Dark Side of the Moon (5 page)

After the doctor walked out, Dad and Dan came back.  “How does it look?” Dad asked.

Mom appeared to be worried.  “Don’t say a word, but some of the wounds are already healed.”

They gave her a confused look.  “How are they already healed?”

“We don’t know.  Genetic mutation that makes her heal faster than normal?  Didn’t your dad heal from minor scratches in a day or two?” she asked, trying to grasp at straws for an answer sudden to my condition.

“I don’t really remember.”  Dad looked to me.  “Are you in pain, Selina?”

I shook my head.  “Not really, no.”

“It just doesn’t make any sense.  I saw what you looked like when you arrived here.  And you say you’ve pretty much bounced back from that?  How is this possible?”

“I don’t know, but let’s just stop talking about it, plsease.  I’m fine, and that’s all that should matter,” I told them.

“After this, you can’t call me weirdo anymore,” Dan interjected.

“Oh, shush,” Mom scolded.  “What are we going to do?”

“Ignore it.  It’s just a fluke, and is never going to happen again.  I survived this attack, and modern medicine helped make that possible,” I said to her.

Just then, the door opened, revealing a nurse.  “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over.  One of you can stay with her, but that’s all we can allow.”

“I’ll stay,” Mom told Dad.

He nodded, and came over to me.  “We’ll be back in the morning, Selina,” he said, kissing my forehead again.  “Call me if anything changes.”

Mom nodded as he and Dan walked out of my room.

The nurse then came over to me.  “The doctor told me to give you a little morphine to help you sleep.”  She messed with my IV for a moment before walking back out of my room.  I wasn’t in any pain, but I guess this was procedure for someone who wasn’t in my predicament.

It wasn’t long before the medicine knocked me out cold.

Chapter 6

My body didn’t hurt when I woke.  Though I had told my family to not worry, I was freaked out about my rate of healing.  I’ve never done that before, even though I’ve never had these kinds of injuries before.  I have no idea why I was healing so quickly, unless it was something in the air.

When I opened my eyes, I expected to see my mother.  But someone else occupied her chair.  And when they saw me staring at them, they put their phone they had been texting on away.

It was London.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“Visiting.  You look a lot better.”

“Why would you visit me?  We’re not exactly what you would call acquaintances.”

“Pretty much the whole town’s going to come visit you today.  I’m just here to warn you.”

Why would they come visit me?  I don’t know any of them.  “I don’t want to see any of them.”

He gave me a look of warning.  “It’s not wise to piss off the whole town.  Just grit your teeth and smile.  That’s all you really have to do to please them.”

“Or I could pretend to be asleep.  I mean, I was attacked by a wolf, and am not in the mood for visitors.”

His face turned grim for a moment.  “I really am sorry about that, Selina.”

“Why?  It’s not like you had anything to do with what happened, London.”

“Yeah, but…” he sighed, shaking his head.  Standing, he slowly made his way to the door.  “Feel better, Selina.”

After he walked out the door, I realized that was the most London and I have said to each other.  And he actually came off as being nice rather than an ass like my first impression of him had been.

A moment after London left, a nurse came into my room.  “Good, you’re awake.  Let’s go ahead and get the X-ray done.”

Thirty minutes later, I was wheeled back into my room.  The X-ray hadn’t taken that long, but it would be a while before the doctor came to talk to me.  After we returned to my room, I found my mom to be there, a tray of food in hand.

I was starving, and scarfed down my breakfast.  I think it was the best thing I have ever eaten.  But I couldn’t wait to get home to have some actual food.

After my trash was thrown away, Mom told me, “There are some people here who want to see you, Selina.”

“Who?”

“Some people from your school.  I didn’t know you’ve made so many friends.”

“I haven’t made any friends.  I don’t talk to anyone in any of my classes.  And I don’t want to see anyone.  Besides, I was attacked by a wolf, and am not supposed to look like I do.”

“True.  What do you want me to tell them, Selina?”

“That I’m in pain and the morphine is making me sleep a lot.”

She nodded, and walked out of the room.

