The Empty Life by Naomi Anderson (read aloud .TXT) 📕

they did scared me, I wasn’t sure what would happen to me. Anybody could be out to hurt me but I wouldn’t be able to tell. The old me would just laugh at my foolishness, but the new me was just terrified. There was just no other way to put it.

“Ada,” I whispered.

“Hmm?” she repeated.

“I can’t do this...”

She looked up from her computer, “What?”

My hand was shaking as I showed her the papers.

“Do you want me to give them to her?” she asked.

I nodded, then paused, “No...I mean yes. But...I want...”

She took the papers gently from my hands and walked up to the counter and started to talk quietly with the lady. She stayed there for a few minutes, most likely discussing me. She gave me a gentle smile as she sat back down next to me a few minutes later.

“I told her that you have some issues with people,” she said answering my question before I even asked it.

“Thanks,” I breathed.

She smiled then went back to work. Half an hour later the lady and her son went in for their appointment. My heart started to beat faster and faster as time kept moving, inching me closer to my appointment. Ada would take breaks from her work to make sure I wasn’t freaking out too much but I couldn’t help it.

“Kelby Summers?” a short pudgy woman called.   

I looked up at her with fear in my eyes. Ada stood up and gathered all of her things.

She stared at me, waiting for me to get up with her, “You can do this, come on,” she whispered.

As I slowly stood up, the lady motioned for us to follow her. She lead us back into an exam room with a hospital bed in an upright position and a few machines and chairs.

“If you could just have a seat, the doctor will be in here shortly,” said the nurse.

I nodded and sighed in relief when she left.

“You okay?” Ada asked, setting her things on a chair.

“Mhhm. All of this seems really excessive though,” I groaned, trying to push myself onto the bed.

“Want me to help?” she asked when she noticed me struggling.

I shook my head and just stayed standing. After a few minutes of awkward silence there was a quiet knock on the door, followed by a very tall, young man coming in. He had jet black hair that was gelled slightly at the top and a small beard. Even underneath his lab coat his muscles were still visible.

“Hi,” he smiled, “I’m Dr. James Walter, you must be Kelly?”

“Kelby,” I corrected him.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“I get it a lot.”

“Well now I know better,” he smiled again, then turned to Ada, “And you are?”

She stuck out her hand for him to shake, “I’m her sister Ada.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I apologize if I get you two confused," he chuckled, referring to the fact that we were twins.

 He sat down at the computer in the corner of the room and began scrolling through my medical history.

 "How has your leg been feeling today Kelby?”

 “It hurts,” I said, deciding there was no point in lying to him.

 “Can you get up onto the bed?” he asked, turning in his swivel chair to face me.

I shamefully shook my head, embarrassed that I couldn’t do such a simple task. He stood up and pulled out a little step from the bed.

 “How about now?” he asked.

I slowly got onto the step and pushed myself onto the bed, wincing in pain.

“It’s really bad,” I groaned.

He nodded, “Well lets see if we can fix that. Can you roll up your pant leg?”

I looked nervously at him, then at Ada. The only people who had seen my leg since the accident were the doctors that took care of me when I was rescued. I was ashamed of the scars that covered my leg. The two of them stared at me, waiting for something to happen but I just sat there nervously.

“I can leave if you want me to,” Ada offered.

I nodded, “I’m sorry.”

She stood up, “It’s okay Kel. I’ll just wait outside the door incase you need me, okay?”

I nodded again, “Thank you.”

She smiled at Dr. James and I, then left. As soon as I was sure that she was gone I began slowly rolling up my sweatpants. The moment I saw the first scar on my shin I could feel tears come to my eyes. It took everything that I had not to let them out.

“You can stop there if you want,” Dr. James said when I got to mid-thigh.

“Okay,” I leaned back against the bed.

I closed my eyes tightly as he began to examine my leg.

“Let me know if this is hurting you.”

“Okay.”

My eyes could barely stay open, but even when they were everything was blurry. I was tired, sore and hungry. A layer of sweat covered my body as well as lots blood, but it wasn't all mine 

A body was laying next to mine, but I couldn't tell who it was. I was pretty sure that it was Karl, one of Colin's friends. I tried to pretend that he was still alive and breathing, but even in the low light I could tell that he wasn't moving. So could Colin.

"Just try not to look at him," Colin said softly.

"I'm trying," I said, slurring my words together.

"Hey, Kel, look at me."

I slowly turned my head so I was facing him.

"You and I are going to be fine. We're going home soon. I promise, okay baby?"

"How the hell are we going to get out of here? I'm pretty sure you and I are the only ones left."'

"We will be fine. As soon as we get out of here we're going to get married and start our lives over and just forget all of this," he said sternly.

I loved that about him. He always tried to stay positive. Unfortunately, I wasn't the same. We were going to die.

The giant cement door that blocked us from our freedom opened for a brief second, light flowing in. I was still looking at Colin when the light appeared. His eyes were as blue as ever, but full of pain and fear.

 As quickly as the door opened it closed again, and a large figure appeared. I knew who it was, even though I didn’t really know him. He was the only one allowed to come into the room, usually to kill someone, or take out a body. The same bat that he used to crush my leg was dangling from his hand, as well as a gun from his other. He walked over to Karl’s body, purposely kicking my broken leg on his way there. I bit my lip so hard to keep my screams in that I felt blood begin to trickle down my chin.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore?” asked the man smugly.

 I stared at the ground, not allowing myself to look him in the eye.

“Does it?” he yelled, “Answer me!”

I shook my head no.

He kicked my leg as hard as he possibly could. This time I couldn’t keep my them in. Pain exploded from my leg into the rest of my body, making it impossible for me to move any part of my body. I felt stiff and frozen, but my body was burning. My shrill screams echoed throughout the small room. They just wouldn’t stop.

“Kelby!”

I opened my eyes and saw Ada and two other nurses holding my flailing arms and legs down to the table.

“Don’t scream, you’re okay,” a nurse in purple scrubs said softly as she let go of my arm and motioned for the other nurse and Ada to follow her actions.

The bright lights of the hospital room confused me. It all felt so real, like I really was back in Iraq with Colin. He was still alive one second, but then he wasn’t.

“You can leave now. Thanks,” whispered the nurse in purple scrubs to the other one.

 She waited for her to leave to start talking, “Are you taking anything for these anxiety attacks?” 

I shook my head no.

“This is the third one since she got home the other day,” Ada said as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

“Okay, well we’re going to prescribe some meds for you and...”

“I need to go,” I mumbled, sliding off the bed and rushing out of the room as fast as I could.

I turned down a long hallway and then onto another, and another until I reached two big doors. I tried continuously  to open them, but they were locked.

“Shit!” I grumbled, my voice echoing throughout the cement walls.

I leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down onto the floor. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and commenced to go through the pictures of Colin and I. The happiness that was attached to our faces was gone. Tears flooded over my eyes and onto my cheeks. The pain was so real, so agonizing, so intense. All I wanted was to hear his voice again, to just look into his eyes one last time and tell him that I loved him. My life was so empty without him there. I needed him to help me make it through and get back to who I was.

 

 

 

 

 

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Publication Date: 01-06-2013

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