Charloft: Memory
It’s dark, it’s warm and she is sleepy. So tired… slowly she becomes more and more aware of everything around her- the IV in her hand, the sheets beneath and on top of her, the dull pain where her eyes would be, are. She uses her free hand to touch her face, and instead of her own skin her fingers are met with bandages. A large hand takes hers and removes it from her face- Nathan’s hand, another takes her other, Marni. They are speaking to her, but it is distant, muted- it must be the zydrate, that drug Rotti was so confident in.
She just wants to go back to sleep- she is warm, and her head is pounding just dull enough for her to want to sleep it off.
“Mag? It’s me… Nate. Can you hear me? Just squeeze my hand if you can understand me.”
She squeezes both hands, she could feel Marni’s hand squeeze back, her skin smooth and her nails perfectly manicured, like always.
“Maggie-beauty, you need to lean up just a little, I’m going to take off your bandages.” She tries, feeling someone’s hand on her back, and the bed being moved so that she has to sit.
She is terrified, what if it failed? What if it worked? Slowly a new sensation creeps into her mind, light.
“Maggie? The lights are off, so it shouldn’t be too bright, but just tell me if you want me to stop okay?”
She can speak, but it is as if every word has been stolen from her throat, she opens her mouth to tell him something, anything, but instead she just smiles and nods.
Her eyes are shut, but the sensation creeping between the cotton swabs is enough for her to catch her breath. Marni squeezes her hand even tighter and the cool air on her skin and blinding light is enough to tell her that she can and should open her eyes.
She could feel Nathan kissing the corner of her mouth just slightly, “Is she sleeping beauty Nate?” she could hear Marni joking and squeezing her hand again, and Mag couldn’t help but smile as well. It was enough for her to open her eyes and see. Her first sight, first image was an un-focusted Nathan Wallace blushing.
She blinked a few times, hearing the lenses focus in and out, it scares her enough for her to shut her eyes again.
“That’s your iris Mag, we are going to make them quieter eventually, it’s okay to open your eyes.”
She can feel Marni holding her hand, and she can hear a few other people in the room, so she opens her eyes again and turns to Marni, she was beautiful, her (dark?) hair was all put up and she was smiling, she looked like Mag had always imagined, like a doll. Rotti was behind her, on hand on her shoulder, smiling has well.
She tried to scan the room, the whirring of her eyes going like a small engines as she focused on both far and near objects before facing Nathan again. She searched her memory for every question she ever asked about his appearance, the color of his eyes, hair, everything.
“you need to shave.”