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Everything happened so fast that Marcy could hardly keep up with what was going on around her. Her body felt heavy and weightless at the same time as her brother carried her into the hospital. Her best friend Regina on their heels, blood caked on the side of her face. Marcy’s vision was blurry as she tried to focus, but everything hurt, her body felt heavy, she couldn’t feel her legs and her left arm was on fire.
“We need help!” Her brother shouted, adjusting his hold on her. It was chaos in the hospital and no one seemed to pay them any mind. Regina pushed her way through the crowd to the front desk.
“Please! The earthquake, we were driving and my friend, she’s really hurt!”
“A lot of people are really hurt,” the woman at the front said, her eyes showing stress and exhaustion. “We’ll try to get to her when we can but you’re going to have to sit tight.”
“But-” Regina started but the woman ignored her and answered the phone as it continued to ring. She sighed, her expression pinched and went back to Marcy and Joshua. “It’s not looking good, we’re going to have to wait.”
“Seriously? We can’t fucking wait, she could have a concussion and a broken leg,” Joshua snarled.
“I know, but we can’t do anything, everyone is freaking out because of the earthquakes. We may not even get her seen tonight,” tears started to form in her eyes as she felt hopeless. Marcy saved them with her quick thinking and reaction skills but she injured herself more in the process. They had to find some way to get her help.
“What if we go to Evansville?” Joshua asked suddenly. “It’s barely an hour’s drive.”
“It’s the closest city to us, people who can’t be seen here might go there,” Regina said, shaking her head.
“But if we go now, before everyone else realizes that, Marcy can get help,” he glanced down at his sister, whose head rested on his shoulder, her face slack. “Marcy, don’t go to sleep. Open your eyes,”
“No,” she mumbled, barely able to shake her head. Without the chance for further discussion, Joshua rushed back out to his truck. Regina hopped in the passenger seat to take Marcy’s weight as Joshua slid into the driver’s seat.
The drive to Evansville was quick as Joshua sped down the highway. Any officers that might have been patrolling had bigger things to worry about than a speeding truck. They could still see the smoke and red clouds in the rearview mirror as they drove away from Hawkins and the destruction that no one would have ever thought could happen.
Earthquakes? In Hawkins?
“Hold on Marce, we’re gonna get you help, but you gotta stay awake,” Regina said, her fingers like a vice around Marcy’s arm. Marcy struggled with consciousness, her head throbbed and she just wanted to sleep.
Why wouldn’t they let her sleep? Why wouldn’t they…?
Thankfully, Evansville Hospital had so far only received inquiring phone calls about their space and help but no one had swamped them compared to the Hawkins hospital. They were in the thick of it. Soon, Evansville will get the spillovers. Joshua and Regina were able to get Marcy into a room.
“Her injuries aren’t life threatening so we’ll put her in a double,” the nurse said as they wheeled her down to a bedroom. “Her leg is fractured and she has a minor concussion but she can sleep. She needs to sleep. You just need to stay with her for the first 12 to 24 hours and wake her up every 4. I’ll be back to check on her.”
********
Marcy opened her eyes and looked around confused, her mind and vision foggy. She shuffled a bit and found she couldn’t move her right leg and panicked. She pulled herself up as best she could and her brown eyes fell to her leg, caged in a large white cast atop two pillows. Her eyes widened and she began to panic. Her chest tightened, her breath quickened and her fingers twisted in the sheets around her.
“What the hell?” she gasped, her eyes watering in shock. What happened to me?
“Marcy?” She jumped and fought when hands grabbed her shoulders.
“Marce, it’s me. It’s Reggie. Calm down!”
Her vision unclear, she could barely make out her best friend holding her.
“You have to breathe, you’re okay! Breathe with me.” Regina sat on the bed, Marcy’s right hand clutched to her chest, Regina’s left hand on Marcy’s chest as they breathed together.
“W-where…?”
“Evansville Hospital,” Regina answered, being sure to speak slowly and breathe steadily for Marcy to continue to lock on and match. “You did some damn good driving, girl,” Reggie said with a smile. “We’d probably be in worse shape if it wasn’t for you.”
“How… did… we… get here?”
“Josh, remember he was following behind us? His truck could take the road better than your car. Which, sorry girl, I think Storm is gone. We went to Hawkins Hospital first but they were swamped because everyone was there, totally freaked out, understandable. Your brother is great in a crisis.”
Marcy listened to Regina’s words. She noticed the white gauze wrapped around her friend’s head and she furrowed her brow.
“Are you okay?” She whispered, her right arm reaching for the wound, her throat raw. Regina shook her head carefully, lowering Marcy’s arm.
