LJ Idol, Week 3: “Without You”

The darkness pulled at her, sucked her inert form deep below the surface. She couldn’t stay afloat any longer.

“Hit her again.”

KERTHUNK

Beep… beep… beep…

“We’ve got her! Hold on… just hold on.”

***

She stubbornly fought her way out of the viscous, gloomy mess. It was a herculean effort for her atrophied muscles, but inch by inch she beat off the naysayers and determined her own fate. A pinpoint of light helped guide her onward and ever upward.

Opening her eyes, she weakly lifted her head an inch off the pillow and glanced around. Soft sunlight suffused the small room from two large, curtainless windows. The sky was pale blue and clear, but the leaves on the maple trees had turned autumnal colors. How long had she been here?

She lay her head back down, raised one thin arm and examined the tubes and lines of life-giving fluids that snaked their way into her body, keeping her fed, hydrated, and free of infections. Monitors somewhere behind her beeped, steady and sure. She sighed, exhausted beyond all belief, and drifted back off to sleep.

***( Read more... )