The awakening

hissss..... click... hiss... click.
The hissing and clicking continued. Hiss.. click... There was bright, blinding light. Shadowy figures. hiss... click... The shadowy figures went about their business, and the lack of focus lulled her into darkness again.
Hiss.. click..
Her eyes adjusted to the light. Not so blinding now. The shadowy figures continued to move around, unpertubed by her presence. She tried to get attention, but her hands were like lead. She wanted to call out to the figures, but she couldn't find her voice. She became aware of something heavy dragging her jaw. She ran a rubbery tongue on her lips and realized a thick, hard tube pinching her lip against one of her teeth, at the corner of her mouth. She became more aware now, and the shadowy figures began taking color. They were dressed in blue, some faces covered in masks as they went about their business. She tried hard to remember where she was, but she felt drained. She was alive, yes, but oddly she felt detached from the rest of her. She could feel herself raising her hand, yet it did not appear in front of her face; and that hiss, followed by the click. What was it?
She began to feel painfully aware of her surroundings. She realized now that there were people around her, looking at her. She began to recognize some of them, but as the awareness began to flood her consciousness, she realized a familiar face missing. She scanned the room with her eyes, as far as she could, but it wasn't there.
Sadness began to well inside her as she realized that he wasn't there. Tears began to blur her vision as the memories began to surface. She remembered being afraid, wishing and waiting for that comforting voice, that warm smile, that look that told her she was not alone. She remembered the comfort she felt as he held her against him, stroking her back slowly, breathing in unison as he whispered slowly in her ears.
And she remembered how she fought back the tears when they couldn't wait for him any longer, and wheeled her into the operating theater, her eyes fixed on the door of her room almost wishing that he would come through the door after her.
And now, as she realized that the surgery was over, her vision began to blur as her tears once again welled up in her eyes. Not for the relief that its over, but that she hadn't had the chance to see him, and now, he isn't there to tell her its over. Almost as if to mock her, she began to become aware of a dull throbbing sensation, building into searing pain as her body began to accommodate the awareness now flooding her consciousness.