Though it’s only been a day since I was attacked, I truly did feel fine.  I knew I didn’t need the IV of fluids in my vein, the stitches in my head, most of my bandages could be removed, and possibly the cast, too.  It should have taken weeks for everything to heal, yet it was just a day or two.  How was this possible?  Why was it happening to me?

Shortly after my mother returned from telling my visitors that I was still under the effects of morphine and wasn’t up for seeing anyone, my doctor paid me a visit.  He had the results from my X-ray.  I was anxious to see what I already knew, and though I didn’t want him to experiment on me, I wanted to know why I was healing this way.

“Well, Selina, I’ve stared at your results since they were handed to me.  I don’t have the slightest idea as to why or how, but after we set your leg, it healed just like the rest of your wounds.  You’re practically as good as new.”

“And my stitches?”

“They could be removed, too.  It’s as if you weren’t attacked the other day at all.”  He was just as amazed as before.

“Our decision still stands,” my mother told him.

He nodded.  “So, I’m assuming that you do not want the whole hospital to know about your incredible healing abilities.”

“That would be a breech of doctor/patient confidentiality,” Dad warned.”

The doctor nodded.  “How do you want to do this?”

“Can’t you just remove my cast and stitches and let me leave?” I asked.

“Just because I told your visitors that you didn’t want to see them doesn’t mean that they left the hospital,” Mom told me.

I groaned.  “I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be.  I’d understand if I was sick, but I’m not.  I’m perfectly fine, and this room should go to someone who really needs it.”

“Why don’t you figure everything out while I sign your release papers and get the supplies I need to remove your stitches and cast?”

My mom nodded, and the doctor walked out.

“It’s just for a little while, Selina.  They’ll have to leave by the time visiting hours are over.”

“I just want to go back home, Mom,” I tried not to groan.

“I know, but with your…condition…I’m not sure if that’s the best idea right this moment.”

I before I could respond, I heard a phone ringing.  I was dressed in a hospital gown, so I knew it wasn’t mine.  My mom dug through her purse, and pulled my phone out of it.  The doctor or nurses must have given everything I had on me to her.

Looking at the phone, I saw it was Miranda calling.  I immediately answered.  “Hello?”

“Selina?  Are you okay?  I tried calling you after our conversation, but you didn’t answer.  Then your mom answered and said you were in the hospital.  What happened?” she frantically asked.

I looked to my mom before I answered.  She quickly made her way out of the room without me asking, giving me some privacy.  After the door closed, I told Miranda, “After we got off the phone, I asked my parents about our plan.  They said no, and I got mad and stormed outside.  Then a wolf attacked me and dragged me into the woods.”

She gasped.  “Are you okay, Selina?”

“For now.  It broke my leg, and I’ve got some scratches on my arms and legs and a gash in my head.  I’m on the good medicine.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you Selina.”

“Don’t worry about it, Miranda.  It wasn’t your fault.”

She sighed.  “How long were you out?  Who found you?”

“I left the house right after we hung up, and when I woke up it was sunny out, but then I was knocked out until last night so they could set my leg and stitch me up and give me a transfusion.  So all night.  And my lab partner found me; the whole town was out looking for me.”

“Your lab partner?  Doesn’t he have a name?”

“It’s London.  But like I said, he found me because the whole town was looking for me.  It could have been anyone.”

“Are you going to try to talk to him more after you return to school, Selina?  You know, let him know that you’re going to forever be in his debt for saving you from the wild?”

I gave my phone a confused look.  What in the hell was up with her obsessing over my lazy lab partner?  “What’s with you Miranda?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you engrossed with me talking to London?”

“Well…It’s been six months since you and Aaron split.  And I want you to have a friend out there other than Dan.”

I rolled my eyes.  That was a disaster, ending my relationship with Dad’s boss’s son.  “Don’t mention that name to me or worry about me not having anyone to talk to out here, Miranda.”

“I can’t help it, Selina.  Especially since you’re hurt and I can’t come see you.”

“I’ll be fine, Miranda.”

She sighed again.  “I’m going to go ahead and get going; you must be tired.  I’ll tell Jocelyn about what happened so she won’t worry, either.”

