Nick’s point of view
I was awoken when the door to my ward creaked open. I could only make out
complete darkness, so it must have been night. Footsteps issued from the
doorway, where the person was walking. Just a night-nurse, I guessed. I
tried to get back to sleep, but the footsteps stopped when they were right
next to me.
THE NEXT DAY
I sat nursing my broken arm in the waiting room, wondering if Nick was any
grumpier than he was yesterday. It was about 7:00am, and AJ, Howie and Kevin
were still fast asleep. Leighanne had woken me up at about 6:45 when she
went to get some coffee, and Kristin had gone with her.
AJ, who had managed to sprawl himself across three seats, turned over
dreamily. Still asleep, he wasn’t aware that the seats ended where he was
turning. Falling off his makeshift bed, he woke himself up, as well as
startling Howie and Kevin into wakefulness. I managed to laugh lightly at
their bewildered expressions.
AJ’s point of view
Brian and me walked down the corridor to Nick’s ward. We both expected him
to tell us to take a hike. Still, we had to see him to make sure he was all
right.
“Psst…wake up!” a female voice whispered in my ear.
I groaned and pointlessly opened my eyes, “What time is it?”
“Erm…sometime past 1am,” she answered. “Look, I heard you had an accident.”
“Yep, but so have half the people in here,” I replied. “What makes me so
special?”
“Everyone knows about it. I came in here to help you,” she claimed.
I sighed, “I don’t need a doctor. I need a miracle!”
“What’s wrong with you?” the girl inquired, concerned.
“I’m blind for life, that’s what! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get
some sleep!” I told her irritably. I was getting very edgy lately.
“Blind? Geez, that serious?” she exclaimed quietly.
“Yes, now go away!” I ordered.
“I can still help,” she claimed.
“Look, are you gonna leave or do I have to call somebody in here?” I
threatened.
“I promise, I can help you!” she insisted.
I frowned in the direction of her voice. How could she help me out at all? I
was told this was irreversible. “Who are you, anyway?”
“That’s not important, just lie still.”
I did as she told me, and she put her hand over my eyes, “OK, now this might
hurt a bit, but don’t worry,” the stranger reassured.
Suddenly, I felt a cold chill go right through me, but I felt relaxed under
this girl’s influence. Like the stranger had said, there was a sudden,
numbing pain at the back of my eyes. Yet as suddenly as the pain had
arrived, it disappeared, and the stranger removed her hand.
“There. I have to go now,” she stated moving away from me.
“Wait! What did you just do?” I asked, sitting up.
“You’ll understand in the morning,” she told me.
She continued to walk, but her footsteps were not alone. There sounded like
another set had joined her.
“Is there someone else there with you?” I questioned.
“Well, sort of. He’s not a person,” she informed.
“You mean he’s your pet?” I asked, surprised. “You’re not allowed animals in
here!”
“I wouldn’t call him my pet, but you’ve got nothing to fear from young
Tohja,
here!” she reassured.
“Strange name,” I commented.
There was no reply, but more footsteps, and the new footsteps sounded like a
dog’s footsteps.
“Hey, what’s your name?” I demanded, “Who are you?”
“One of your fans!” she whispered, before closing the door and leaving me in
silence. Slightly shaken, I lay down and drifted back to sleep.
Brian’s point of view
“I wish I had a camera right now,” I stated, grinning.
Kevin rubbed his head and then started to look around him.
“What you lost, Kev?” Howie inquired, while proceeding to hit AJ with a
cushion.
“Kristin. She was right here!” he claimed, pointing to the empty seat beside
him.
“Relax, Kev. She went with Leighanne to get some coffee,” I told him.
Kevin relaxed and sunk back into his chair. AJ stood up and dusted himself
off, “Have you been to see Nick?”
“Not yet. You wanna come?” I offered.
“Yeah, might as well. Save me from getting killed for waking these two up
early,” AJ agreed, gesturing to Kevin and Howie.
We entered the ward to find Nick just sitting up in his bed, and it looked
like he was in shock.
Brian ran up to Nick’s bed, and I followed. A nurse was seeing to Nick,
trying to get some reaction from him.
“Mr. Carter, are you alright?” she asked, “Is something wrong, Nick?”
“Yo Nick!” I attempted, “Say something!”
He just sat there but then turned and looked at both of us in turn, “This
can’t be real,”
Brian didn’t know what to say in reply to this. I didn’t either, but I
noticed with amazement that Nick’s eyes didn’t have the blank, sightless
sense about them anymore…...