CHAPTER 4:

*BEEEEEEEEEEP* my body jolted. *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

“I think she’s coming around” I heard in the distance.
“She’s awake her pressure is rising” someone yelled.
“Quick she’s lost a lot of blood we must transfuse blood into her before she crashes again” I also heard.
“She’s bleeding too much doctor I don’t think she’ll make it even with the extra blood” I heard a woman say and I assumed it was a nurse.
“Just do as I say quickly,” he commanded. “Ashley if you can here please open your eyes” he said to me. “Come on Ashley I need to know if you can hear me. I need to be sure that you’re going to make it,” he added. I tried so much but I couldn’t I was too weak. I just wanted to let go. “Come on Ashley you can do it I know you can” and then surprisingly I opened them. “At a girl” he smiled. “Come on guys we have saving to do”
“Okay I got the blood that matches her blood type,” the nurse said as she ran into the room.
“Let’s get started”

Apparently, I had a lot of internal bleeding. I had broken ribs, which I already knew. I needed a lot of blood to make it through and thank god, I did make it through. I woke up several hours later with a cast on my left foot. I had bandages on my ribs and wrapped around my head. I had the most pain ever and a headache the size of Texas. My eye felt swollen, I had a cast on my right arm as well, and a broken nose.

“Uh” I groaned in pain.
“Mom you’re awake” I heard Gracie yell but I couldn’t see her.
“Gracie” I managed to whisper.
“I’m over here mom” she said as I heard her voice on my left.
“Hi sweetie” I said as I turned my face over to see her.
“I’m so happy you’re awake” she held my hand and kissed it repeatedly.
“You’re in here alone?” I asked.
“Yea grandma Denise just went to the cafeteria to get me some breakfast with Uncle Kevin” she answered.
“Grandma Denise is here in China?” I asked confused.
“No mommy we’re back” she replied.
“What do you mean we’re back? Back where?”
“We’re home mom in California,” she answered.
“What do you mean in California?” I was so confused wasn’t I only out a couple of hours.
“Mom you’ve been asleep for a week,” she said.
“A week?” I whispered. Then the door opened.
“Gracie who are you talking to?” Denise asked.
“Ashley you’re awake!” Kevin exclaimed as he walked in behind Denise and straight to me.
“Hi Kevin” I answered weakly.
“Oh my Ashley how are you feeling?” Denise asked as she too approached my bedside.
“In pain” I answered as I struggled to sit up.
“Let me help you” Kevin offered as he grabbed the remote of my bed and pressed a button.
“Let me call the doctor” Denise offered. “He needs to know you’re awake” she said as she headed towards the door.
“How’s that?” Kevin asked as the bed moved up.
“That’s good thank you” I assured him.
“Here’s your breakfast,” Kevin said to Gracie as he handed her a tray. “We got you orange juice”
“Thank you Uncle Kevin” she said as she sat at the table in the far corner and began to eat.
“So I’ve been asleep for a week?” I asked.
“Well technically you’ve been in a coma for a week. After the operation, we all demanded that both you and Nick be transferred back to the U.S. immediately. I kind of knew it’s what you like better,” he explained.
“Thank you Kevin I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed being handled by Chinese nurses and doctors” I laughed a little but then suddenly the pain in my ribs struck and I winced.
“I know it hurts just try not to move much,” Kevin advised me. “Um Joe was just here he went home to change. That boy hasn’t slept right in days worrying about you so we had to force him to go home to get some rest or at least to shower,” he explained.
“Oh” was all I could say.
“He feels really guilty about what happened to you and for not being there with us when we were in trouble,” he said.
“He should be,” I mumbled more to myself than to him.
“What happened with you guys before we left? I noticed you were a little sad. Other than fact that Gracie was in trouble something else was bothering you,” he asked.
“I can’t say right now” I looked at Gracie and he nodded in understanding. “I’ll tell you later”
“Okay” I remembered that earlier he mentioned something about transferring both Nick and me. I looked around the room. Where was Nick?
“Earlier you said something about transferring both me and Nick” he looked away. “Where is Nick? Is he okay?” I asked.
“Um” he hesitated.
“Kevin look at me” he turned around to face me. “Where is Nick? Please tell me he’s okay,” I begged.
“Ashley I don’t know what to tell you” he said shakily.
“Just tell me the truth please I need to know” I begged anxiously.
“Uh Nick um he’s...” he was interrupted.

“Ashley it’s good to see you’re finally awake,” the doctor said as he walked up to me.
“We’ll leave you to your work doctor we’ll be in the hallway” Denise said. “Come on Kevin” she motioned for him to move away from me.
“Come on Grace” he said as he grabbed her hand and walked out of the room with her.
“Okay Ashley I’m going to need for you to follow the light please,” he said as he shined a flashlight in my eye in which I did squint. “Okay now tell me if this hurts,” he said as he placed his hand on my left leg.
“No” he moved lower “Ow yeah”
“That’s where it is broken. What about your ribs? Does it hurt if I do this?” he passed his hand lightly over my ribs.
“Ow yeah it hurts there” he wrote some things on the chart.
“Okay and does your head hurt?” he asked as he looked at me.
“Yeah a lot actually” I responded.
“Okay in a little bit a nurse is going to come take you to get some x-rays done and then we’ll determine when you get to go home alright” he explained as he checked my pulse and pressure.
“Alright” I answered.

He left the room after injecting something into the bag that led to a tube that was injected into my arm. Denise and Kevin entered the room followed by Gracie.

“So the doctor said you might be able to go home soon,” Denise said as she approached me.
“Yea” I replied.
“But you’re going to have to be on bed rest for a couple weeks” she added.
“I know I have to go take some x-rays in a little bit”
“The nurse is coming now do you think you can sit up to go in a wheel chair?” she asked.
“Yeah I’m pretty sure I can” and with that the nurse entered and Kevin helped to get up which did hurt a lot more than I thought it would. About an hour after all the tests Kevin took me back to my room.

“Kevin please tell me. I know something’s wrong I can feel it please tell me where’s Nick?”
“He’s not doing so well Ashley he’s in a coma” he replied.
“But I was in a coma as well” I said.
“This is worst, the doctors were sure you were going to wake up but with Nick they’re not so sure he ever will,” he said and I felt my heart stop. Nick was never going to wake up. He was stuck in the after life, lost forever.