"My name is Jessie. I'm a paramedic. I am here to help you. We're going to take you to the hospital right now. Please nod if you can hear me."

I suck in a sharp breath as pain lances down my side. I clench my jaw again and suppress a moan. Silent tears roll down my frozen face and drip off the edge of my jawline. "I can hear you," I answered weakly.

A searing white light flashes in my eyes. I squint and tilt my head back against the wet ground. My head is throbbing and my skin is taut with numbness yet the pain of bruising remains imprinted on my skin. I mumble in protest as I feel somebody touch me. I lift my arm into the air, trying to snatch whoever is trying to move me, trying to tell them that it hurts.

The weight on my body is gone.

He's gone.

I turn my head to search around myself as terror leaks into my mind like a drug. I open and close my aching jaw, struggling to form the right words to explain what happened. "I—. I need—, he was here, where did he go? Where is he?"

Jessie casts me a reassuring look. "The hybrid is already on his way to the hospital. You're going to meet with him soon." I feel the paramedics slip their gloved hands underneath my broken body. They lift me with practiced unison and set me on top of a stretcher.

"He was bleeding," I explained in a panicked tone, worried they didn't realize the state he was in. "He was shot, he's very hurt, you have to help him! He's the one you need to be worried about." My body feels unbalanced on the stretcher but it hurts too much to try stabilizing myself.

"We know. Another team is helping him. It's going to be okay. Can you tell me your name?" Jessie asks.

They begin walking the stretcher towards a cluster of flashing red lights. Every flash sends spikes into my brain so I turn my eyes away, wincing. I gasp for breath as a solid mass of panic fills my chest. "He's hurt, he got hurt trying to escape and they shot him. Those men, those men hurt him but they got away—" My eyes widen as paranoia overtakes me, "—they are still out there."

They don't understand what happened. Those men are going to come back for him, for us. These people don't know the whole story, they don't know the danger he is in. They have to keep him safe!

"The SPD are tracking the men as we speak," Jessie reassures. "Both of you are safe now. Can you please tell me your name?"

The top of the stretcher tilts upwards and I panic at the sudden moment, thinking I am going to slide off. I turn my body to catch myself but I realize there are elastic straps around my torso, tying me to the stretcher.

A flicker of doubt appears in my mind but instead of fizzling away, it grows to the size of a wildfire. What if they aren't paramedics? What if they are lying to me and are taking me somewhere to finish me off? What if that man is already dead? I have to find him to be sure! I have to escape before it's too late!

My quickened breaths cause my ribs to ache. My eyes threaten to roll back into my head as dizziness takes over me. I groan in pain as I try to sit up, my strength is failing fast. I shake my head at the paramedics, feebly gesturing at them, "Please don't—, please don't take me. I have to go back..." My gaze turns towards the doors of the ambulance and watches the snow continue to fall against the darkness.

I scan over the interior of the ambulance and realize I am surrounded by three paramedics. Their hands are quick as they gather the proper equipment. My focus lands on the paramedic preparing a clear plastic oxygen mask, coming towards me...

"No I don't want it," I plead, struggling to move without sharp flashes of pain in my ribs. "I don't want it! Let me go! Let me out!" I fight against the strap across my chest and my stomach twists with another wave of nausea.

"This is going to help you calm down, it's going to help you breathe," the paramedic argues in a persuasive tone. He turns the oxygen mask towards my face, "You're going into shock, you need to calm down. You are in a safe place. We are going to the hospital right now. It's going to be alright, we're trying to help you."

Another paramedic jumps into the back of the ambulance and pulls the double doors shut. He squeezes between the stretcher and the other paramedics to reach the glass divider in the back. He leans up to the hole in the glass, "We are ready to go!"

The paramedic with the oxygen mask stands over me with a serene expression. "Miss, please take deep breaths. You will feel better." He lowers the mask onto my face and slips the elastic strap behind my head.

I stare at him with wide eyes, scarcely breathing. The oxygen flowing through the mask smells of faint plastic and disinfectant. Its soft breaths of air are cool against my flushed skin.

