Stories tagged “hospital”
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Self preservation 102: Dying is easy, it's living that's hard
They say the last thing to go when you fall asleep is your hearing. It’s the first thing to come back when you wake up, too. It makes sense, but I couldn’t tell you what came back first this time. Consciousness crashed over me, nearly as pa...
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Bittersweet Tomatoes
We got a call while we took our lemonade break. Dad told us Grandma had taken a turn for the worse. We climbed into the car and drove silently to the hospital. The stark hallways and disinfectant stench made my stomach churn unhappily. When the elevato...
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Wait.
Every waiting room in the world has the same coffee – burnt from sitting on the burner too long, stale from an institutional-sized can of grounds that seldom gets resealed properly. Emergency Room coffee is even worse. On top of the stale and the...
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The Free Clinic
The hospital was a sprawling brick complex made all the more noticeable by the helicopter landing on the roof. Cal parked in the visitor lot and JoAnn hesitantly stepped out of the truck. There was a free clinic in a ground-level wing which was full of...
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Self Pity
Her mother worked in a hospital. Her father ran the hospital. “Nurse Kirk’s daughter,” or “Dr. Kirk’s daughter” was all they said. It was never her name. It was something she was sometimes glad for. She tried not to ...
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Before & After
Everyday, the Book lost and gained pages. Every hour, the Book became thinner, and then turned grossly fat, and then shed its excess pages, continuing in a vicious cycle and reminding Saya how many people flickered in and out of the world. Rowan asked ...
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Restricted
She always sent restricted numbers to voicemail. Always. She wanted to drive herself to the clinic, but he insisted. She let him, since they wouldn’t let her drive after the procedure anyway. There was a chill between them in the car. They had fo...
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Normal or Afterlife
“I must..have the..phone” he whimpered before losing consciousness completely. A tickle on his forehead roused Lee, though he was not ready to open his eyes. He assumed that he must be dead; surely nobody could survive a gunshot at point blank rang...
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Burnt
I can still see the bright flames piercing through my eyeballs. I can still feel its horrific heat against my skin. I’m laying in a hospital bed, listening to the steady beeping of various medical machines. Slowly, I move my hand up to touch the ...
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Unfortunate Given Names
“Hello, my name is Jonathan.” The man in the next bed looked around at him, slowly, disinterest painted across his rumpled, weather-beaten face. “Jon, for short.” The older man, ran a hand over his unshaven chin, wondering wheth...
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First Time
The demon closed in upon her. He held his knife above her head, ready to chop her into a thousand pieces. She quickly shoved the knife into his emense gut before his blade grazed her skin. The demon stepped back, the red glow in his eyes becoming even ...
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Voices in the Haze
Bits and pieces of conversation filtered through a haze of medication and pain. “…possibly permanent damage to his hearing.” “…least of his worries. That knee…” “Glasgow scale’s up to an 8 from a 7 ...
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Dark Channels
I don’t know if the boy was looking for me when he ventured into his own subconscious or if our meeting was merely accidental. I don’t know if he understood what I was, what I could offer, and what I would take in return. What I do know is ...
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I needed him there
I didn’t know where I was, when I blinked my eyes open and looked over I saw my mom and dad talking to someone. She was holding a tissue in her hand and was crying like crazy. I realised it was a doctor and I was in the hospital. My dad looked ov...
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Whos fault it is should be the least of our worries right now
“Well fine, don’t. But when this whole thing gets worse because you two are depressed over something that wasn’t your fault, don’t whine about it to me.” Anne said, in her usual stubborn tone. “I understand that this...
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They were all doing something
“You’ll be fine, they’re going to make it all heal and you’ll be good as new.” Will said, trying to sound positive. He leaned in and kissed me. Darrell walked up and put his hand on his shoulder, then took my hand, “...
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Take a Breath
Dad layed on the table, his chest rising and falling, falling and rising. Not like he usually breathes. No one breathes like that. “Dad,” I said, quietly. The nurses told me that he could hear me. I didn’t understand that, though. I t...
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Not Everyone Fits Stereotypes
A muscular yet slim man with a regular sized nose walked through the automatic doors into his local children’s hospital. In his pocket he carried a cloth wallet stuffed with money and a checkbook. He marched to front desk, where a Hispanic woman ...
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A Birth of Consequence
“PUSH!” The doctor said forcefully over my grunts and gasps for breath. “One more time Kelly, One big push and it will all be over.” The contractions ripped forward from my spine as I leaned forward and gave the final push bring...
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An arrival and a departure
Charlotte met them by the dingy goods-entrance to a hospital Katie had never been to before. Norman carried her inside and laid her on a trolley, handing a wad of print-outs to a nurse who introduced herself as Wei. Norman wished her good luck and vani...
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Wake up, we're moving again
Katie swam up from the anaesthetic very slowly. Her tummy hurt like hell, but it was a much better sort of hurt than she’d had before. It was still dark and she was alone. Through the curtain around her bed, she could hear the nurse, Wei, if she ...
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The Mystery of St Mary's Hospital
“Have you seen Marie? She was supposed to help me with rounds today.” Carol spoke to a young woman at the front desk of the hospital. "No sorry Carol, have you checked the lounge? The young woman replied. “Yeah I was just there b...
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Hit a wall
He’d hit a wall. He was surprised at the amount of detective work that could be done by an average person. Usually it was just a simple matter of the proper amount of money in the hands of the proper individuals. But even with all that, he’...
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Blank
Memories can hit you like a brick, but for me it’s like walking down a path into the sunset. Memories in perfect clarity can appear at random intervals. At least it used to, so I’m told. Right now, I have no memories. My life up until the p...
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Disillusioned
Evan entered the hospital and walked over to the information desk. A middle-aged woman with horn-rimmed glasses and too much makeup gave him a tired smile. “Can I help you, young man?” Evan nervously smoothed down the front of his shirt. &#...