Chapter 3. I'm feeling horrible
The sound of someone talking woke me up, but the bright light made it hard for me to adjust, so I closed my eyes and reopened them.
Feeling pain in my head, I reached up and discovered a bandage wrapped around my forehead. As I tried to get up, I nearly fell, but two hands caught me, providing support.
When I looked up, I was captivated by the person standing before me. He seemed like a Greek God, indescribably perfect and charming.
Our eyes locked, and we stared at each other for a while until a clearing of the throat interrupted the moment. He helped me lie back down on the bed.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed his eye color change from yellow to grey, which was quite odd. Then, a lady in a white coat approached the bed and stood beside me.
“May I?” She asked, glancing at the man who had assisted me before stepping aside.
With a warm smile, she took my left hand, checked my pulse, and then examined my eyes.
Confused and unable to recall anything, I allowed her to proceed without protesting. Sensing my discomfort, she introduced herself as Doctor Diana, displaying a friendly and welcoming demeanor.
“How are you feeling?” She inquired, glancing at the nearby medical equipment, as I rested my head on the bedrest.
“Frankly speaking, I’m feeling horrible,” I replied, touching the bandage on my forehead.
“Yeah, it’s understandable. You have a bad head injury. By the way, can you tell me your name?” She asked with concern, as if I couldn’t remember my own name.
“I... I...” I couldn’t continue as I realized I couldn’t recall my name.
Confused and frustrated, I wondered why I couldn’t remember such a basic thing.
“It’s alright. Relax,” she said, pausing as if about to mention my name, but then looked at the man, who had a stern expression and even seemed to growl like an animal.
How could a human make an animal sound?
The doctor was right; I seemed to have seriously hurt my head, and now I couldn’t remember my name. A sharp pain shot through my head, causing me to hold it in pain. The doctor injected me with some medicine, and my hands felt weak, forcing me to let her lay me back down on the bed.
My eyes searched for the Greek God who had been in the room, but he had left, followed by the doctor. I wanted to call them, but the medicine weakened me, and I drifted off to sleep.
The sound of a chair being pulled startled me, and I regained consciousness. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a girl my age smiling at me.
She had beautiful features and cute brown eyes. As I tried to sit up, she helped me by arranging the pillows behind my head.
“Thank you,” I said gratefully.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, handing me a glass of water.
Then she brought me a bowl of soup, and I ate it hungrily, as if I hadn’t eaten in ages. Seeing my eagerness, she cautioned me to slow down to avoid choking.
After finishing the food, she took the tray and placed it on the table. Sitting on the chair near my bed, she looked at me with amusement.
″You are very pretty,″ she complimented me with a genuine smile, and I thanked her.
“Your welcome,” she mimicked my voice playfully, and we both laughed.
After our laughter subsided, I looked around and noticed the hospital equipment.
“I’m in the hospital?” I asked, seeking confirmation.
She nodded in acknowledgment. I tried to remember where I was before the head injury, but my efforts were in vain. Despite the pressure, I couldn’t retrieve any memories.
“Stop, you’re hurting yourself,” she said, grabbing my hand and soothingly rubbing it.
“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself,” she said, looking embarrassed, and I reassured her with a squeeze of her hand that I was fine.
“I’m Cresel Cilard,” she introduced herself, showing her perfect white teeth.
“I...” My smile faded as I remembered the bitter truth, and I clutched the edge of the duvet.
“It’s okay. Doctor Diana said that you’ll regain your memory someday,” Cresel said firmly, giving me hope.
“You had severely injured your head, and it’s fortunate that he found you in time. You’ll recover soon,” she assured me.
I decided to believe her words, and despite feeling uncertain, I accepted her help as she led me to the washroom.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I saw a weary girl with a tightly wrapped bandage around her forehead, dressed in hospital pajamas.
I carefully washed my face to avoid wetting the bandage and used a towel hanging on the wall to dry my face.
As I tried to walk, my legs hurt, and I limped towards the door. Just then, Cresel entered the room, looking worried.
“You should have called me,” she scolded gently, helping me walk back to the bed.
“You’re not fully recovered yet, so rest,” she said, tucking me in under the duvet.
“I a-” I began to say that I was okay, but the door opened, and three handsome men entered the room, exuding confidence.
Two of them had smiles on their faces, but the Greek God from earlier appeared emotionless and enigmatic.
″Hello, I am Tate,″ one of the guys introduced himself, and I smiled and nodded.
″Hi, I am Dan, and... he is Anord,″ the second guy introduced, and the name Anord caught my attention.
Unintentionally, his name slipped from my tongue, and they all looked at me with amusement.
Feeling overwhelmed by their attention, I blushed, making my cheeks turn red like a tomato, and the atmosphere grew slightly awkward.
After a few seconds, I composed myself and greeted them with a whispered hello, which they seemed to hear perfectly well.
“Ukrine.” Dan broke the silence, catching my attention.
“Huh?” I said, looking bewildered.
“Your name. Hello! Ukrine,” Tate said, shaking his head at Dan, who seemed annoyed.
“Ukrine?!” I asked uncertainly.
“We found a bracelet near where you were lying. It had your name engraved on it, so we assumed it belonged to you since we didn’t find anyone else around,” he said matter-of-factly, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Ukrine. That’s my name, but why was I in the forest, and how did I sustain this head injury?
“Are you ready to go?” Tate asked, beaming as if he had been eagerly waiting for this moment.
“Umm... go where?” I asked, giving him a blank look.
“Home,” Anord said in his husky voice, sending a shiver down my spine, freezing me for a moment.
“But I... I don’t know you guys,” I blurted out, gazing at the strangers who seemed to expect something from me.
However, my attention was quickly drawn to Anord’s eyes, where a fleeting sadness passed through before disappearing.
“It’s up to you. You can’t stay here much longer, and you have nowhere else to go,” Anord said, stating the facts and implying that I should go with them.
Home. I’m coming.