Guarding Light by Cate Mckoy Page A

Then a bright all-consuming light, whiteness as far as her eyes could see. Then came a stinging awareness of pain and ache throughout her body. Some of the pain was more persistent than the others. The pain to her backside and between her legs was more painful than all the rest.
       Catlyn then became aware of voices much closer than the distant voices in the shrouding whiteness. One was mother's voice, soothing as she held her hand, prayed, read her nursing texts. Another was Sara's as she chattered on about school. Another was Tasha's, telling her she had to wake up. Yet another was a stranger's, asking her if she knew who attacked her. This voice belonged to a police officer. And the last voice in her head before she came fully awake belonged to Jack, calling her Kitten, telling her that she had to get better.
       Although all those voices were in her head Catlyn was actually alone when she came completely awake. She was in recovery on her side with pillows in front and behind her and between her knees. There was a bandage around her right hand with most of the padding to the palm. Her left hand had an I.V. And her right index finger was in a small metallic looking splint. There were oxygen cannulas up her nose.
       Catlyn tried to sit up. She winced in sharp pain. She noticed a call button placed on the bed next to her bandaged hand. Before she could push the button her door opened.
       A man in a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck, holding a clipboard, writing, walked towards her bed. He checked her I.V. and looked at some sort of monitor before he even looked at her. He froze when he encountered her eyes fixed on him, watching his every move closely. He gave her a compassionate smile. "Well, hello there, sweetie."
       He reached to lower her bedrail. Catlyn shrank from him as fear engulfed her. "Oh, no, no…" He quickly put her bedrail back in place, backing towards the door. He disappeared.
       Catlyn caught her breath and tried to get her racing heart under control. Before her anxiety could overwhelm her, her mother walked into the room.
       Her mother reached for her, cautiously hugging Catlyn. "Oh, my, baby! Thank God!"
       The man also returned with a contrite smile on his face. "Hello again, I am Dr. Rice. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
       "Mama, I hurt." Catlyn rasped to her mother. "I want to sit up."
       May Lyte, adjusted some of the pillows on the bed, carefully helping Catlyn to turn on her back. She then went to the foot of the bed and cranked the head of the bed up until Catlyn was at a more comfortable angle.
       The man continued talking as May started fussing over her daughter, pushing her hair back, pouring her a drink of water, helping her to take small sips. "Catlyn, do you know where you are? What happened to you?" At her slight nod the doctor continued. "You gave us a scare young lady. We had to do a Splenectomy, that is, remove your spleen. It was damaged, ruptured actually, during the trauma. You have an incision to your front torso about 4-6 inches in length. The sutures in your abdomen have to be removed in a few days. Although the surgery was a success you developed a fever and an infection. We gave you some antibiotics. We've done some stitching to your vaginal walls and anus. The stitches to these areas are the type to dissolve. You received a blood transfusion for the blood you lost. We put a splint to your right index finger, obviously it's broken. You also have various contusions and abrasions all over your body. The slash to your hand, chest and stomach did not require stitches, but, were cleaned and dressed. We also monitored you for concussion. Your pupils were reactive to light but you should have woken up days ago."
       At the mention of time, Catlyn interrupted the doctor's list. "How long have I been here?"
       "Jack and Sara brought you in six days ago." May Lyte answered, still caressing Catlyn's hair.
       "Six days?!"