Once upon a time...
Calla opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She had no idea where she was, but it looked like a hospital room. The walls were stark white and as she looked around, she saw no one. The bed next to her was empty and as she began to awaken, her body was radiating pain. She winced and cried out. She tried to move, but as she looked down, she saw that there were tubes connected to her arms and as she tried to lift her legs, it felt like there was a heavy weight on each of them. Her cry must have been loud enough to summon the nurse because an older woman rushed into the room. She was wearing green scrubs. Her red hair was in a bun and her glasses were perched on the end of her nose.
"Oh my dear you're awake. Don't move I'll get the doctor."
She hit a button beside Calla's bed.
"I'm Nancy, your nurse, and yes I know that sounds funny. Once the doctor speaks to you, we'll get your family in here. They have been waiting for you to wake up."
"She's awake." From the doorway was a male voice. "I'm Dr. Hines and I'm the overseeing physician at the moment. You probably have a lot of questions so you can either ask them and I'll answer or I can just explain why you're here."
Calla stared at the doctor and was taken aback by his bluntness. His eyes were tired looking and he probably had seen so much pain and suffering that it no longer affected him.
"Tell me."
"You were in a motor vehicle collision five days ago. The car was crushed completely. You have two broken legs along with a ruptured spleen. You have a major contusion on your face that required stitches. You were in surgery for three hours. We had you in a coma to allow you to recover and as of last night you were off the drugs."
"What car accident?" Calla's mind was racing as she tried to remember the accident.
"I don't know the details. I was just told you were in a motor vehicle collision."
"Calla!" Two men rushed into the room and hugged Calla tight.
"Dad! Trevor!"
"You're awake. God you gave us a scare young lady."
Calla grinned as the men sat on either side of her bed.
"Visiting hours are almost over. I'll give you 20 minutes and then you're going to need to give her some rest. Once your legs have healed, you will be discharged. That should be in about four weeks."
Dr. Hines walked out of the room, not even smiling or saying goodbye.
"Baby we were so worried."
Calla's Dad was trying to wipe away the tears. His wrinkled face didn't hide his bright blue eyes. He wore jeans and a t-shirt.
"I'm sorry Daddy. I really don't remember the accident."
"It's O.K. sweetie. We don't care about the car. We just care about you."
"The doctor said I had a cut on my face. Is it bad Trevor?"
Trevor looked down at the ground, not wanting to look in his sister's eyes. Trevor was four years older then his sister and although there was twenty years between him and his dad, they looked very much alike. Trevor was also wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his hands were rough from his work.
"It's healing."
"That's not an answer."
Calla had always been stubborn and her relationship with her brother was very close considering their mom had died ten years ago.
Calla's dad walked over and took the mirror from above the sink. He held it delicately as he put it in front of Calla. Both father and son looked down at the ground, waiting for Calla's reaction. Calla just stared at her reflection and gasped. The cut was more like a large open wound that went from her right temple down across her cheek and ended at her chin. She had stitches all along the wound and her cheeks were bruised. When she opened her mouth she saw that she had two missing teeth. Her blonde hair was in a loose ponytail, but as she tilted the mirror, she saw a bald spot on the left side of her head. It was like her hair was burnt off. Calla put the mirror down and after pulling away the sheet, saw her arms and legs covered in cuts. She had an I.V. in her left arm and her legs were in casts from knee to ankle.
"I'm so ugly."
Calla burst into tears and Trevor tried first to comfort her. He was pushed away forcefully and as she turned on her side the men in her family knew she needed time alone.
Trevor and his dad walked slowly down the hallway of the hospital. Trevor was sixteen when his mom had died and remembered the hallways vividly. He remembered walking up and down the hall when he was told to leave his mom's room. He still had not forgiven the doctor who told him to leave right before his mom died. James walked beside his son and wondered what else was going to go wrong with his family.
Trevor and James made their way out of the hospital and got into the truck. They drove home to the motor home park and pulled into the parking spot in front of their home. It was actually a large motor home, considering the sizes of some of the other homes around them. There was a living room and dining room combined with a small galley kitchen. The front of the motor home was where James slept and in the back next to the washroom was a small room that fit Calla's bed and dresser. Trevor slept in the side room that was really a patio with walls. The men entered the home and went to their respective beds.
The next morning Trevor and James were up with the sun. They moved around the motor home quickly since they had to be at the worksite by seven. James had been a construction worker since graduating from high school and it was only assumed that Trevor would join him. Right after graduation, Trevor had begun working with his dad and they made a good team on the field. They got out to the construction site and began their work. They thought about Calla in the hospital and were excited to see her at the end of the day.
Calla woke up around eight and after calling the nurse to get her breakfast, asked to see the doctor. Dr. Hines was on duty again and he walked in and sat on a chair by the bed.
"What would you like Calla."
"I want to get out of bed so I can have a shower."
