Rebound: The CEO'S Revenge System

Chapter 4A: The Kind Nurse

The hospital room was dark. It was not a peaceful dark. It was heavy and thick. It felt like a heavy blanket that covered everything.

Ryan lay in his bed. He was perfectly still. He looked like he was sleeping, but he was not. Inside his mind, he was wide awake. He was screaming, but his mouth did not move. He was running, but his legs did not move. He was a prisoner inside his own body.

The only sound in the room was the machine. Beep. Beep. Beep.

It was a cold, robotic sound. It counted the seconds of his life. Ryan hated that sound. It reminded him that he was alive, but he could not live. He stared at the ceiling. He could not close his eyes. He could not look away. He just stared at the white tiles. He counted them. One, two, three... a hundred.

His body felt like stone. It was heavy and cold. He tried to wiggle his toes. Nothing happened. He tried to make a fist. Nothing happened. It was like shouting into a deep, empty well. No echo came back.

Then, he heard a sound.

Click.

The door handle turned. A long strip of yellow light fell across the floor. It cut through the darkness. Ryan waited. He knew the schedule. It was late. The hallway was quiet.

A woman walked in. It was Nurse Lily.

Ryan liked Lily. She was different from the others. The other nurses treated him like a piece of furniture. They changed his bags and checked his tubes, but they did not look at him. They looked through him. But Lily was kind.

She closed the door softly. The room became dim again, lit only by the green light of the heart monitor. Lily walked to the side of the bed. Her shoes made a soft squeak, squeak sound on the floor.

"Hello, Ryan," she whispered.

Her voice was soft. It sounded like a warm breeze. She did not turn on the big, bright lights. She knew they hurt his eyes. She clicked on a small lamp near the bed. The light was golden and gentle.

"It is raining outside tonight," Lily said. She walked to the window and pulled the curtain a little bit. "It is a big storm. Can you hear the thunder?"

Ryan listened. He heard a low rumble far away. Boom.

He wanted to say, Yes, I hear it. I love the rain.

But he said nothing. He lay like a statue.

Lily walked back to him. She picked up a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth. She dipped the cloth in the water. Splash. She squeezed it out.

"Let's get you clean," she said.

She touched the warm cloth to his forehead. It felt amazing. Ryan’s skin was always cold. The heat from the cloth felt like life. She wiped his forehead gently. She wiped his cheeks. She was careful not to pull the tubes in his nose.

"My day was crazy," Lily said. She spoke to him like he was her friend. She did not speak to him like a baby. "Dr. Evans yelled at everyone today. He spilled his coffee on his white coat. It was very funny. He looked like a giant Dalmatian dog."

Ryan felt a laugh bubble up inside his chest. He tried to smile. He pushed with all his mind to lift the corner of his lip.

Nothing moved. His face remained a mask. But inside, he was laughing.

Lily continued to wipe his neck. "And my feet hurt. I have been walking for twelve hours. I need new shoes. Maybe pink ones. What do you think? Do you like pink?"

She paused and looked at his eyes. She smiled a sad smile.

"I bet you like blue. You have blue eyes."

She moved to his arms. She lifted his hand. It was limp and heavy. She washed his fingers one by one. Her touch was gentle. She treated his hand like it was made of glass.

Suddenly, Lily stopped.

The room went silent. The beep, beep of the machine seemed to get louder.

Lily put the cloth down. She did not let go of Ryan’s hand. She held it tight. Her thumb rubbed the back of his hand. It was a nervous movement.

She looked at the door to make sure it was closed. Then she leaned in close. Her face was right above his. Ryan could smell her scent. She smelled like soap and peppermint gum.

Her eyes were wide. She looked scared.

"Ryan," she whispered. Her voice was shaking. "I have to tell you something. I shouldn't tell you. If they know I told you, I will lose my job. But I have to say it."

Ryan focused on her eyes. What is it? Tell me.

Lily looked at the door again. Then she looked back at him. "It is about Mark."

Ryan felt a jolt of fear. Mark was the other nurse. The man with the heavy hands. The man who smelled like smoke and old sweat. Ryan hated Mark. Mark was mean when no one was looking.

"Last night," Lily whispered, "I came back to get a chart. I saw Mark in here. He thought everyone was asleep."

She squeezed Ryan’s hand tighter. "He was going through your personal bag. The one in the closet."

Ryan’s heart rate picked up on the monitor. Beep-beep-beep.

Lily glanced at the machine. "Shh, calm down," she soothed. "Listen to me."

She leaned closer, her lips almost touching his ear. "I saw him take your watch, Ryan. The gold one. The one with the inscription on the back."

Ryan felt a fire explode in his chest. “No! Not the watch!”