Hospital

A blinding white light hurts my eyes as I try to figure out where I am. "Annabelle? Are you awake?" A woman's voice asks. A thin lady wearing a flowery blouse leans over me, "Oh, yes! Get the doctor, she's awake!" she exclaims excitedly. Soon enough I hear a clatter of feet on tiles, and a man in a white trench coat walks through large sliding doors.

"Well, then you must be Annabelle, I've heard so much about you!" the man says cheerfully. Causing me quite the bit of stress, as I am left wondering what exactly this man has heard about me. I would ask him what he meant, but a plastic mask covers my mouth and nose, it seems to be shoving air into my lungs. Instead of taking the mask off myself I simply point at it, that is all it takes for the man to understand me. "Ah! Yes, the BiPap, one moment!" he exclaims while taking off the strange mask.

"What's going on?" I ask wearily when the mask is off.

"It's really that bad then..." the lady says wistfully.

"You were in a car accident Annabelle. You have a concussion, I am your doctor, you can call me Dr. Roothbee."

"Okay, so if I am Annabelle, and you are Dr. Roothbee, I'm guessing you are my mother?" I ask, slightly un-sure of my prediction.

"Good guess, yes, I am your Mother." the woman confirms.

Who else was in the car crash? I can't help but wonder. Fortunately, the doctor and I seem to be able to communicate telepathically...

"About the car crash, your friend, Maggie, was with you." he hesitates, then goes on, "Unfortunately, she didn't make it."

I can't remember who Maggie is, but if we were in the same car when she died I'm sure we were close. It seems strange that the doctor is the one to tell me this and not my Mother. It was probably too much for her, that would make sense.

I guess this is what hospitals are for, to isolate the suffering and pain so that others don't have to feel it.