My body falls into paralysis again either from exhaustion or shock.

The paramedics talk amongst themselves as they check the rest of my injuries. When they touch my ribs, I wince sharply and try to push their hand away but my muscles are failing me. I try to talk through the mask but my voice is too muffled to decipher.

"I don't want to go."

"She suffers from severe blows to her head, her ribs, and to her face... Probably a minor concussion, at the very least. She was only semi-conscious when we arrived but there is no way to tell until we get there. I think we should go straight for a CT scan... she's lucky her head didn't crack open..."

Just when I thought my lungs would burst from holding my breath, I gave up on trying to rebel against the oxygen. My breaths come in short gasps before settling into a normal pace.

The metal grate ceiling vibrates quietly as the ambulance moves forward. The equipment piled around me is strapped to the walls. The paramedics hover above me and occasionally reach across me for their supplies. One of them is holding a roll of bandages but my line of sight is obscured by the curve of the oxygen mask.

It finally dawns on me that we are actually going to a hospital. I am in an ambulance... I have never been inside one before...

Maybe it is the oxygen inside of this mask that is quelling my paranoid thoughts. It conflicts against the blind terror I was feeling before and I find myself uncomfortable with the contrasting views.

I don't feel like myself right now.

"We are almost there," Jessie's voice brings me out of my daze. I stare at him through the corner of my eye until it gives me a headache. I close my eyes and welcome the devouring darkness. I inhale deeply and feel exhaustion sweep its wings over my mind.

With a final plea, I pray that I made the right decision in trusting these paramedics before my body becomes weightless.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"How are you feeling, Miss Adkins?"

A nurse enters the hospital room with a tablet in hand. Her caramel hair is tied back in a small ponytail with a few strands falling in front of her flushed face. She appears to be fresh from a marathon. She comes to the side of my bed and looks over the machine I am hooked to.

She hesitates to take my wrist, noticing my vacant stare. "Miss Adkins?"

"How much?"

She blinks in confusion. "What?"

Slowly, I turn my head to look at her, eyes wide with worry. "How much is it? How much is all of this?" I lift my arm and gestured to the I.V. attached to my forearm. "Do you know how much this will cost?"

She shrugged apologetically. "I'm not sure, sorry."

I close my eyes and rest my head against the headboard of the hospital bed. I grimace as pain radiates through the back of my pain. I inhale sharply, catching whiffs of disinfectant hanging in the air. The smell of the hospital is sickening. It's as if death clings to the air, I can practically feel a needle pricking my upper shoulder.

It makes my stomach churn.

"Are you in any pain?"

"Kind of," I reply distantly. "It's just my head."

My gaze falls on the plastic tubes attaching me to the skinny machines beside the bed. Hazy memories of the attack reappear in my mind and I begin to feel a wave of shame for being too weak to defend myself. If it hadn't been for that boy, I would probably be dead.

Earlier, I tried to ask about him. I wanted to see him again, I wanted to thank him for saving me yet nobody seems to know who I am talking about, or bothers to listen to me. I think they are purposefully ignoring me. It's as if they believe everything I say is nonsense.

My shame worsens as I remember my incoherence in the ambulance. I was blinded by panic, and terrified of being attacked once again. I didn't trust the paramedics or the information they gave me. I'd be a liar if I said I reacted well to the situation. It's embarrassing.

"Miss?"

I watch the nurse with a pained expression. "I feel so stupid," I tell her, "I shouldn't have panicked like that."

She shakes her head as she adjusts one of the knobs on the machine. "You experienced a terrible thing, Eden," she counters in a gentle voice, "You're not stupid. Trauma is difficult to handle, and there is no right way to deal with it."

A pang of helplessness hits my chest. "What am I supposed to do now?"

The nurse picks up the small tablet lying on the nearby counter. She taps something onto it before attaching it to a magnetic square on her belt. Her eyes are exhausted but she manages a reassuring smile. "It's different for everybody but you can start by accepting the event. It's a process, but one day, it will feel better."

