Finally Home

36. Samantha

When I opened my eyes, I couldn't breathe. I heard frantic voices. I didn't recognize where I was and between not being able to breathe and not knowing where I was, I started to panic.

Voices around me tried to get me to calm down. Something was pulled out of my throat and made me start coughing. Which made my side hurt a bit.

When the flurry of people and voices went away I opened my eyes again and looked around.

"Hey, hey, Sam. Hi!" I looked at the source of the voice. Aunt Debby?

"Mama?" I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Where's mama?"

I saw movement on my other side and turned to see someone leave my room.

"Uncle Josh is going to go call your mom and dad to come back, okay? It's so nice to see those beautiful blue eyes, Sam. We've missed you."

"What?" I asked, my eyes feeling heavy.

"Just rest, baby," I heard Aunt Debby say, as I dozed off.

I have no idea how much time passed but I heard Aunt Debby by my right ear.

"Hey, Sam, your mom's here," she whispered.

I opened my eyes.

"Mama?" I said, my voice a bit stronger, but still raspy.

"Sam!" Mom said, and ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Mama?" I said again.

"Yes, baby. It's Mom," she said through tears. "Hi honey."

"Where's Dad?" I asked. I didn't see him in the room.

"He might still be outside. Let me go see."

Mom left my side for a minute and came back with Dad. He wouldn't look at me. Was he mad at me?

"Dad?" I asked.

He looked up at me and seemed shocked. Then he was practically on top of me, hugging me and repeating that he was sorry. I don't know for what.

Mom explained what happened. That Dad and I had been in an accident. I couldn't remember much but I did remember the lights out my window.

Mom said I was in a hospital in Cleveland and a couple of days later, they said they could move me back to Columbus because I wasn't on life support anymore.

I asked for Dad to come in the transport with me. I kinda felt like he maybe needed to know I wasn't mad at him.

I asked him about the weekend. I remember going to Cleveland, but I don't remember what we did or where we went.

Dad told me I got to play some basketball with the Cavs and the Raptors, and that we sat court-side at the game. He told me we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he showed me pictures.

I couldn't remember any of it. I frowned. It was me in the pictures, but I had no recollection of any of it.

Dad just kept telling me stories saying maybe I'd remember later.

A few days after I got moved back to Columbus, I got a visit from Kevin Love and a few other players. They told me they'd given me the Cavs blanket that was on my bed, and they'd given that to me while I was in a coma in Cleveland. They didn't talk about the game or the time I supposedly played basketball with them. I suspect Mom or Dad told them I was having trouble remembering it, so to not discuss it. Maybe.

About a week after I'd been back in Columbus, and was relaxing after physio, I looked at Dad. He was watching me and smiled when I looked over at him.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Yeah, hon?"

"Did I get a Cavs shirt? Like a jersey? With my name on it?"

Dad looked at me and smiled.

"You did. Kevin gave it to you when you played ball with them."

I frowned.

"But then, did I also get a Raptors jersey?"

Dad laughed.

"You did," he said, and came to sit beside me on the bed. "While you were playing with the Cavs, the Raptors came out and you all played a little bit. The Raptors were taking the piss out of the Cavs."

"'Let's see if you're any better with a girl on your team'," I said. "Someone said that."

"Yeah. Kyle Lowry. From the Raptors," Dad said, laying down beside me, putting his arm around me and smoothing my hair down.

"I think I kinda remember. But my ankle. How did I play with my busted ankle?"

"They played slowly so you could get yourself balanced. And a few times they picked you up so you could 'slam dunk'. Moses did that the most."

I frowned. I remembered the shirt, but not playing. Weird.

Dad and I talked a little longer. Mom and Aunt Debby were getting coffees for us and I was trying to concentrate on math. I could see the calculations, but I wasn't sure the answers were right. It was frustrating, because I remember math being easy.

"Sam," Dad said, watching me. "Take a break. You're going to give yourself a headache if you keep working so hard on that. Your teachers know what's going on."

"I can't fall behind," I said. "I'm already a month behind!"

"According to Ms Heron, you are less than a week behind. So relax. There's time."

I sighed. There's time. Is there? 

I put my pencil down and lay back. I closed my eyes and I guess I fell asleep.

"Let's see if you guys are any better with a girl on your team," Kyle Lowry laughed at Kevin Love.

Someone passed me the ball and I bounced it trying not to hit my crutches. I lined up a shot, and threw. It went in!

Suddenly I was being lifted and when I looked down, Moses Brown had me on his shoulder and walked me over to the hoop to score a slam dunk.

I sat up

"Holy crap!" I said.

"Sam? You okay?" Mom said, coming and sitting beside me.

"I think I remember playing basketball with the Cavs! I just had a dream that Moses Brown helped me make a basket."

Dad smiled and nodded.

"I remember. I remember the game. The Cavs nearly lost, but they came back in the third quarter and managed to win. And I remember the Hall of Fame, and you pretending to pray at David Bowie's exhibit," I said to Dad.

Dad's eyes filled with tears and he kept nodding.