You got wires coming out of your skin Who: Chance, Aunt Sunny (NPC), hospital staff (NPC-ed) Where: The hospital When: Very early morning (events occur between 5 and 7 am)
Chance groaned as she woke up in a stiff hospital bed. She felt like she’d been run over by a ten-wheeler truck. Then again, considering her luck, she probably had been. She had woken up yesterday with a burning fever that had at least convinced Aunt Sunny to not have her go into work for fear she might transmit the disease to everyone at the diner and then they’d have to close down. Dear, dear Aunt Sunny. Always had her priorities in order, the darling woman. Chance had spent most of the morning coughing and trying not to die in bed (though she didn’t know this was quite literal after having practically embraced the Rider of Death). However, she had decided she wanted lunch at some point and left her bedroom to go get something to eat. The plan would have been brilliant had she not then caught her toe in a loose bit of carpet and proceeded to take a swift tumble down the stairs. She survived, but she’d pulled something or the other and had to limp for a little bit. Continuing her walk towards the kitchen, Aunt Sunny had decided she wanted to know what the commotion was and opened her study door straight into Chance’s face, giving her an awkward bruise by her nose and splitting her lip. Rushing her grand-something-niece to the kitchen, Aunt Sunny had wrapped some ice in a handkerchief and pressed it against her lips. While waiting for the swelling to go down and the bleeding to stop, Aunt Sunny had left the room to call the doctor and see if she should put peroxide on a lip wound because Chance had insisted drinking peroxide would kill her and Aunt Sunny thought the opposite. While Aunt Sunny was in her study on the telephone, the ceiling fan in their kitchen decided it would come loose from the ceiling and fall onto Chance. Aunt Sunny ended up calling for an ambulance instead.
An IV, a blood transfusion, someone pulling her leg and tons of medication for the pain and for the fever met Chance when she arrived at the emergency room. Then someone was stitching up her forehead, assuring her it wouldn’t scar and she’d still be pretty afterwards. Chance wanted to tell the paramedic that scars don’t make you pretty or unpretty, that was...that was...but she was already asleep by the time she had opened her mouth.
She woke up fifteen hours later in a hospital bed with a terrible headache, her head all bandaged up, her right knee wrapped in an athletic bandage and a needle coming out of her arm. She groaned again and leaned over to push the button to call the nurse. In the six minutes it took the nurse to notice her call and walk to her room, Chance’s head had cleared somewhat and while the top part of her head was numb, she was okay. The fever was gone, she could sit up without support and she was actually feeling like she’d live.
“Can I get you anything, Miss Knowland?” the nurse in white asked politely as she came in to check on Chance. The nurse picked her chart up, flipped through the sheets and then came up to check Chance’s IV.
“A glass of water, if you please,” Chance responded with equal politeness. “When can I get out of here?” She was already antsy. Being confined wasn’t something she enjoyed.
“You’ll be released today, as soon as your doctor gets in. You made a pretty amazing recovery.”
“Good genes, I guess,” Chance muttered as she watched the nurse check the needle in her arm. “When can I get this off?”
“This should be your last bag. Once this is empty,” the nurse responded patiently. There was a beat. “Miss Knowland...”
“Chance.”
“Your doctor will be with you shortly,” was the response, though Chance was sure that wasn’t the initial finish for that sentence.
The doctor came in half an hour later, at six in the morning and gave her a clean bill of health. Aunt Sunny followed not too long after, just as the doctor was recommending Chance visit a local young adult psychiatrist in town.
“WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS UNHOLY IS ON YOUR NECK?” were the first words that Aunt Sunny screeched at Chance the moment she stepped into the room, never mind the doctor that was there and most certainly did not want to be a part of a quarrel between relatives.
“Miss Pearlstein, please, you shouldn’t be yelling inside the hospital,” recommended Dr. Lowenstein but Aunt Sunny heard none of that as she marched up to Chance with her large purse presumably full of cat food. Through all of this, Chance still had no idea what was going on. She grabbed her neck and felt it.
“When did this...” Chance began, confusion furrowing her brow.
“Again, Miss Knowland,” Dr. Lowenstein tried to jump in between Aunt Sunny’s angry breaths. “It would be helpful for you to meet with Dr. Spectre. She will be able to help you with your fascination with vampires.”
“But...I...” Chance stammered.
“YOU WILL GO TO THIS DOCTOR AND GET RID OF YOUR DISGUSTING HABITS OR I AM PACKING YOU HOME TO IRVINE!” Aunt Sunny yelled as she grabbed the calling card from Dr. Lowenstein’s hands, who promptly signed off on Chance’s chart and hoofed it out of there.
Chance glared at her aunt as she hopped off the bed and rubbed the arm where the needles had been. Her leg still felt weird, but it was all wrapped up and had been told it would heal as long as she didn’t overexert it. Trying to pull on her pants because hospital gowns were far from comfortable, Chance tried to defend herself.
“I didn’t even...”
“You will go to this Doctor Spectre,” Aunt Sunny said coldly. “And you will listen to what she has to say about vampires and how to cure yourself of associating yourself with them.”
Chance rolled her eyes as she turned away from Aunt Sunny to put her shirt on. Her shoulder was sore from falling down the stairs, but she guessed she should be able to go back to work by the end of the week.
“Hurry up,” Aunt Sunny told her. Chance heard the clasp on her purse open and close. “And put that around your neck.”
Chance turned around and saw a scarf on the hospital bed between them. Taking it, Chance wrapped it around her neck as fashionably as she could and tried not to wince at the pervasive smell of old lady perfume and wet cat.
“I can’t have the people at the diner thinking I approve of your unholy alliances with the undead. Now, hurry up, you’re already late for work.”
Chance followed behind Aunt Sunny as they exited the hospital. Chance touched the top of her head and winced as she felt the stitches underneath the bandages. Her hip and leg were still sore and she had a cut lip. In all effect, she looked like she had just survived a bar fight. And she was going to work. It was nice to know that Aunt Sunny had her priorities in order.