My eyes widen when my mom steps onto the metal railing, climbing up to the top bar.
What is she doing?
I start running toward her, wondering how she got so far away.
“Wait!” I say as she begins to wobble. “Mom, get down from there! You’re about to fall!”
“Unconscious...Treated for hypovolemic shock.”
She stretches her arms out wide and glances over her shoulder. “Wake up, Jasmine. It’s time to find the truth.”
"Mom, don't do it!"
By the time I get to the railing, I'm too late. She disappeared. I don't even think about it; I dive in after her, down into the water below. Darkness instantly washes over me. My limbs are too heavy to move. My chest feels like there’s an anvil sitting on top of it, crushing my lungs. Is this what drowning feels like?
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Where is that annoying sound coming from? Awareness is slowly seeping in, and the first thing that registers beyond the rhythmic beeping is the pain.
So. Much. Fucking. Pain.
My head is pounding. My throat protests as I attempt to swallow. Every muscle in my body aches as if I just went a few dozen rounds in an octagon.
I wince when warm fingers wrap around mine.
“She needs more pain meds,” a deep voice barks.
Is that Kingston?
Why is someone playing the drums? I think I groan. I make a concerted effort to open my eyes and find a tall blonde wearing scrubs with pictures of little books on them. She's doing something that makes the godawful noise go away. Am I in a hospital?
“Hi, Jasmine. I’m Kristi, your nurse for the day. How are you feeling?”
“Hurts.” It’s difficult to speak. My tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth.
Kristi reaches behind me, and next thing I know, a straw is pressed against my lips. “Take small sips...this should help a bit.”
I startle when something squeezes my bicep.
She smiles softly. “Try to hold still. It’s taking your blood pressure.”
I wait for the machine to do its thing while she taps her fingers on a nearby keyboard. “On a scale of one to ten, with ten being unimaginable, how would you rate your pain?”
“Nine, maybe?” My voice is so scratchy, I hardly recognize it.
I think I doze off for a second because now the nurse is by my side, uncapping a needle and injecting something into my IV line. “It’s time for another dose of morphine. This should make you feel much better in no time.”
That moment can’t come soon enough. I’ve never felt pain like this before.
“Thank you.” I fade in and out as the lady finishes checking my vitals. Or at least that’s what I think she’s doing. “Need to...save...my mom...ocean...so tired.”
“That’s normal,” Kristi says. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal. You get some more rest, and I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“’Kay,” I mumble.