“Alright.  Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Selina.”

After I hung up and set my phone down, I attempted to stand.  I really needed to use the bathroom.  My cast was big and bulky on my leg, and made it a little difficult to walk.  But I managed to get to the bathroom, do my business, and return to my bed.  Hopefully the doctor would be back soon to remove my cast.

After I got comfortable in my bed, the door opened.  My mom came in along with my dad and Dan.  “Feeling better, Selina?” Dad asked.

I nodded.  “Are there still people outside?”

“A few.  It shouldn’t be much to handle when we leave.”

The door opened yet again to reveal my doctor, a nurse, and a tray of supplies they wheeled into my room.  “Let’s start with the stitches first,” the doctor said to the nurse.

They wheeled the cart over to my bed, and told me to try to stay as still as possible as he removed my stitches.  It felt strange, but I was glad that I didn’t need them anymore.  Then they moved to the other side of the bed, to my cast.  It took a lot longer than my stitches, and once the plaster was removed, we found that my leg looked as if nothing had happened to it.

This was just too weird.

“Alright, Selina,” the doctor said.  “You’re good to go.  Unless you want to donate some blood so we can run tests on it to discover why you healed so quickly.”

“We have already told you no,” Mom responded.  “Now stop pestering my daughter, and forget this ever happened.”  She looked to my dad, and took a bag I didn’t notice he was holding.  “Go ahead and get dressed, Selina.  Dan, go distract the people that came to visit your sister so we can leave.”

He nodded, and exited my room.  Dad then held the door open for the doctor and nurse, and left with them, I guess to go take care of all my paperwork.  Then, my mom walked out so I could get dressed in privacy.

It took me a few minutes to change my underwear and dress in my jeans in shirt.  They also brought my coat that I had forgotten to put on in my anger after out little fight.  After I was dressed and had my socks and shoes on, I cracked the door open.  I didn’t know if anyone was outside of my room, and I didn’t want them to see me if they were.

After my parents gave the all clear, we quickly made our way through the hospital to the parking lot.  At one point, Dan joined up with us.  We didn’t run into anyone other than nurses and the stray doctor trying to go to different wings of the hospital.  I didn’t breathe easily until we were safely in the car a few minutes later.

Our house was only a few minutes away from the hospital.  And after we arrived, I hastily made my way inside.  I didn’t want any of our neighbors to see that I was perfectly fine even though I was just viciously attacked two days ago.

Once I was inside, I had to stop.  On the wall above the couch was a hand painted banner.  “Get well soon, Selina,” it read.  I know my parents and brother didn’t do it.

“Some girls from your school dropped it off this morning before we left the house,” Dad told me.

“Really?  Why would they do that?” I asked.  I had no idea who these girls could be, either.

“Well, I guess they care about you, Selina,” Mom told me.

“I don’t see how,” Dan added.  “She doesn’t talk to anyone except me and her lab partner at school.”

“Lab partner?” our parents asked at the same time.

I rolled my eyes.  “I spoke to him once on our first day, and that was to ask where our lab supplies were.  He doesn’t do any of the work, so I don’t talk to him and do everything myself.  No big deal.  Besides, I mentioned how I didn’t like how lazy he was on our first day, so it’s nothing new.”  There was no point telling them that London was the one who had found me in the woods and that he came to visit me and warn me about the people wanting to see me this morning.  I didn’t want them thinking that there was something going on when there wasn’t, like Miranda was.

“Okay.  Well, what do you want to do since you’ve apparently recovered from your ordeal?”

“Honestly, I want to sleep for a little bit; I still feel exhausted for some reason.”

She nodded.  “You may still have some morphine in you.  I’ll come wake you up in a little while for lunch.”

“A late lunch maybe,” I told her as I walked toward my room.

After I closed the door to my room, I collapsed onto my bed, and knocked out.

Even though my body was miraculously healed, getting attack by a wolf was exhausting, mentally and physically.  Maybe it would be better for me to forget about this whole experience instead of worrying myself to death about my body acting strangely by healing faster than normal.