want me to? Or you can step outside for five minutes.”

“I—” Dimitri looks like he’s ready to fight her, but the Senator stands.

“Come on.”

Her stone façade drops the minute they pass through the door, and she turns back to me with a much softer disposition. “You’re really brave, Claire, but I think you’re lying. Are you sure you aren’t hurt anywhere else?”

“No.” I shake my head.

“Did those men hurt you?”

“No.”

“Did somebody else?”

I hesitate, not sure how to answer that. “Yes.”

“Was it someone you know?”

“No.” I say, but then a random voice in my head reminds me that that may not be true. It could have been my father.

“Do you feel safe with those men in your room?”