Damn This Twisted Heart of Mine! Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The New Relative (Part 1)

Dr. Malone left the hospital room, intending to call a Mr. Samuel Thomas. Raina wasn't looking too hot, though that wasn't surprising. A sixteen year-old girl, with only one parent, who's slowly wasting away, comatose. Dr. Malone frowned slightly and continued on to the main desk. There she found the phone book, searched for the proper name, and called the number. She frowned evermore when she was welcomed on the other end by an answering machine. She left a message, explaining the poor child's predicament, and the hospital's phone number.

Dr. Malone drainedly walked back to the Thomas' room, about to attempt to explain that the best idea right now was to pull the plug on Ms. Thomas. However, she stopped short when she took in the heartbreaking vision of Raina and Ms. Thomas. Raina's pale face was nearly obscured by a mass of red tangled curls, which she had laid down onto the hospital bed. It looked rather uncomfortable, as she was also sitting in a low chair. In any case, the doctor smiled sadly and watched the slow rise and fall of Raina's back as she slept, hopefully soundly. After a few minutes she checked the time. Her watch read 2:36 A.M. Well. Time for more rounds. Dr. Malone turned out the main light, closed the door, and left to take care of her other duties. There was one detail that the overly perceptive doctor couldn't get out of her head all night: just how tightly, even in sleep, Raina's hand kept a hold of Ms. Thomas' IV'd hand, as though she were in the hopes to feel her mother's muscles twitch in recognition.

Later That Day

Raina awoke to the sound of bustling nurses. She groaned, disoriented, and squinted at the light of her digital watch. Five. In the morning. She groaned again and looked around, trying to recover her bearings. Ah, hell, she thought as everything rushed back to her head. How she came home from school the previous day, only to find her mom seizing on the floor. Then sticking by her and calling 911 even as the seizing subsided. Being rushed away to the hospital. Waiting, endlessly in the waiting room. Then meeting Dr. Malone.

Raina groaned again, and sat up to see two kind-faced nurses smiling worriedly down at her. "Are you okay, sweetie?" asked a short blonde nurse. Raina sent an irritated glance her way.

"Peachy, just peachy," she replied in a bitter tone. "My mom's comatose, it's five in the morning, and I HATE being called sweetie by people I don't know." She registered the shocked expressions on the nurses faces. "I'm sorry. It's been a long night. Or morning. Or whatever it is." then she forced a laugh and attempted a smile. The nurses timidly smiled back, again going back to work -- reapplying medication, surgical dressings, and writing notes down on the file at the end of the bed.

They quickly left, leaving Raina alone with her mother. Raina stared at the perfection that was on the bed in front of her. The creamy, pointed face, flaming red hair waving, flowing perfectly down her shoulders like a halo. Though her eyes were closed, Raina knew very well that the only difference between them lay underneath the pale eyelids: dark, warm brown eyes that showed only love when turned upon Raina. She wanted to see those eyes so badly, so intensely, she left the room in order to restrain herself from breaking down.

She quickly ran into the bathroom, and sat on the toilet, her head in her hands. She remained intent on breathing calmly, slowly. She focused on this one action for another full minute, until her breath had become less shaky. When Raina recovered, she stood on wobbly knees, and placed her hands on the granite counter to steady herself. Slowly, she looked up into the mirror. Oh. A hag stared back at her, with the smae quizzical, strained expression.

The hag's hair stood up on ends, making her head appear to be on fire. The normally elfin face looked as though the skin had been pulled back several inches too far on a failed Botox mission, and drained of all blood. The roving startling green orbs looked even larger than normal, and underneath dark, heavy bags had appeared; the darkness was accentuated by the abnormal paleness of her skin. Overall, she looked as though she had been through Hell and back.

Raina took several more deep breaths, then began making herself look presentable. Just then, the door opened once more, this time Dr. Malone entering, seemingly alone.

"Hello, Raina," she began.

"Hello,"  Raina replied.

Dr. Malone didn't speak for several minutes, all the while checking on Raina's mom. This gave a grateful Raina a chance to pull herself together and start to look like a human being again. Finally, Dr. Malone broke the silence as Raina came out of the bathroom, and asked: "Have you eaten anything?"

"No. Huh. Not since lunch yesterday." This realization struck Raina as odd. Why didn't she feel remotely hungry? Actually she felt the exact opposite - like if anything went down her throat besides water, it would come right back up.

"Hmm..." the doctor glanced at Raina concernedly, her eyebrows furrowed. "Do you have any money?"

"At the house."

"Would you like for me to arrange for someone to give you a ride there to pick up your things?"

"No." A question popped into Raina's mind. "Actually, Doctor, I was wondering if you managed to find my grandfather?"

The question seemed to bother Dr. Malone. "Well, yes... er..."

"Just come out with it," implored the girl. "Er, please."

The doctor took a steadying breath, then started: "Raina. I did find him. I left a message on his answering machine, and a couple of hours later he called the hospital. He said to tell you to get ready. To leave... He said he expects you to be able to leave shortly after he arrives. From Westview."

"Westview?!" Raina exclaimed. "But that's hours away!"

To be continued...