Warm . . . its so warm
The soft hum of medical machines filtered into his ears, while the smell of antiseptic permeated the air. The softness beneath him made it hard to wake up, but at the same time, it felt like he was forgetting something.
Slowly, he opened his black eyes while the faint red dilated, trying to adjust to the sudden light. He curled up on his side while pulling the unfamiliar blanket closer. As time passed, his eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, and he sat up to look around him.
His eyes scanned what seemed to be a hospital room, judging by the machines. The bed is right in front of a window, and on the opposite end of the room is a door. Next to the door is a large desk with a rolling chair and a computer. Just as he was looking around the room, the door opened, revealing a woman in a doctor's garb. Seeing him awake, she quickly walked over while bringing a notepad out of her pocket.
"Ariel, I'm glad you are awake. How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine? Um, why am I here? Who are you?"
Hearing his questions, the woman's face fell, but she masked it with professionalism. She replied with her voice filled with concern.
"Ariel, you are at Greenhaven Hospital, and I'm Doctor Elizabeth. Can you tell me how much you remember?"
He shifted in the bed while bringing his face to rest on the palm of his hand. Closing his eyes, he thought hard for a moment. Doctor Elizabeth didn't interrupt, but she did text someone on her phone. The two sat in silence for a minute, and eventually Ariel turned to her and said.
"I'm sorry, my memory is fuzzy. I um don't remember much."
She looked at him with concern, evident while she wrote something in her notes. She walked back to the desk and began to type on the computer while speaking.
"It's good you're awake, Ariel. We were starting to get worried and were considering transferring you to another hospital that would have been able to help you better."
Hearing this, Ariel's face fell into confusion as questions crossed through his mind. But before he could ask them, Elizabeth took a deep breath and began to speak.
"You were caught in a flash flood. . Not only you, but the entire city was hit. You were pulled to safety by an officer who happened to be there. But um . . ."
She paused for a second and took a deep breath before she began to speak. " Your parents were courageous and they managed to save you, but . . . they didn't make it."
Her words triggered a tidal wave of emotions and memories to wash over Ariel. For a while, he simply stared at her with a blank look. Before long, he spoke in a quiet voice.
"No . . . NO, you're lying . . . But this . . How? Why?"
His hands clenched the bed sheets while he shook with sobs. Elizabeth walked over and wrapped him in a hug, trying to soothe him. Ariel desperately grabbed onto Elizabeth while sobbing loudly enough for the whole building to hear.
. . .
It took Ariel four hours to calm down, but he eventually got tired and lay down while Doctor Elizabeth put the TV on. At some point, she had other patients to attend to, so she left him alone to fully process his situation.
While Ariel lay on the bed, absentmindedly switching through TV channels, something caught his attention. He stopped his motion as the TV switched to a news channel. On the screen, a beautiful woman stood before a devastated building. Her voice, laced with sadness, resounded throughout the hospital room.
"Seven hours ago, the city of Greenhaven was hit with an unprecedented disaster, leaving the city devastated and still undergoing search and rescue efforts. As of the time of reporting, over a hundred people are believed to be missing. Furthermore, thousands more have been displaced due to old infrastructure and-"
Her voice became fainter as Ariel processed her words. His mind raced with thoughts that began to overshadow his tragedy. No, this is no longer just his tragedy, but instead the tragedy of Greenhaven, shared by the entire city and its people. Ariel's mind spun as thoughts and questions raced around his mind.
How could this happen? How many other people lost their loved ones? And worst of all is that rescue efforts are still ongoing, so are there people still trapped? Just like his parents were.
Faced with the prospect, Ariel instinctively flinched and reached his trembling hands to the remote to turn the TV off. He couldn't bear to hear any more, it was just too much. After the screen went black, Ariel grabbed the covers and engulfed himself in darkness as fatigue set in, allowing him to slip into sleep quickly.