A Most Unusual Passage
Copyright© 2026 by J&J
Chapter 23
“Marcus, wake up, dear. The doctor says you should be waking up any time now.”
Was that Martha? It sounded like her, but so far away.
“Please dear, wake up.”
Yes, that was Martha. I tried to clear my foggy mind.
I felt her hand slip into mine. I could feel the pressure as she squeezed it gently. I managed to squeeze hers in return.
“I felt him squeeze my hand!” I heard Martha say. This time it sounded like she was closer.
As I tried to force myself awake, I became aware of the dryness of my throat.
In agonizingly slow motion, I felt myself become aware of the smell and sounds around me. The squeaking of a chair as someone shifted position. The sound of footsteps on a tile floor reached my ears as well. The smell of the shampoo that Martha used pervaded my olfactory senses.
I forced my eyes open, and at first there was only white. The white changed into a wall, and as I turned my head, I could see Martha’s face, somewhat out of focus. I tried to speak, but my throat was so dry I couldn’t form the words.
“Wagher, thro dry,” I managed to croak.
“Oh, Marcus! Oh, my dear!” She said, as she leaned over and hugged me.
“Wagher!” I croaked again.
“You want some water?” She asked.
I nodded my head.
I watched as she stood from the chair beside my bed and walked over to the bedside stand on the opposite side of where I lay. She poured water into a glass and unsheathed the paper wrapping from a straw. Quickly, she was back at my side and held the straw to my lips.
“I can never remember water being this refreshing!” I thought to myself, as I sipped from the straw. Shortly, my thirst quenched, I shook my head, and she removed the straw from my lips.
“Where am I?” I managed to say, in a raspy voice.
“You’re in the hospital, Dear.”
Then the memories came back: fixing the fence, the damn pheasant jumping up at my feet and finally losing my balance and falling.
My first thought was that I needed to get to school. “I have to get out of here; I need to get to school!” I blurted.
Martha grinned and then said, “Elizabeth is taking care of your school. You need to stay right where you are. Marcus, you’ve had quite an injury. You’re not going anywhere till the doctors say so.”
“But Elizabeth won’t know what to do,” I replied.
With a laugh, which turned into a chuckle, she said, “Marcus, she’s been there for the past three days. She will do OK; trust me.”
“Three days! I’ve been here three days?”
“It’s Wednesday, Dad,” I heard, off to my right.
When I turned my head, I found George getting up from the chair in the corner.
“Mom,” George said, “I’ll let the nurse know Dad’s awake.”
Martha nodded, and George quickly left the room.
“Marcus, I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you. Please, take some time to get well.”
When I looked into her eyes, I could see fear, concern, and love emanating from them. She was clearly afraid I’d do something stupid.
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