The Cork Chronicles. Paige Hartwick
brown hair that was just long enough to fall in his eyes. Those eyes were the brightest green she had ever seen. He seemed like he was tall and very athletic. She shook off the feeling and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
She shook her head because the last thing she could remember was cleaning the bathrooms at work. After that it was nothing but blackness. She could feel the memory, but it was just barely out of reach.
“Well since you know your name, maybe you can answer a few medical questions for me? Any history of blackouts or seizures? What about anxiety or depression?” The tone of his voice made her stomach do a flip. It felt like they were two old friends that had known each other their whole lives…
“As far as I know, no seizures, but I was diagnosed with severe anxiety when I was twelve. I’ve never blacked out from it though, just major dizzy spells.” Kyra felt like she really needed to remember what had happened… The ambulance suddenly stopped and the doors were being opened. They were at the entrance to the emergency room. The paramedics wheeled her in to the ER, and for the next several hours, Kyra was poked and prodded by a revolving door of nurses and doctors. Then it was time for her MRI…
Kyra had never had an MRI before, but she had seen enough doctor shows to know that people with claustrophobia hated it. She made sure to let her doctor know so he could have one of the nurses give her something to help her relax. The nurses wheeled her to imaging and helped her into the machine. Kyra’s palms were sweaty and her heart began to race. There was no way she was going to go through this ordeal again, so she closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths.
“Okay Kyra, try to stay as still as possible. It’ll be over before you know it, just try to go to your happy place,” the technician said through the speaker.
“O-okay…” Kyra replied in a shaky voice. The machine started up and she was startled by the whirring, clunking sound. Kyra focused on the pattern of the sounds and took slow, even breaths to keep herself calm.
After a few minutes she started to feel a little drowsy, but she needed to stay awake. As a coping method, she started watching Mulan in her head. Mulan had been Kyra’s favorite movie growing up because she wanted to be brave and heroic just like her.
About halfway through the movie, the machine started to power down and Kyra instantly relaxed.
“Are we done? Please tell me we don’t have to do it again…” Kyra asked.
We’re all done! Your nurse will take you back to your room now. The neurologist will come talk to you as soon as he can go over your scans. It shouldn’t take too long, maybe an hour at the most,” the technician informed her. She was so worn out that she was looking forward to getting back to her room and taking a nap. But, as her luck would have it, her family and a cop were waiting for her out in the hall.
“Kyra Rose Walsh! What on earth happened? Your boss called us saying that you collapsed and had been rushed to the hospital!” Kyra’s mom, with her fiery red hair flowing down to her waist. She looked like a wildfire- like she was ready to burn the world down to find out who hurt her daughter.
“Excuse me, ma’am? I need to speak with Ms. Walsh and get her statement while the incident is still fresh in her mind.”
“Um, officer?… I can’t remember anything. The last thing I remember was cleaning the bathrooms at work, then waking up in the ambulance. The doctor said that it might be stress induced amnesia, but he wouldn’t be sure until my scans came back.” She started to slur her words and it was becoming really hard to keep her eyes open.
“Ms. Walsh really needs to rest now, officer. Would she be able to wait to give her statement? She might be able to remember more once she’s gotten some sleep,” Kyra’s nurse told the officer. By this point, Kyra was so exhausted that her whole body was hurting and she felt like throwing up. Before she could even try to say anything, everything went black.
CHAPTER THREE
Kyra could hear people talking, but it was as if they were whispering at the end of a really long tunnel. She tried to open her eyes, but it felt as if her whole body had been encased in lead. The voices began to fade and the darkness took over, once again.
CHAPTER FOUR
“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?