I nod at her as my eyelids droop. "Okay." A slow wave of exhaustion falls over my mind but I smile sarcastically at her. "One last question... Do you know how much therapy costs?"

The nurse smiles back but her figure begins to blur with gray colors. "Have a good rest, miss..."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Good, you're awake. Perfect timing," the doctor greets as he enters the room. It is two minutes from seven o'clock.

I sit up from the bed and carefully prop a stiff pillow behind my back. I set my arm with the IV onto my lap before taking in the sight of the doctor. He stands at the side of my bed, tablet in hand, with a serene expression.

It's unsettling yet impressive how these nurses and doctors stay calm.

"My name is Dr. Skyler, I'm going to be your doctor for the day shift. Your name is Eden Adkins, correct?"

I nod.

He bows respectfully before adding, "How are you feeling right now?"

"Honestly, I don't feel much." I smile best I can at him but everything feels out-of-focus and lopsided. Nothing feels real, is what I want to say but I keep it to myself.

The doctor laughs and wrinkles formed around the corners of his eyes. "Understandable." He looks down at his tablet and scrolls down. "Let's get started. I need to ask you a few questions first."

"Alright."

"When is your birthday?"

"April 15th, 2023. I'm twenty-one."

He checks over the information. "Alright," he confirms but before he could ask more questions, I interrupted as politely as I could.

"I'm sorry, but I've got a question."

Dr. Skyler flashes me a curious look before nodding. "Go ahead."

"The boy from last night," I began, trying to explain as clearly as I could. I know my head isn't in a good spot right now but I need to know where he is. I have to know if he's okay. "That boy saved my life. The paramedics said he was brought here too. I wanted to know if he was okay. I think he was shot... I'm really worried about him."

The doctor's brow raises. "Do you mean the hybrid?"

"Whoever he was, is he okay?" I watch the doctor intensely, praying he knows if he is. Moreover, I want to see him later to thank him for literally saving my life. I owe him this much. I can't ignore something like that.

The doctor's eyes downturn and focus on his tablet again. The corner of his mouth twitches before a sigh escapes his lips. "I am not supposed to give out patient information."

My heart sinks momentarily before I decidedly ignore the rejection.

I will find him again. I won't stop asking until somebody can give me a clear answer.

"I want to know if he's okay. You don't need to tell me his name or anything... I just want to know if he's alright and if I can see him later on." I stare at the doctor, pleadingly. "He saved my life, I just want to know..."

He finally looks up at me, relinquishing his apprehension. "Alright, seeing as you already know him... Physically, he is in stable condition. We were able to stop the bleeding and remove the bullet from his side. As you probably know, we have technology that speeds the process of healing external wounds. The bullet only grazed him, he was very lucky in that sense. On the other hand... there are other issues we have to consider."

"Will he be okay? What else do you have to consider?"

"His biology isn't like normal hybrids," he explains in a grave tone. This fills my mind with mounting dread, wondering why he wouldn't be like the other hybrids.

"What do you mean?"

The doctor grimaces at the thought. "His records show he was human, but now he has similar biology to a born-hybrid. This form of hybrid transformation only happens when humans are taken and experimented on... to put it bluntly, he suffers a terrible fate. It is a miracle he survived the process and lived this long."

My jaw slacks, "Experimented on?"

He nods. "We are beginning to see this more and more. Since there is a rise in demand for hybrids, people are trying to make money off of them. There are hybrid trafficking circles, but there are also those who kidnap people and turn them into hybrids through a series of experiments to sell to the black market."

I heard rumors of hybrid trafficking but nothing was ever confirmed. I also didn't think such technology existed with the power to turn a human into a hybrid. I thought it was only possible through genetic editing before the baby was born.

The image of it... kidnapping and experimenting... turning them into hybrids by force... My stomach flips and a wave of nausea rolls through me.

Then the realization hits me.

