No Mum, I don't want too. Head hurts. Feel sick. Bed better. Sleep.
"I know you're awake Claire, there's no point in pretending otherwise. How are you going to find the bucket if you don't open your eyes?"
Bucket? The mere thought set her body off: a rush of saliva, the clenching of stomach muscles, god the vomit! All over her pillow! Morning sickness passed months ago, hadn't it? Ohmygodmybaby! Fear brought on further retching and the bitter taste of bile. The combined stench made Claire gag as she tried to shift away from the wet patch from hell, fearful that it would trickle after her, one hand reaching down to curve around her abdomen in an attempt convince herself and the baby that everything was ok.. which it wasn't. It so wasn't.
"Told you so," the voice commented bluntly. Definitely not Mum. The sounds didn't fit either, though her sense of smell was overrun with.. ugh..
Claire's mouth tasted like shit. She needed somewhere to spit or she was going to throw up again, and what good would that do? Water would be good too, and a new pillow. What kind of place was this, where the nurse taunted the patient? Surely not a hospital?
Her voice came out quiet and small, barely recognisable. She coughed a little to clear the fuzziness, grimacing at the pieces that flew into her mouth from.. oh god.. "Water?"
Claire's tormentor wasn't done yet. "Say the magic word."
"Did," she whispered tiredly, willing her eyelids to open so she could identify the cow.
Claire's success was limited to the sight of a blue-clad body being pulled through the doorway and scolded by someone on the outside, at least that's what it sounded like. The words were muffled. Meanwhile an efficient-looking nurse bustled to the side of her bed, gently pulling her forward so the soiled pillow could be replaced.
Claire looked up at her imploringly, still squinting under the lights. "Water?"
"Ice chips to your right."
Oh. Ok. She began to curl her left hand downwards so she could reassure the baby while reaching for the bedside table, her fingers jerking in shock when they encountered something taped to her skin. That set off a sharp wince as the movement tugged the IV tube inserted into the crook of her arm. This has to be a hospital, but where? How?
"Careful with that, Claire. It's keeping you hydrated after all that vomiting."
"I don't remember," she mumbled, fighting the fog in her memory. "Have we been rescued?"
Ice cold water trickled down Claire's throat, washing away some of that bloody awful taste and reminding her of the mud she'd fallen into when - "Oh my god, Ami! Rose! Dai-"
"Be quiet, you silly girl," the nurse talked right over her panic attack, damn near pushing her back against the new pillows. "We can always sedate you again, but I'd rather not - for your baby's sake, if nothing else."
Claire shook her head rapidly, lips clamped shut. Not that. Never that. She'd gotten pretty attached to the little fella recently, and ohmygod she was so close to due it wasn't funny. She had to know that he was ok though, she had to, even if these women weren't willing to talk about her friends.
"Is.." The nurse looked at her sharply. No nametag, Claire realised belatedly. "Is my baby ok?"
A crisp nod followed, along with a tap to the beeping monitor nearby on the nurse's way out. "He's fine."
Oh. So he really is a he, Claire thought morosely, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now. She never expected to reach a hospital and start longing for the bloody beach! And her head hurt like buggery. Crap.
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timeasmymeasure
[Claire] Trying to understand
Date: 2006-06-27 01:22 pm (UTC)No Mum, I don't want too. Head hurts. Feel sick. Bed better. Sleep.
"I know you're awake Claire, there's no point in pretending otherwise. How are you going to find the bucket if you don't open your eyes?"
Bucket? The mere thought set her body off: a rush of saliva, the clenching of stomach muscles, god the vomit! All over her pillow! Morning sickness passed months ago, hadn't it? Ohmygodmybaby! Fear brought on further retching and the bitter taste of bile. The combined stench made Claire gag as she tried to shift away from the wet patch from hell, fearful that it would trickle after her, one hand reaching down to curve around her abdomen in an attempt convince herself and the baby that everything was ok.. which it wasn't. It so wasn't.
"Told you so," the voice commented bluntly. Definitely not Mum. The sounds didn't fit either, though her sense of smell was overrun with.. ugh..
Claire's mouth tasted like shit. She needed somewhere to spit or she was going to throw up again, and what good would that do? Water would be good too, and a new pillow. What kind of place was this, where the nurse taunted the patient? Surely not a hospital?
Her voice came out quiet and small, barely recognisable. She coughed a little to clear the fuzziness, grimacing at the pieces that flew into her mouth from.. oh god.. "Water?"
Claire's tormentor wasn't done yet. "Say the magic word."
"Did," she whispered tiredly, willing her eyelids to open so she could identify the cow.
Claire's success was limited to the sight of a blue-clad body being pulled through the doorway and scolded by someone on the outside, at least that's what it sounded like. The words were muffled. Meanwhile an efficient-looking nurse bustled to the side of her bed, gently pulling her forward so the soiled pillow could be replaced.
Claire looked up at her imploringly, still squinting under the lights. "Water?"
"Ice chips to your right."
Oh. Ok. She began to curl her left hand downwards so she could reassure the baby while reaching for the bedside table, her fingers jerking in shock when they encountered something taped to her skin. That set off a sharp wince as the movement tugged the IV tube inserted into the crook of her arm. This has to be a hospital, but where? How?
"Careful with that, Claire. It's keeping you hydrated after all that vomiting."
"I don't remember," she mumbled, fighting the fog in her memory. "Have we been rescued?"
Ice cold water trickled down Claire's throat, washing away some of that bloody awful taste and reminding her of the mud she'd fallen into when - "Oh my god, Ami! Rose! Dai-"
"Be quiet, you silly girl," the nurse talked right over her panic attack, damn near pushing her back against the new pillows. "We can always sedate you again, but I'd rather not - for your baby's sake, if nothing else."
Claire shook her head rapidly, lips clamped shut. Not that. Never that. She'd gotten pretty attached to the little fella recently, and ohmygod she was so close to due it wasn't funny. She had to know that he was ok though, she had to, even if these women weren't willing to talk about her friends.
"Is.." The nurse looked at her sharply. No nametag, Claire realised belatedly. "Is my baby ok?"
A crisp nod followed, along with a tap to the beeping monitor nearby on the nurse's way out. "He's fine."
Oh. So he really is a he, Claire thought morosely, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now. She never expected to reach a hospital and start longing for the bloody beach! And her head hurt like buggery. Crap.