Читать книгу The Cork Chronicles - Paige Hartwick - Страница 4

“Kyra… Sweetie? It’s time to wake up now… Please wake up. Máthair loves you so much!” Mrs. Walsh was sobbing while holding Kyra’s hand between hers. She was trying to be strong for her baby girl, but seeing her laying there unconscious in the hospital bed, hooked up to all the monitors, was just too much to handle and she broke down.

Her son and youngest daughter were fast asleep in a couple of chairs in the corner. They had been crying all night and had only been asleep for a couple of hours. Her husband was back in Ireland on a business trip, so she’d wait and call him once his meeting was over. She knew that this meeting was very important for Mr. Walsh and that he’d need to be completely focused.

“Máthair? Cá bhfuil mé? Cén fáth a bhfuil tú ag gol? Momma? Please don’t cry?” Kyra pleaded in a raspy voice. She looked around the room at the bland colored walls and generic printed pictures. The strong smell of disinfectant hit her like a brick wall. She looked down and could see the needle in the back of her hand. There were wires attached to her chest and head. That was when she really began to panic. What the hell was going on?! Why was she in the hospital?

“Sweetie, calm down. Take a deep breath and try to relax while I go get the doctor. Just lay still and I’ll be right back.” Kyra’s mom kissed her forehead and left the room, her red hair blowing backwards with the sudden rush of her running out of the room. Her brother and sister were still asleep in the corner. All of a sudden the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt like she was being watched. She couldn’t see anyone out in the hallway, so she shook it off and tried to relax.

“Sister! You’re awake!” Kyra’s sister Chloe yelled and ran over to her bedside and gave her a big hug. Kyra buried her face in her sister’s thin, blonde hair and took a deep breath. Her little sister’s presence always helped her relax. She was her favorite person in the whole world. She was so small and innocent, easily impressionable.

“I could say the same for you, silly goose,” Kyra chuckled as she continued holding her sister. Chloe was only eleven years old, so she could only imagine how she was feeling, seeing her big sister laying there attached to so many machines. Kyra had Chloe sit in the bed with her and kept hugging her until their mother walked back in with the doctor a few minutes later.

“Well hello there, Kyra. How’re you feeling? I’ll have to say, you were asleep for a bit longer than expected,” the doctor said to Kyra.

“I feel fine. Now, can you please tell me what happened? The last thing I remember is walking in to work today. Wait, what day is it?! How long have I been asleep?!” Kyra started to have a panic attack and it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Her fingers turned to ice and it felt as if someone had sat on her chest. The doctor called for her nurse and had her give Kyra something to calm her down. Once her heart rate slowed down, her doctor sat down and began answering her questions.

“Now, to answer your last question, you were unconscious for nearly thirteen hours. I was hoping that with some sleep your memory would come back, but it seems that your mind has blocked out even more of yesterday as some part of self preservation.

“There are some things we can try to get your memory back, but it’s possible that it will come back all on it’s own. I would like to keep you here overnight for observation, but, at this time, your only injuries are the scrapes on your hands and your head where you hit it on the pavement. Your head is going to he sore for a couple of weeks, and you may have a few migraines, but other than that, you’re in pretty good health.”

Kyra was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t think of anything to ask the doctor. It was like her brain had left her body and gone on vacation. What if my memories never come back? Would Ashlyn just get to walk away, even with video proof and witnesses? One thing was blaringly obvious, she’d need to find a new job- and sooner rather than later. Even though her parents had already agreed to help her out, that was before Ashlyn turned their worlds upside down.

Unbeknownst to the Walsh family, the events of the day before would be the last time that Kyra would play by their rules. She was sick and tired of her family treating her like a child. She was almost twenty-two for crying out loud! She loved her parents so much, but she was tired of them holding her back from becoming a better person.

There was something big coming, she could feel it in her gut. She was scared, but more excited than anything. She just hoped that whatever was coming, that it would be something good and positive. There had been so much negativity in her life over the past several years that she felt like she was long overdue for some happiness.