Page 28 of Reaper

“The fire. Falling through the stairs. Both sets. The firefighter that rescued me was knocked unconscious by a beam. Then, other firefighters got us out.”

“Good. Do you remember your name and the day?”

“Lark Evangeline Thompson. I don’t know if it’s the same day or not, but it was September 6ththe night of the fire. We were closed for Labor Day and the 6thsince our normal day off is on Mondays.”

The nurse nods as she pats my leg. “Good. Today’s the 7th. You were in surgery for a few hours last night. You woke a few times earlier today, but you slept most of the day, which is good because it will take time for your body to heal.”

I swallow a few times and feel my eyes starting to sting. “How badly am I hurt?” I croak out just as a doctor comes in. He smiles softly when he sees that I’m awake, but I can see hesitation on his face.

“Hello, Lark. I’m glad to see that you’re finally awake. I’m Dr. Hill. Before we get to the specifics, how are you feeling?”

Again, I swallow, trying to ignore how scratchy and sore my throat is, among everything else. “In a lot of pain but there’s also areas of my body that feel numb. Almost like there’s no feeling at all. There are a few areas that feel like they are on fire. No pun intended. My throat feels like it’s shredded. I’m about a nine out of ten, and I normally have a very high pain tolerance.”

Dr. Hill’s lips lift a little at my attempt at a bit of humor, but then another coughing fit hits. Shakily, I reach for the cup of water. Ma picks it up and hands it to me, and I sip slowly even though I’d rather chug the whole pitcher. My throat is dry as a bone.

Dr. Hill nods solemnly. “In time, your throat will feel better, but you will need to be on oxygen for the duration of your stay here in the hospital, and possibly even for a while after you are released. As for your body, you have third-degree burns on the side of your face, ear, and neck,” he says as he points to his own body to indicate where I was hurt.

“As well as portions of your left shoulder, chest, left arm and left hand. You have first- and second-degree burns on your arms, waist, and legs as well. Those are most likely the ones that are hurting you right now. As for your third-degree burns, time will tell if your nerves were completely destroyed by the fire or not. There are sections of your hair that were singed or burned, but they should recover. From our reports, your burns would have been significantly greater had you spent much more time in your house. Also, you must have hit something during the fall as your ribs on your right side as well as your shoulder are also bruised, but thankfully, nothing is broken.”

I fist the sheets with my good hand as my mind whirls with what this means for me and for my future.

“We’ve cleaned and debrided your burns. We also used an antimicrobial cream and gently wrapped them to help keep them clean. The bandages will need to be changed at least once a day. We’ve given you antibiotics, pain medications, and fluids intravenously. For now, we’ll keep you on the intravenous fluids until you are able to drink enough on your own to replenish the fluids you’ve lost.”

“Will they scar? I mean… I know they will, but… How much?” I ask, my voice weak and even I can hear the fear and tremble in my voice. I already know the answer, it’s just the severity that I don’t know.

He sighs and I feel it down into the marrow of my bones.

“Yes, they will scar and quite heavily in most of the areas. You can get skin grafting done to reduce the scarring, though. Most insurances cover skin grafting in instances like this. Early grafting and excisionisvital to your overall outcome if you want to minimize the scaring, and most of the time, patients heal faster if they get the grafts. I hate to put pressure on you since you’ve just woken, but we need a decision on whether you will choose skin grafting or not.”

I turn slightly, wincing in pain as the skin around my neck and shoulder pulls, and look up at Ma in question. The three of us have the same insurance that we offer to our full-time employees, though we only have a few that are full-time.

She nods. “I’ve already called to verify, and yes, we’re covered. If you hadn’t woken up today, I would have signed off for you to get the grafts, since you have me as your medical power of attorney.”

However, judging by the pinch at the corners of her eyes and the set of her jaw, there’s more she has to say, but she gives me a small shake of her head. I don’t know if it’s about the surgery, or surgeries, that I’ll need or if it’s about the fire in general.

Turning back to the doctor, I go to nod, but then wince. Fuck, it’s going to take a while to remember that I need to limit my movements. “I’ll get the skin grafting.”

I feel Ma’s hand tighten on my left thigh, and it’s then that I realize that since she’s sitting on my left, that’s probably the only place that’s undamaged for her to touch. As Dr. Hill starts to inform Ma about what will happen next and what to expect at each step of the process, I feel my mind starting to shut down.

Leaning back, I feel a tear slip free, but I make no move to dry it as it runs down my cheek. My life is never going to be the same again.

When Dr. Hill finally leaves, my gaze goes to Ma.

“You and Granny… Were either of you hurt in the fire?”

Ma shakes her head. “Nothing serious. Granny and I both have a few burns on my arms and hands, but the doctor said they were first-degree burns and should heal with minimal scarring.”

“Void?”

Ma’s gaze lowers and my heart sinks.

“No one’s seen him yet but the firefighters know he’s missing. They’re keeping an eye out for him while they finish their investigation.”

“How bad…?” I started to ask but then I start coughing again. Ma picks up my cup and when the coughing fit passes, I take a few sips.

She gives me a tight, hard smile, but I can also see the pain in her eyes. “It burned so hot and so fast, I don’t think we’ll be able to save it. Any of it. So much has been lost or damaged beyond repair. Either by the fire or by the water. We probably will have to level it and rebuild.” She pauses at that and looks off to the side, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

Our family has lived in that house since my great-great-grandpa Raymond built it a few years before he built the supper club. To lose the house is like losing part of our family history.