Page 1 of Guarding Glenda

Chapter 1

Glenda

Soft murmurs woke me. My eyes tried to open but were stuck together. Lifting my arm was like lifting a steel beam. When I finally was able to get my hand to my face, something poked me; luckily, my eyelids were glued shut.

When I tried to say, “What the fuck,” nothing came out and I gagged. A tube was down my throat. After clasping my hands together, I realized something was attached to the back of one. The other was free, so I used it to rub both eyes.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t swallow. Only small sounds came out, even though I was gagging and struggling. My other hand reached for the tube coming from my mouth and I started yanking it out, heaving. I jerked on the other tube to try to free myself from whatever was stuck to my hand, but that sent a pinch up my arm.

“Shit, shit, shit. Glenda stop. Stop. Just hold on. Sam!” a familiar feminine voice called out.

Trembling and still yanking at tubes and swatting at the arms that were trying to grab me, I managed to pull whatever was in my throat out and coughed and gagged, this time loudly.

Still fighting to pull the shit off my hand, I was pinned down, only sending me into a blind rage.

“Get off! Get off! Get off!” I tried to yell as I kicked and squirmed, but it only came out as wheezing sounds.

“Glenda. Glenda. Shhh. I’m here. It’s Linny.”

Blinking rapidly as my eyes finally opened, my head followed that voice. Pressure filled my chest and face, but no tears came. I was sobbing, but not crying.

I tried to reach for her, but my arms were still pinned. “Let me fucking go,” I strained.

A man’s voice I recognized said, “It’s okay. Loosen up.”

The hands released me and I tried to reach for Linny but I couldn’t sit up. My body was heavy and my muscles quivered with each movement.

Her weight moved the bed, and she leaned over me. Linny’s palm went to my cheek. My body shook and I coughed.

“Shh, shh, shh. Don’t try to speak right now. Can we get her some water or something?” Linny asked, looking across the bed.

My head wouldn’t move to look in that direction, so I stopped trying. “Linny,” I whispered. “You’re alive.”

“So are you,” she said, a tear rolling down her cheek before she leaned down and hugged my shoulders.

I managed to lift my hands enough to press into her sides, but even that felt like a chore.

She sat up, rubbing hair from my face.

“Let me get in there, Linny,” the familiar voice said again.

Sam, Hammer’s cousin and doctor, leaned over, flashing a light into my eyes. I winced.

“Sorry about the tube,” Sam said. “We had to intubate you. The last few days were touch and go. Can you see this?”

He held up two fingers.

“Blurry,” I said, “but yes.”

“You’re lucky to be alive.”

Was I? Also, they better be glad I could barely speak because who says that when everything fucking hurts, you had tubes coming out of every hole and could barely move. And yes, I was suddenly very aware of a tube between my legs, but I wasn’t about to yank that one out.

“Well, you successfully pulled out your IV, but until you can get some good fluids down and keep them down, I’m going to have to run another one. Plus, the pain meds were in there.”

Sighing, I relaxed into the pillow. The pain meds were not working anyway.

“Here,” a man said lightly.