Sibling Rivalry

.... Pulled to consciousness by the steady beeping of the IV pump, Amele became aware of the oxygen flowing thru her nostrils and the IV bag hanging above her head. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to open them. In her immediate waking moments, Amele surveyed the room. For certain, she was in the hospital. Her mind was numb and her memory was sketchy. “What did they give me?” she thought as she noticed how unnaturally calm she felt. The meds were destroying her ability to make sense of what happened. Her memories and dreams were indistinguishable and she didn’t know for sure what was real. As she closed her eyes again, bits and pieces of the night flowed thru her mind disconnected from sound and feeling. She could see the gun in her hand but she couldn’t hear the blast or feel the force of the gun’s kick or smell the gunpowder as it discharged. Surely, she was afraid of him. That detail seemed so real and vivid to her. “He was going to kill her, wasn’t he?” she thought as she struggled to remember. She tried to move but her efforts were futile as she slowly realized that she was handcuffed to the bed. As her situation became clear, she desperately searched to find the remote to turn on the TV. “Damn it, I hope I am not on the news!” she cried to herself. She closed her eyes and saw the headlines scroll by, “Newly Elected Senator Kills Brother in Fit of Rage.”