“I’m okay, a lot better than you,” she frowned. “No offense. They said you have a fractured leg, a sprained wrist, a concussion and your throat might be sore from screaming”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, but like I said, you did the damn thing. You saved us.”
********
Marcy drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the night, she was in pain but every time she closed her eyes, she just kept seeing the highway splitting apart, red smoke rising and rocks flying. She kept seeing them drive off into the woods and hitting that tree head on. She gasped, her body jerking forward and peered around the room. She was alone. Regina must have stepped out and she hadn’t seen Joshua yet but she was okay.
“I’m safe,” she whispered to herself. She was in the hospital, in a different town. She should be fine. She heard loud voices in the hallway, they seemed to be getting closer so she laid back down and pulled her blanket up further, hoping to go unnoticed.
“Let’s get him in here,”
“But doctor, that’s a double-”
“Yes, it’s going to have to do, it’s the only available bed right now. Let’s take care of this and we can move him in the morning if we can.”
Marcy watched as they wheeled in a dark figure on a stretcher, she could just barely make out long curls, a jacket and long legs. They moved quickly as they shifted the person onto the bed on the other side of the room.
“Is he going to be okay!?” She heard a voice crack as it shouted from the doorway, a male nurse keeping whoever it was from entering the room.
“Please, keep it down,” the man’s gentle voice said but the person, probably a teenager, repeated their question over and over until she just barely heard another voice, male, one she kind of recognized.
“Dustin-”
“He’s going to be okay right?”
“I-”
Marcy frowned. She rolled over on her side, wincing slightly, her face hidden by her blanket but she watched as the nurses and doctor fussed over the boy on the bed. She saw a lot of dark stains… blood? Her eyes widened when she got a glimpse of him.
“I don’t know, kid,” the familiar voice said.
Marcy was glued to her spot, her dark eyes seeing them remove his shoes, a dark puffer vest and what looked like a leather jacket. His hair was splayed out around the pillows and his eyes were closed. He looked… he looked dead.
I know they didn’t bring a dead person to my room. She thought with horror. She couldn’t watch anymore so she turned over and pulled the blanket over her head entirely.
He kind of felt like he was floating. He was pretty sure he couldn’t feel his body.
Especially his fingers. He needed those.
How would he play guitar without fingers? He could probably figure it out. People did things with fingers, or hands all the time.
Did Chrissy like my solo? It was awesome. I practiced the hell out of that song. I think I kind of messed up at the end though. It’s fine. Henderson was into it.
What happened after that?
Oh yeah, we ran back to my trailer. Henderson made it out, back to our world and I… right… I didn’t run.
I didn’t run.
The next morning, Marcy sat up as best she could. She was alone, well, except for whoever they brought in last night. They fussed over him for a long time and Marcy managed to drift off, restlessly but still. The curtain was still open that normally would put privacy between the two beds, but her curiosity was glad it wasn’t closed. She couldn’t see him well, but he was bandaged heavily around his torso, chest and she could see bandages around his neck as well.
Damn, she thought. What the hell happened to him?
With a slight groan, she grabbed the crutches that leaned against the wall, in case she needed the bathroom. She slipped out of her bed, yelping slightly at the cold floor. She made a mental note to ask Regina to bring her a pair of socks.
Marcy silently hopped over to the other bed and glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. Hopefully no one walked in, this would look super weird if they did. She tilted her head as she looked upon the pale face of the boy… young man? She immediately noticed his wild and curly brown hair that desperately needed a good brushing, splayed around his head, almost like a halo. She noted the bindings that covered him, there were a lot and while she knew they cleaned him up, some of the gauze was already darkened with fresh blood.
“Wow, I hope the nurses are coming back to check on you because… that doesn’t look great.”
She saw the slow rise and fall of his chest and a small relieved smile crossed her lips.
He’s alive. She thought with relief. He’s kind of cute.
He’d been heavily injured, that was clear. She wondered if he was caught in the earthquake too. Hopefully his house wasn’t in the way of them. Indiana didn’t get earthquakes, at least not in her lifetime, that was for the West Coast. She’d seen on the news how some houses get swallowed up by the cracks or get torn apart or topple due to the shaking… Was that what he experienced? Horrifying.
Then he moved, his body tensed, the muscles in his arms protruding like they were trying to escape their skin prison. His eyes scrunched up and he groaned loudly. Marcy would have bolted if the giant cast wasn’t keeping her grounded. Her eyes widened just as his eyes slid open. They were unfocused but huge and brown. They stared at her. Rather, through her.
She was rather unnerved by it.
