With a start, my eyes jumped open as I lunged forward into a seated position. Yet before I could even process my surroundings, I immediately needed to shut my eyes closed once more as the blinding light from the ceiling poured into them. Groggily, I raised my arms in an attempt to shield them from the shining beam of light. While I did so, still disoriented from suddenly waking up, I heard the rustling and moans of another person somewhere to my side, sounding as if they were just waking up themselves.
Just as I managed to finally keep my eyes open, having adjusted to the brightness of the lights, I took a look around the room. That was when I was met with a carbon copy of the room I had found myself in all those months ago when my whole world first got flipped upside down. As I stared at the heart rate monitor beside my bed and the white walls that surrounded me, an onrush of memories all came flooding back. With a small gasp, I remembered what had happened, the reunion, the fight, the beating, the drive to the hospital, all of it.
I was once again alerted to the other person in the room when I heard a small gasp coming from my side. Turning to my side, expecting to see Sam sitting beside me, I was left in shock at the sight of my father. However, it was a shock that didn't last due to the colossal hug my father quickly subjected me to. A hug that squeezed all the air residing in my lungs and forced me into yet another coughing fit.
"Oh my god, Adam, I'm so sorry." My dad said as he hurriedly moved away, quickly standing up and running out of the room, shouting for a nurse or a doctor. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but any attempt to speak seemed to only worsen the coughing until, by the time a nurse had arrived, my lungs were burning in agony.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just a cough." I managed to rasp out, both to the nurse now hovering over me as she checked over the monitor to my side and to my father, who looked on from the side in a panic.
The nurse, ignoring what I said, turned back to my father. "Everything looks fine at the moment. I'm going to go fetch Doctor Soren now that he's awake." And with that, before even I or my father could respond, she left.
As I pondered why the name Soren sounded so familiar, my attention was once again captured by my father. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked as he sat back down beside me, tentatively placing his hand lightly upon my shoulder. As if worried he was going to somehow injure me.
"Dad, I'm fine, I promise. Just a little confused is all. When did you get here?"
"Yesterday, around four-ish or so, after Sam called me, telling me what happened."
Hearing what he said I abruptly turned my body, glancing out the large open view window that sat on the far wall to the sight of the blazing sun already high in the sky. "How long was I unconscious?" I asked in confusion, thinking I had only been asleep for a few hours at most. Definitely not a whole day like it was starting to appear.
"You've been out for almost a day. You really gave us a scare son." He yawned, rubbing his eyes as he did so, allowing me to see the bags that had already started to form under his eyes.
A sense of guilt started to form within me at the knowledge of how much worry I put my father through. Something I never wanted to do again after what had happened last time. "I'm sorry Dad." I whispered.
"Hey!" He shouted suddenly, making me slightly flinch in surprise. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Sam told me what had happened last night, and while you definitely didn't help your situation." He said while giving me a long, pointed look that made me feel abashed. "You weren't the one to start it. Don't be sorry for doing what you had to, to protect yourself and your friends." He continued, "As well as your girlfriend."
Immediately, I looked up at him in shock as a smug face made its way onto his face and bore down on me. "What? You didn't think Sam was going to mention how your apparent girlfriend was there with you when it happened?"
Thankfully, to my instant relief, before my father could continue talking, the door to the room was once again opened as a doctor entered, saving me the embarrassment of whatever conversation my dad was preparing. A doctor who as I saw his salt and pepper hair and large circular glasses, I instantly realised why the name Soren was so familiar.
"Ah, Adam, it's good to see you again. I only wish it could have been under better conditions." He somberly spoke as he walked into the room.
"You too doc. Though I doubt there would be many times we could meet where the situation would be good." I replied, earning a small, sad chuckle from Dr. Soren. "No. No, I guess there's not."
"You must be his father. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said while holding out his hand and which my father shook, saying nothing but a grunt in greeting, his face having gained a slight green complexion and his expression suddenly pensive in the few moments it took for Dr. Soren to enter.
"Now, let me first of all start by saying that besides a few cracked ribs that will take a few days to heal, you will be just fine." Instantly, my father let out a sigh of relief before giving me a few light pats on the back. "Thank god." I heard him whisper quietly.
"But I'm afraid that's where the good news ends." Dr. Soren continued with a sorrow-filled gaze. "While you were asleep, because we were worried how those injuries you acquired would impact your condition, we ran a few tests. What we found out, I'm afraid to say, isn't good."
Upon hearing his words, my father's facial expression immediately morphed into one of worry and anger as he hurriedly stood in agitation, the chair he was sitting on crashing to the floor. "What is it? What's wrong? Why are you being so silent? Hurry the fuck up and tell us!"
"Dad! Cal-" Before I could even finish my sentence and try to calm Dad down, another bout of coughs promptly started. Which ironically helped in calming his anger as he quickly rushed to my side, his anger replaced with worry.
Eventually, as the coughs stopped, Dr. Soren, with a sigh, started speaking again. "I'm afraid to say that the disease has spread much quicker than was expected. Already, as I'm sure you're aware, your lung capacity has greatly diminished. Then there is the constant bloody coughing as well as a general sense of fatigue, your friend Sam reported."
A cold, sinking feeling could be felt in the pit of my stomach as I listened to the doctor in silence, staring forward with a blurry focus. It was funny. I thought I had slowly come to accept my inevitable death, that I understood I had very little time left on this earth, and it simply was what it was. Yet as I sat there, in the exact same place I first heard the news about my condition, all I could feel was an all-encompassing feeling of dread and fear as I realised what the doctor was going to say.
"What, what does this mean exactly?" I managed to say, my voice void of all emotion.
"According to the data we received. I'm sorry to say, you have two, maybe three weeks left."