The Emmerson Witches♥Part Three♥Chapter Fourteen

                                    

                                          


                          


                          
PART THREE
                          
Not all those who wander are lost,
                          
J.R.R. Tolkien
                          


                          


                          
At first I incorporated the sound into my dream. The constant beeping came from my cell, yet I couldn't lift my arm to view the screen. I stood useless and limp, before making myself look and take in my surroundings.
                          
Dense fog hung in clouds. Faint shapes of skeletal trees swayed in the shadows. My legs were working, at least. And as I took a few tentative steps into the mist, somewhere, a canine bayed in the distance. What was I doing in the middle of this grey forest? And why couldn't I instruct my arms to move? Looking down at my hand, I saw my cell had disappeared.  Clearly, I was inside another dream. Except...I felt so aware. The cold wind on my face was real. Dry twigs crackled beneath my feet. The stringent smell of antiseptic burned into my sense of smell.
                          
Antiseptic?
                          
The beeping continued, despite my vanished cell phone. I listened, confused, searching for its source. My sight was futile, impaired by the soupy murk. 
                          
Gradually, I become aware of speaking. A voice reached me within the confines of this puzzling void.
                          
"She is responding extremely well to the nutrients and anti-biotic. But the crisis I'm most worried about is long term cranial damage, and muscle deterioration."
                          
It sounded like a script from Grey's Anatomy, and the words would have made me laugh if the tone wasn't so grave.
                          
I knew that professional, somber voice from somewhere...
                          
Dr. Reeves!
                          
"Are you saying her brain might be permanently damaged?" Another speaker joined the storyline, whispering with anguish. This time, I knew the faraway voice well as I did my own. Tookie.
                          
"Prolonged effect is the worst possible outcome, so don't panic just yet, Miss Tookie. I'm running more tests in order to rule it out, but unfortunately, for now, I can't overlook brain damage as a possibility in Chime's condition. I wish I could."
                          
My condition?
                          
 A sob tore through my aunt's chest, but it sounded like it originated in her soul. I wanted comfort her, tell her I was here, and not to cry, but it seemed my vocal cords had been frozen useless along with the rest of me.
                          
"I'm so sorry, Miss Tookie." Dr. Reeves offered gently. "Please try and remember I'm not anticipating the worst yet. I'm dedicated to doing everything in my power – I promise."
                          
"I know." Tookie sounded so weak. "I'm grateful for everything you've done – I've heard how often you stayed with her through the night. Thank you for that."
                          
"And I'll continue to..." Sympathy strained Dr. Reeves' normal efficient tone. "Until we've bought Chime back to us."
                          
Back from where? Where the hell was I?
                          
Momentary silence, apart from the beeping. Some sort of medical machine? Was I in Americus hospital?
                          
Tookie breathed a shaky breath. "But she's responding to all her treatment, you said. That's something to be positive about, isn't it?"
                          
I could almost hear Dr. Reeves enthusiastic nod. "More so than any other patient I've seen with a cranial viral infection."
                          
My brain was infected? Oh God.