Chapter 3 Clear

To Sara's relief, a woman all in white appeared in her still-blurred field of vision. Just like her sight, her hearing was impaired, as she moved her lips, but nothing seemed comprehensible to Sara's confused mind.

"Where am I?" she repeated the question with effort, her dry and sore throat making speech difficult.

Instead of making Sara understand what she was saying, the woman stepped away.

The sound of the closing door reverberated painfully in Sara's eardrums, causing her to curl up on the bed, her face a mask of pain.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart and not panic. She raised her hand slowly, bringing it to her face when she noticed something on her nose. More tubes. She continued to explore, her fingers finding a cloth around her head. Bandages, she assumed, concluding that the sharp pains in her head were due to some injury there.

She blinked to clear her vision and mind, forcing herself to grasp the objects. Gradually, she focused on the things around her. She was in a spacious room with white walls, floor, and furniture. To her right, there was a machine emitting an annoying noise, several wires emerging from it and connecting to her body. To the left, there was a dresser, crowded with vases of various types of flowers, cards, and teddy bears, a closed window, and an armchair. In front of her, mounted on the ceiling, a television was on, broadcasting a conversation among a group of people. It was evident that she was in a hospital room.

"What happened to me?" No coherent information came to her mind, nothing explained how she ended up in that situation, no matter how hard she tried.

She groaned, closing her eyes tightly as an intense pain made everything around her spin.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes and saw two women passing through the open door. One was short, with brown hair tied in a high bun, wearing a white dress. The other, wearing pants and a white lab coat, was tall and had long blonde hair pinned at the nape of her neck. She didn't recognize the first one, but quickly identified the second.

"Godmother...? What... happened...?" she asked with difficulty, her dry throat and sticky tongue hindering her speech.

Tatiana Santana, her mother's best friend, her godmother, and a renowned doctor in São Paulo, approached with a relieved smile.

"We're at the hospital, dear." She held Sara's hand affectionately. "You were in a coma for two weeks after the accident. You terrified everyone." Her voice conveyed concern and reproach as she questioned, "What were you thinking, Sara? You know what happens when you drive at high speeds. You could have hurt other people or died. Don't do that again, I forbid you."

As a doctor, Tatiana knew she should comfort patients, but this young woman was her protege, goddaughter, and the daughter of her best friend who died in a similar accident to Sara's. She had to put some sense into her head.

"What accident...?" she asked, feeling her head spin as she tried to grasp what she was hearing. It was as if she had lead all over her body, pressing on her brain, pushing it into the void of incomprehension, crushing her body, and keeping her pinned to the bed. "I don't even know how to drive," she whispered, confused by the accusation. It didn't make sense.

"Don't worry. It's normal to forget some facts after being in a coma for so long." Tatiana gestured to the other woman. "This is your private nurse, Silvia Vasques," she introduced, before declaring with a smile, "Rodrigo insisted on hiring her to be by your side all the time. He did everything to ensure your comfort," she said, hoping the information would brighten her goddaughter's mood, as her world revolved around her husband.

"Who is Rodrigo?" Sara asked confused, not recognizing the name or understanding its importance in her life.

The doctor's eyes narrowed, analyzing Sara with even more attention and concern.

"Sara, what is the last significant memory you have?"

When pondering the question, Sara felt her mind scrambled, her head heavy, and once again, an immense pain almost made her faint.

"What do you mean? What kind?" she asked with her eyelids closed, massaging her forehead with her hand, relief not coming as desired. On the contrary, even her touch felt like needles pricking her skin.

"Birthday, graduation, funeral, baptism, or wedding." The doctor pointed, attentive to any change in her goddaughter's expression with the mentioned words. She saw nothing, not even a glimmer that any of them impacted her in any way.

Sara didn't quite understand why, but she had a slight impression that her godmother emphasized the last word.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, a method her mother said aligned thoughts, and tried to remember something. Her mind was slow, but eventually, she approached an answer.

"We had a slumber party at Isabel's house." She looked upwards thoughtfully before continuing. "She managed to pass in math or physics... I don't remember exactly which subject... Isabel, Laura, and I celebrated by listening to music, dancing, and eating popcorn."

Her response didn't seem to please her godmother, as she pursed her lips with clear distaste.

"Do you know what year it is, Sara?"

This question was easy.

"2008."

Again, a look of distaste. Apparently, this answer didn't please her either, but she didn't ask further.

With the help of Nurse Silvia, Tatiana examined her, and in the end, the nurse left and returned with a small bottle for Tatiana.

"Take this medicine and rest a bit," her godmother instructed, handing her a pill and a glass of water. "Later, I'll run some more tests."

She obeyed, both because of Tatiana's tone, who never accepted "no" as an answer, and because she felt heavy and sore. She took the medication, adjusted herself in bed, and closed her eyes. Resting seemed like a great idea.