My Name is Not Cupcake

My first conscious breath was the hardest.

My lungs burned with every wheezed attempt. My body was in a sharp pain as I tried to remember what happened. A flash of my fall hit me and had me wincing again. It felt like five buses had hit me. Coughing rocked my body only adding to the pain. My eyes cracked open and took in what I could see without moving. I knew that moving only guaranteed me more pain. My ears kicked in next. All I could hear was a steady beeping. Again with my wheezing, and I sounded worst than I thought. There was a steady flow of air coming in through my nose. I felt something warm encasing my hand. I tried to turn towards the warmth but instantly regretted it. A strangled noise left my lips as I started breathing heavily from the pain. A shadow appeared in my eyesight. The shadow slowly focused into the man who kidnapped me. His perfect tan face was red and puffy. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had been crying. His hair was tussled as if he had been pulling at it.

"What were you thinking?" he asked hoarsely. I caught my breath and tried to moisten my mouth to talk.

"Nova," I breathed. I winced at my own voice. I sounded like a croaking frog. The man still looked confused. "My name," I tried again. A smile spread across his face.

"Your name is Nova," he said in realization. I tried to nod but it only caused pain to erupt in my spine. Tears sprung to my eyes as on their own accord.

"You broke a few ribs and fractured your spine. Also, you shattered your arm and ankles. There's a compound fracture to your right leg. But I managed to catch your head so no damage there," he explained. My eyebrows deepened in thought and confusion.

"You jumped too," I whispered confused. His face was still as stone as he sat still. If I weren't wrong, I'd say he looked nervous.

"No I didn't," he answered quickly. "You've been in an induced coma for 5 weeks now to try and give your body an opportunity to heal some. You've been dreaming for a while," he chuckled nervously. I didn't believe the dreaming thing one bit.

"But-"

"Elias," he said quickly, cutting me off. Despite myself, I fell for it. I knew what he was talking about and I didn't care that I was broken. My dry lips cracked a smile at finally being able to put a name to the face of my beautiful kidnapper.

Stop it! He's not beautiful.

"Your name," I croaked. There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal a doctor. He had a full head of snow-white hair and bright blue eyes that stood out against his pink face. All in all, he reminded me of an in-shape Santa Claus or Jack Frost. He smiled kindly at me.

"Good, you're awake. My name is Dr. Michael Shatter. How do you feel?" he asked as he grabbed a clipboard at the end of my bed and went over a few things silently.

"I feel like I've been run over by five trains," I answered hoarsely. He scribbled something on the clipboard before he put it back in its place and faced me.

"Your recovery is coming at a remarkably slow pace. I would suggest a few pints blood transfusion. It may speed up the process. Plus, Elias here is your just your type," the doctor said. It seemed like there was a double meaning behind his words.

"Michael," Elias snapped at him in a clear warning. I didn't understand the big deal. Why would Elias be so snappy about a blood transfusion? The two shared a silent exchange as if they were communicating without words.

"I would like that option if it'll make this less, um... painful. Only if Elias is willing to donate," I said, turning to Michael. Michael smiled.

"I assure you, the transfusion will have you feeling better in no time," he said positively. Michael glanced at Elias briefly. Elias only sighed and set his jaw tight. They stared at each other in their silent communicative way of staring at each other. It was odd. It was like a very intense staring contest. There was the slightest change in facial expression, a quirk of an eyebrow, a furrow, a lip twitch every once in a while. It looked like they actually were holding dialogue without words. Eventually I cleared my throat.

"Can I get some water please?" I asked hoarsely. My throat still felt scratchy and sore. Michael blinked before he smiled at me.

"I'll have Elias grab that for you as I start preparing the pint bags and IV set up," Michael said before they both left. Something wasn't right. I felt... weird. Shortly, Elias came back with water and a straw.

"Here, so you won't have to reach too far," he said, placing the straw right where I could reach it comfortably. Elias kissed my hand gently. The motion sent butterflies to my stomach as my eyes widened slightly in shock. That weird feeling was gone... That funny feeling was because of him, and I didn't like that. I felt comforted by the gesture. I should be disgusted and appalled by the touch of my kidnapper, but I wasn't. I liked it a lot. Elias rubbed his thumb over my hand.

"I'll see you in a bit, okay? We'll be right back. Try not to fall out any windows while I'm gone," he said rolling his eyes slightly. As soon as Elias left the room, I felt antsy. It was minor but unsettling, like I was uneasy with Elias gone. It didn't make any sense. Maybe I had that disorder for when a captor starts to have feeling towards their capturer.

Stockholm Syndrome, that's what it was.

That worried me. My body still hurt and it was still hard to breath normally, but on top of that, I wanted Elias to be in the room with me. It worried me not knowing if he was okay or not. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something other than my spiraling life. It was a grueling hour before Dr. Michael and Elias came back to the hospital room. They strolled in carrying four bags of blood. I was slightly shocked at how Elias was still perfectly functioning after giving so much blood. When I would donate to the blood drive, it only took a pint for me to get light-headed and even pass out sometimes. Elias didn't even look dizzy. Although I shouldn't have been surprised since he also jumped from a three-story window and landed without a scratch.

"Just relax, Ms. Nova. I'll keep coming in to alternate the blood with the fluids and you should be in tiptop shape again in no time. You should feel better in a few days," Michael assured me. Dr. Michael set up my IV with the blood and repositioned me with the help of Elias. I could finally see the rest of the room. It was a basic single hospital room set up with heart monitors, machines, chords, a few chairs and a basic cable TV. I sighed as I felt the new liquid start to circulate through my body. My bones ached, but in a good way. I closed my eyes for just a second as Elias ran his thumb over the back of my hand. Or at least, I thought it was a second.

~