“Hey,” she said gently, her throat still sore. Not sure why she said anything at all but it was too late now. He blinked but didn’t acknowledge that she spoke. “Hey, um, sorry to be in your face but uh, well, I’m glad you survived whatever you went through-” her words cut off with a hoarse cough. He continued to stare and it was… unsettling. “I’m just gonna…” she tried to turn and go back to her bed but she lost her balance, this damn cast caused her to stumble backwards, the back of her legs hit the paneling on the side of his hospital bed. She ended up perched on the edge of his bed, a wince on her face.
“Shit,” she muttered. “Sorry.”
She pulled herself up with her crutches. This shit is the worst.
“I just need a second…” She jumped hearing a voice. It was quiet, also hoarse. She turned to look down at him, his eyes were still open, fixed on the ceiling. His mouth was slack but he definitely just spoke.
“What did you say?”
Marcy watched him as silence filled the room. He wasn’t even looking at her, there’s no way he just spoke right? Maybe she’s hallucinating. It’s been a rough 24 hours, she wouldn’t be surprised if her concussed brain thought she heard him speak.
“I didn’t run away this time….”
Okay, there was no making this up. She saw his mouth move this time. But he still stared at the ceiling. Was he locked in the memory of whatever happened to him? She read that could happen to traumatized people. With the state of him, he was probably traumatized.
His throat tightened. The tendons in his neck showed as his eyes fluttered and his fists tightened in his blankets. She watched in horror as he thrashed in his bed, his head moving back and forth, like he was fighting for his life.
“Hey, hey…” she whispered. Something was happening to him, maybe in his mind, and she didn’t know what to do, how to help. “I can call someone,” she said panickily. Where’s his nurse button?
His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to speak again but something held him back; he was so tense, she was afraid he might snap something. Marcy reached out with her good hand, careful to balance with her leg cast, she touched the pale fingers that peaked from the bandages.
“It’s finally my year,” he choked out. “It’s-it’s finally my y-year.”
Marcy furrowed her eyebrows as she watched different emotions play out on his face. Pain. Fear. Confusion. She continued to stand there and hold his hand as best she could until his throat relaxed and whatever force that was wrapped around him, released. He seemed fine now. Maybe she didn’t need to call the nurse anymore.
“I wish I knew your name,” she said softly. “I could help you with whatever you’re going through. Well, I mean, I’m not a therapist or anything but I remember reading if you talked to someone, and said their name, it could help ground them in their mind.”
She watched for a reaction but he didn’t make one.
“I can talk to you, if that helps. I won’t always get out of my bed but I’m not too far away." Pause. "Are you okay now?”
“Yeah.”
She gasped when he not only answered her but his fingers flexed, like they wanted to curl around hers. Her eyebrows jumped up her forehead as she watched him. He responded but didn’t move or say anything else. Eventually his eyelids lowered, his breathing slowed and he seemed to be asleep again.
Marcy stayed still for a while, her eyes on him and her fingers resting on his, her thumb rubbing gently across the back of his hand. But, just like him, she was exhausted and eventually hobbled back to her own bed. Whatever was going on in his mind, it leaked out of him in one sided conversations.
He needed rest, just like she did.
Cold. Well, actually it’s kind of hot. I don’t know, I feel like I want to lay under some blankets but also like… I want to peel my skin off. That’s weird as shit ain’t it? Also? My back kind of hurts, am I laying on the floor again? Uncle Wayne did say I used to fall off my bed in my sleep as a kid. I don’t think I do that much anymore, but even if I did, he probably would put me right back in my bed and keep it a secret. Good ole Wayne.
I wonder if he’ll miss me. I hope he does.
Is someone there? You know how people walk up behind you and you can tell they’re there before you turn around? Yeah, that’s what I’m getting right now. But I can’t turn around, because… because… I think I’m…
I think I opened my eyes. It’s not like I could tell if they were closed before but I see lights in the distance but it’s dark wherever I am.
There is someone there though. I always made intuitive characters for my campaigns because it’s a natural born gift… to be intuitive. But someone is standing there and I can’t really… They speak and the voice is soft but scratchy, like they came to see my band play and screamed the entire time. That was always cool when it happened.
They were talking to me but my mind, for some reason, I… I was back there, in that place.
Pain.
That’s all I feel and I’m reliving everything again but I can’t move. I can’t… I can’t…
Suddenly everything stopped. I don’t even know what the fuck I’m looking at but it was something.
Something broke through the dark red sky.
“Are you okay now?” I heard the words, and they were so clear to me. The hot/cold I felt was warmed and cooled…
“Yeah,” I said. Surprised that I meant that shit. But then they pulled away and they took the relief with them.
Wait… please…
I just need a second.