He told me he had escaped. He said he had to run away but passed out before he had the chance. Those men were in the middle of some kind of deal and he was there... I walked in on a hybrid trafficking deal.

Those men were trying to sell him.

"He hasn't said much," the doctor adds quickly, attempting to move on from the dark subject. "But we have no problem taking time. We are waiting until he is in a calmer state of mind to ask him anything."

"Those men, they—, they tried to—," my breath hitches as sudden panic causes my thoughts to scatter. I grip the blankets tightly and stare at the doctor in stunned horror. "You have to make sure they don't come back!" I say but my words come out louder than intended. "You have to protect him! Those men were trying to sell him! You have to keep them away!"

They don't understand the danger he is in! They have no idea what happened, I have to tell them!

Dr. Skyler's eyes widened at my sudden reaction. He calmly raises his hands to soothe me. "It's going to be alright, Eden. The police are already looking for those men—"

I shake my head fervently. "No, you don't understand. They'll kill him! They'll kill him for escaping! They didn't want any witnesses, they'll be back for us!"

Why isn't he worried about this? Doesn't he care if those horrible men are still out there? How many others have been sold tonight? How many have been beaten to death? How many, how many... How many others have been kidnapped for their terrible experiments?

Flashes of the man's shadow under the yellow light echo through my head. Ghosts of his fists press against my skin. For a moment, I was back in the McDonald's parking lot, begging for my life in the blood-soaked snow.

"Eden, everything is going to be okay... You don't need to worry. The hospital is well-guarded, we have plenty of security to protect us. The police will find them, I promise." Dr. Skyler approaches me slowly as if I were some kind of wild animal. "I think it's time for you to rest. You have been through a lot."

"I can't rest," I argue firmly, feeling my body stiffen as he comes closer. "I can't just sit around and do nothing. I can't just—, I can't... I'm worried—." I fight the urge to yank my I.V. out of my arm, and the urge to shove him away. My eyes flick nervously to his hands as a distant voice worries he may hit me if I upset him enough.

"You are safe here, there is no need to worry. Your friend is safe as well," he urges in a soft, quick tone. "You need to rest, Eden. Your injuries were quite severe, and stress will only worsen your condition."

My condition?

I stare at him for a beat and his words finally sink in. I force my body to relax into the bed and take a few deep breaths. I remind myself over and over that the hospital is safe, but my quiet fears cause my heart to thrum against my chest.

He takes note of my shift in behavior but the tension in his body never leaves.

I need to stay calm or else they won't let me leave. I need to see him again, and for that, I need to recover quickly.

When the moment passes, the doctor begins to explain the extent of my physical condition. A minor concussion, a bruised rib, a sprained wrist, and numerous signs of future bruising. He explains that I will remain in the hospital for two more days for observation since the status of my concussion is still being studied.

He adds that the nurse tried to call my emergency contacts, my parents, but they didn't answer the phone.

When Dr. Skyler finishes his explanation, a nurse comes into the room to take over and adjusts my dose of painkillers.

Exhausted from the rising panic, I sink low into the bed but my fingers grip the edges of the thin bedsheets, refusing to completely relax. I inhale slowly and feel a dull ache in my side, probably the bruised rib. I stare blankly across the room feeling oddly detached from reality.

Nothing feels real yet.

My gaze follows the nurse as she leaves the room and closes the door behind her. My eyes remain locked on it, expecting somebody to violently burst through and attempt to hurt me again. The fear of the men remains seared into my mind like a brand.

Faintly, I wonder if I will ever be okay again. Thinking about if I will ever recover from such a violent memory, such a brutal attack.

So I keep watch of the door, and never let go of the bedsheets.

A/N: In light of my Harry Potter class (in which we studied trauma and PTSD in each of the characters), I learned how to write trauma into a character. Granted it isn't perfect, but everybody experiences trauma in different ways. I hope I haven't triggered anybody so far... Things will begin to look up for Eden soon! I promise!

I love you all, please remember to be gentle with yourself. It may not feel okay right now, but it will be in the future. <3