Penelope Cordelia Sullivan (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} alwayspenny) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} genome_project,@ 2011-06-23 21:19:00 |
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What: Penny wakes up
When: Thursday evening
Where: Hospital
Rating: Low
As trippy as the Across the Universe movie was, there was really no comparing it to the mental state that Penny had been in for the last few hours. She wasn't dead. That much was certain. What she was though she didn't even know. The amalgamation of colors, sounds and thoughts made no coherent sense, not that Penny needed to make sense of anything at the moment.
Slowly though, things began to get clearer. She wasn't constantly in the dark anymore about her own thoughts. She could even distinguish some of the sounds around her. There was a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar voices. Some of them she could even put names and faces to. Others not so much. There was one thing she always felt though. There was a constant pressure on her right hand. As much as she wanted to flex her hand, she couldn't find the strength to do so.
It had felt like she was away for a really long time. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she struggled to pull them open. What time was it? What day was it? Where was she? The brightness of the white walls gave themselves away. She had many a time woken up in this place. All the rooms looked the same. All the rooms smelled the same. She was in the hospital. So what had happened to her now? Her mouth felt dry as she went and tried to say something, but it was as if she hadn't used her vocal chords in forever. And then she felt the pressure on her hand again.
With squinty eyes, Penny turned her head to investigate the source of the pressure. She had assumed that it would be an IV or something. She was slightly surprise to see the limp form of her mother there. Her head was resting on the side of the bed. Her hand was clenched around Penny's as if letting go meant she would lose her to the frozen North Atlantic while on board a sinking Titanic. With difficulty, Penny flexed her fingers. It didn't do much to wake her sleeping mother, or she assumed she was sleeping as the only part of her that Penny could see was the top of her head.
After another tug, Penny managed to get her hand free, though that still did not wake her mother. Penny figured out a new idea. She cleared her throat, now finding it a little easier to speak and said, "Mom?"
The sound of Penny's voice seemed to be the only thing that managed to wake the sleeping red head. Penny watched as she lifted her head and looked over at her, adjusted her vision as if to make sure she wasn't still asleep before her eyes seemed to fully take Penny in. And then... "Penny!" A copy of the Torah that she had been holding in her hand slipped and fell to the floor. Her mother had never been much of a religious person, only converting to Judaism after she met Penny's father. However, during difficult times such as these, her mother tended to turn to the spiritual for help and guidance.
She threw her arms around Penny's neck and held her tightly. Penny knew in that instant that she really wasn't dead. The smell of lavender and vanilla that she came to associate with her mom wafted all around her. For some reason, the scent of her mother could always make her believe she was alive and well. "Penny. Oh God, Penny. You had us so worried." Her voice sounded hoarse, though Penny knew it was because she had been crying and was probably going to start up the water works again.
"What happened to me, mom?"
Susan pulled away from the hug and looked at Penny in confusion. Penny honestly couldn't remember anything after the wedding reception. She didn't remember feeling terribly ill or blacking out, which was probably a good thing because who would like to remember something like that?
"You fainted, honey," Susan told her as she combed back some of Penny's hair, "after the reception. If you had been feeling bad, you should have told me."
Fainted? Penny frowned. "What's wrong with me then?"
"They're still running tests. They don't know."
"That's bullshit," Penny replied. "They always know."
It was now Susan's turn to frown, though she said nothing about Penny's language. That's because she knew very well just how much bullshit that was. "Well, they haven't told us anything yet. They just know that your body was in full shut down mode when they got to you. It's sort of a miracle that you're still alive."
Penny shrugged with one shoulder. Her finger traced over the simple pattern of her quilt. "Story of my life."
"Do you wanna see anyone?" Susan asked.
"Markl."
This, at least, made Susan smile a little. It seemed so foreign on her, considering how much crying it seemed she had been doing. "He's at home sleeping. It's ten at night. You've been out since last night. I told the boys to go get some rest."
"And you?" Penny waited for a moment but knew she wasn't going to get a response from that, so she asked another question. "Who else has been here?"
"Oh, you know..." Susan was more willing to answer this question as she tried to spruce herself up a bit. "Johnny, Annie, Jacen, some of Johnny's friends..." The list went on and on, but Penny was only waiting for one name to drop. "....Sebastian..."
"He was here?" Penny asked quickly. "Why? I mean, we had a fight. I was practically a wall to him during the wedding reception." That part she remembered vividly.
Susan shrugged. Penny had told her they had gotten into a argument but didn't get into details about what the argument was. "I dunno. Maybe you should ask." She stood up with a little bit of effort and made her way to the door. "I'll send them in one at a time. Let me know if you get too tired, and I'll tell them to stop."
Penny nodded and watched as Susan walked out of her room. She didn't see how Susan had to stop in the middle of the hallway to cover her face, a futile attempt to hold back her tears. She didn't see how the woman, who had just a few minutes ago been so strong in that room with her, break down into sobs. She didn't see how it took her mother a few minutes to compose herself, breathe and wipe her face down before walking back out into the waiting room, where all who had come to support Penny and her family were stationed.
And finally, when all eyes were on her, Susan announced, "She's awake."