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Sound returned first A gurney trundled over the floor Parchment fluttered The scratch of pen on paper thundered in h someone held a microphone to the tip as they wrote

Later I heard voices and a horrible lared The brightness penetrated ht to the space in front of htover It got closer and closer

A smooth voice said, "Find me the moment she starts to come around"

Then sound left the roo For a while there was nothing, not even the static inreturned

Blood rushed through an a steady pump My eyes fluttered I balled my toes up and released them The thin bones in my hand moved under ers twitched over the sheet

"How are you feeling, Aurora?"

I lowered li ray suit

When our eyes ent Melcher Welcome back"

My voice croaked the moment I opened my mouth "Where am I?"

"You&039;re on El around the bright enclosure "is our unit&039;s own private ER"

It made sense that I would be in a hospital, but why on base? My family had no ties to the ar, but where was Mom?

"What happened?"

"You were in a car accident Do you remember?"

Of course I reet the last seconds of ht were the last seconds

"The other driver" I couldn&039;t finish the sentence

"Is gone," Melcher answered

Suddenly the steady smile on his lips was too much I looked at the door beyond his shoulder

"Don&039;t worry, Aurora We&039;ve taken care of everything - the surgery and organ transplants Thanks to the blood transfusion we perfor quickly You&039;ll be better than new in no time"

The smile in his voice made me distrust him at once

"Why am I here?"

"Because you have very special blood, Aurora"

No one ever referred to my blood as special Doctors called it unique and rare - the rarest of all blood types Less than one percent of the population had AB negative blood Maybe that&039;s why I was on base Maybe the governative for my blood transfusion But ould they help me?

I looked at Melcher for further explanation, but he kept s and said, "I&039;ll send in yourtone was replaced by my Mom&039;s own hysterical outburst as she flew into the roorasped me by the shoulders and lowered herself overme into the bed She pulled back Tears streaked her cheeks "Thank God," she said again "My baby It&039;s a miracle"

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue "How are you feeling?"

I squinted at her "Why am I on base?"

Moht start crying again Then she took a deep breath and returned to pattingent Melcher said I can take you hoent, not the doctor

"How long have I been here?"

"Teeks"

"Teeks!" I cried

Tears started pooling in Mom&039;s eyes once more "They had to put you in a medically induced coma"

My eyes darted around the roo for a clock or a calendar - aeven "What , "Decenht have accepted raduate

"I spoke to all your teachers and they&039;re giving you extensions You&039;ll be able to go to school the week before Christmas then use the holiday break to catch up"

Mom placed a hand on et you ho ho into anotheras I lived

I&039;d just have to walk back - all fourteenman in a white lab coat and crew cut burst intoI pulled ainst ht, Aurora, up and at &039;e outside ?"

"Not farnext door"

"What&039;s next door?"

"The treadmill It&039;s time to start physical therapy"

I waited for hi; he really needed to take my blood pressure and check my vitals But he frohen I didn&039;t leap out of bed and do so jacks

"Um, I just woke up from a coery"