The barking of a dog woke me up this time. Still feeling groggy, I let my hand pat and stretch on the bed, stopping short when I noticed something. I was clothed.
Who had done so?
The first time, I hadn’t even noticed if I was clothed or not. The pain hadn’t allowed me that luxury of feeling anything.
But the second time, I had been naked save for a thin gown which correlated to the normal hospital gown.
However, I was in a pair of shorts and a thin polo now. How? Who had been in charge of my dressing? I hoped it was the female stranger.
The thought of the man peeking at my body, even though he was likely the doctor and seemed sincere, didn’t sit well with me. I have always preferred female doctors.
Should that be your headache now? My head taunted me and I scoffed mentally, unready to admit its accuracy; there were more things to worry about than who had been in charge of my wardrobe.
I noticed then that I felt lighter; normal, no pain of any sort. I must be completely healed! I thought, breathing in deeply. No pain yet.
Shrugging my shoulders, chanting ‘here goes nothing’ in my head, I sat up on the bed and flung my left leg down to the ground. I quickly took it up in a twinkle of an eye however, when a dog ran into the room, toward me. What the hell!
“Dagon! Wait! Not there!” I heard the little girl before I watched her run into the room.
The dog was at the base of my bed, staring at me, then barking at intervals.
Dogs. I had loved them at one time. Nevertheless, looking at this big dog dug up sour feelings; it reminded me of my pack. Wolves were just higher dogs after all. And so, I wanted nothing other than the girl to take the dog away from here. But I don’t want to come off as rude.
“I’m sorry about Dagon. He shouldn’t be here. Come on Dagon, get out now.” The little girl commanded, instilling steel into her voice, her index finger stretched out to the door, which since I have seen it, was always open. It made me curious about what might be waiting for me outside.
I was thirsty.
The dog whined, looked at me one more time before strutting out of the room, its tail wagging as it went.
Immediately he left, the little girl stalked up to me.
“Hi…” She said shyly, her head cocking to her left side, her hands tangled in front of her.
“Hi Diana…” I greeted, amused when a look of disbelief coated her face. She must be wondering how I knew her name.
“I heard your mother call you that last time. I guess it stuck. It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you.” I said, a ghost of a smile on my lips when I watched her face brighten and redden. She was blushing.
“Thank you.” She muttered. “What’s yours? Where are you from?” She asked, climbing on my bed. Okay, this one was quite a handful just like her mother had said.
“My name is Maya, and I’m not sure where I am from.” I answered, staring down at her, unmoved when she blinked her eyes in worry and sadness.
She must have thought that I had lost some part of my memory. Yet, I didn’t. But I had actually told the truth. I didn’t know where I was from. My pack wasn’t my pack. I was adopted. I didn’t even know who my parents were.
“That’s sad.” Diana murmured, placing her short small hand on mine. It was foreign but soft and calming, probably why I didn’t remove mine immediately. The girl was so cute, and I couldn’t resist her.
“Yeah really. Where are your parents?” I asked her, needing to know some answers to my questions already. I was hungry too.
“They are outside. I can lead you to them. Can you stand?” There was a note of unsurety in her voice and eyes.
“Of course. Your parents did a great job.” I answered, meaning to cheer her on.
It worked. She blushed again and jumped down from the bed, her hand stretched out, to hold mine.
Okay, this girl really knows love. She is lucky.
Without much ado, I swung my legs to the ground, hesitating for a minute to stand, not quite ready for any pain.
“How long did I sleep this last time?” I asked her, just to get her attention off my cowardice.
“17 days.” She answered immediately.
She was truly brilliant. So, I slept for two weeks and three days. That was a very long time to sleep.
“Daddy said it would be the last long sleep you will have.” She added, causing me to furrow my eyebrows.
The man was always speaking in parables.
Diana flapped her hand, indicating that she was waiting for me to take the bold step forward, and I nodded at her as if we were in some silent communication.
She nodded back, and kept her hand straight, toward me. I could see the belief in her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, motivated by her deep belief in her father’s handwork, I applied pressure to my hands on the bed and stood up.
A negligent pain shot from my spine. But it was gone before I knew it. It had probably come from from lying down for so long. There was no other pain after that. I was healed. Thank the goddess.
This was another chance at life; another chance to do things differently.
A chance at revenge.