Schou might have spent his last hours on Saturday the 19th," Rebekka said. "If you look here, he accepted the invitation and said he was going to participate."
16
April 2014
T HEY WERE RUNNING TESTS on him. Mads could feel it when they stuck their needles in his skin and took blood samples; he could hear them talking amongst each other, some of the nurses were even making jokes while taking samples from his body.
And he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He was stuck inside of his own body and couldn't tell a soul he was still alive. Still, Mads was clinging to a tiny ray of hope. Mads had moved his pinky. He was certain he had. It had felt different than when he tried to move anything else and it didn't react. The pinky reacted. It really did. It might not have been much motion, since no one seemed to notice, but it was something. Now he only wondered if he would be able to get them to notice before they cut him open and took his organs.
His mother and sister hadn't come yet. Mads had no idea of time or date. He only knew it was daytime, since the room was constantly filled with nurses and doctors and it was never like that at night when everything went frighteningly quiet and all he could hear was his own thoughts.
Now he heard a nurse come in the room and he listened to her clogs as she walked across the linoleum floor. Mads had learned the sounds pretty well by now. He knew the difference between them in the way they walked. He used the rhythm in their steps, the sound of their shoes, things rattling in their pockets, humming voices or whistling, or just the way someone cleared his throat to distinguish between them. That's how he knew the person approaching now was a woman. By the sound of her clogs. She was very tall, he guessed. Her steps were far apart and he guessed she had very long legs. Mads focused all of his strength on moving his pinky again and, this time, he was determined that she should see it. She just had to.
She was almost by his bedside now. She stopped and he guessed she was checking his monitor and the fluid next to him. She changed the bag of fluids that kept him hydrated, then pressed a button on the monitor to make sure his heart rate was okay. Mads knew her every move. Six times a day they did the same routine. Then she wrote the numbers down on his chart and hung it on his bed. Mads moved his pinky all he could to signal her that he was awake. Usually when they were done with the chart, the nurses left and it would be hours before anyone came back, unless they were doing more tests. Mads tried all he knew how to. He was certain the finger had to be flipping in the air by now, with all the strength he was putting into it. Then something extraordinary happened. While Mads was expecting to hear the steps of her leaving the room to attend other patients, she didn't. Instead, she paused. He listened carefully, but heard no steps, no movement whatsoever. Could it really be? Was she looking at him?
Please see it. Look at my finger. Please see me!
More steps. They weren't walking away. They were approaching. Mads couldn't believe it. She was coming closer. With great excitement, he listened to her steps while moving the fingertip as much as he could. He was getting tired now, but the desperation kept him going.
Please just see it. Please?
The nurse stopped. She was being very quiet now. He sensed that she was close. He could feel her warmth. He could hear her breathing. Was the sound coming closer? Was her breathing coming closer to him? Was she leaning down towards him?
She’s seen it. She must have seen it!
Mads felt her warm breath on his skin. She was close to his ear now. Was she examining him? Was she going to say something? Had she realized he was awake and now was checking him out closely? What was she doing?
Suddenly, a voice rung in his head. One that filled him with such a horror his heart almost stopped.
"A, B, C…It's easy as one, two, three…"
Then he screamed. Inside
16
April 2014
T HEY WERE RUNNING TESTS on him. Mads could feel it when they stuck their needles in his skin and took blood samples; he could hear them talking amongst each other, some of the nurses were even making jokes while taking samples from his body.
And he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He was stuck inside of his own body and couldn't tell a soul he was still alive. Still, Mads was clinging to a tiny ray of hope. Mads had moved his pinky. He was certain he had. It had felt different than when he tried to move anything else and it didn't react. The pinky reacted. It really did. It might not have been much motion, since no one seemed to notice, but it was something. Now he only wondered if he would be able to get them to notice before they cut him open and took his organs.
His mother and sister hadn't come yet. Mads had no idea of time or date. He only knew it was daytime, since the room was constantly filled with nurses and doctors and it was never like that at night when everything went frighteningly quiet and all he could hear was his own thoughts.
Now he heard a nurse come in the room and he listened to her clogs as she walked across the linoleum floor. Mads had learned the sounds pretty well by now. He knew the difference between them in the way they walked. He used the rhythm in their steps, the sound of their shoes, things rattling in their pockets, humming voices or whistling, or just the way someone cleared his throat to distinguish between them. That's how he knew the person approaching now was a woman. By the sound of her clogs. She was very tall, he guessed. Her steps were far apart and he guessed she had very long legs. Mads focused all of his strength on moving his pinky again and, this time, he was determined that she should see it. She just had to.
She was almost by his bedside now. She stopped and he guessed she was checking his monitor and the fluid next to him. She changed the bag of fluids that kept him hydrated, then pressed a button on the monitor to make sure his heart rate was okay. Mads knew her every move. Six times a day they did the same routine. Then she wrote the numbers down on his chart and hung it on his bed. Mads moved his pinky all he could to signal her that he was awake. Usually when they were done with the chart, the nurses left and it would be hours before anyone came back, unless they were doing more tests. Mads tried all he knew how to. He was certain the finger had to be flipping in the air by now, with all the strength he was putting into it. Then something extraordinary happened. While Mads was expecting to hear the steps of her leaving the room to attend other patients, she didn't. Instead, she paused. He listened carefully, but heard no steps, no movement whatsoever. Could it really be? Was she looking at him?
Please see it. Look at my finger. Please see me!
More steps. They weren't walking away. They were approaching. Mads couldn't believe it. She was coming closer. With great excitement, he listened to her steps while moving the fingertip as much as he could. He was getting tired now, but the desperation kept him going.
Please just see it. Please?
The nurse stopped. She was being very quiet now. He sensed that she was close. He could feel her warmth. He could hear her breathing. Was the sound coming closer? Was her breathing coming closer to him? Was she leaning down towards him?
She’s seen it. She must have seen it!
Mads felt her warm breath on his skin. She was close to his ear now. Was she examining him? Was she going to say something? Had she realized he was awake and now was checking him out closely? What was she doing?
Suddenly, a voice rung in his head. One that filled him with such a horror his heart almost stopped.
"A, B, C…It's easy as one, two, three…"
Then he screamed. Inside
Similar Books
