Changed Me ( Rewritten)

16

            When Nat sets the picture frame back down on his bookshelf, he spots his photo album. He takes a deep breath before grabbing it. He hasn't looked at this photo album since his father passed away. " Two break downs in a day for different reasons. Let's try to make it stay at only two " he says to NuNew as he walks to his bed and sits down.

            Max and NuNew both sit next to him on the bed. While Poppy and Zee sit down in chairs that were in his room. " Sorry you guys had to see me like that just now " he says quietly. " Don't be sorry. We are glad that you were willing to show that side of you to us " Poppy says with a small smile. He nods his head.

            " When my mom came back here " he starts, opening up and telling them more about himself. " I told her about P'Max and me. How we are dating. She said she was glad it was him. Then, she turned to look at me. She said that my dad would have loved to see that I found someone like P'Max " he says.

He takes a deep breath as he looks at the photo album in his lap. " Around a year ago. I had won an art competition that I took place in. He was so proud of me. He would brag about how I won to his coworkers " he says as a small smile makes it's way on to his face.

On his next day off from work, he took me out for ice cream at this park that mine and NuNew's family would always go to. He told me how proud he was of me and how he knows that if I wanted to. I could make it big as an artist in the future. We stayed out all morning and we started to walk home around 1:00pm " he says, tightly grabbing on to the photo album.

NuNew makes him let go of the photo album before holding on to his hands. " We made plans, to go eat dinner out with my mom that night. We hadn't done it in so long so we both wanted to hurry home and get ready. It was going to be at some fancy restaurant " he says before forcing himself to take a deep breath.

" We were walking home and we needed to cross the street. So we pressed the button and waited for it to tell us when to walk. It was when we were about halfway there to the other side of the road, when the car came speeding towards us ". He bites his lip as he tries to stop himself from crying. He can still vividly remember every small detail from the accident.

" Do you want me to continue " NuNew asks gently. He shakes his head no before taking another deep breath. " I didn't see it, but my dad did. I remember him screaming my name before shoving me farther down the crosswalk. The car hit my waist and leg. While my dad " he pauses as he starts to cry.

" While my dad, was completely struck by the car. He was standing in the very spot I was previously standing in " he says before taking another deep breath. " I remember ", NuNew interrupts him. " You've never talked about what happened after. Are you sure you can handle it. Especially after everything that happened today " NuNew asked concerned.

He nods his head. " I need to at some point. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. I don't think I could do it any other time " he says quietly. " Stop if you need to stop at all " Zee says. He nods his head before taking a deep breath.

" I remember, after the car hit us. My body immediately became so painful. I broke my femur bone and I was covered in scratches. Bystanders immediately came to help me but I wasn't paying attention to them " he says.

" I could only pay attention to my dad. I didn't care about my injuries. My only concern was if my dad was ok. I don't know how but, I dragged myself over towards my dad " he pauses as the images fill his head. He tightly grabs on to NuNew's hands for comfort.

" He was awake when I got to him. But there was so much blood. I hadn't touched him yet but his blood was all over my arms and hands. I knew it was bad. I knew it was going to happen but I refused to believe it " he said. NuNew squeezes his hands to try and comfort him.

" I grabbed on to his hand and held as tight as I could. I told him that help was on its way. That we would both get the treatment we needed real soon. And then " he says as he looks down at the photo album. He hates this next part. This is the moment that will forever haunt him.

" I told him. That my injuries weren't bad. That he saved me. I told him how his injuries were more severe so he needed to hold on. But " he pauses again. He forces himself to take a deep breath. " I don't know what was going through his head at that moment but he smiled. I had watched as he smiled before his eyes slowly closed. When that happened, I remember I just started screaming " he says quietly. He can feel NuNew become tense.

I was screaming so much. I kept begging him to wake up. I didn't stop, not even when the paramedics arrived. I was so out of it and had just held my dads hand as he died. I wanted to stay with my dad but the paramedics wouldn't let me. They had to hold me down and put me into a medically induced coma because I hit my head on the road when I fell and I became angry. So they needed me to be asleep in order to work on me ".

" What about when you woke up " Max asks him gently. " I woke up in the hospital the next day. My mom, NuNew and his mom were all there in the room. NuNew was the first person that noticed I was awake. I had an oxygen mask on my face which made it difficult to talk " he says.

" I knew what had happened and I could already tell that my dad had died. However, there was a part of me that had hoped. That believed that he survived. However, the way NuNew and my mom looked at me when I asked about my dad. Let me know that he did in fact die in the car accident " he says quietly.

" He sounds like he was a great person " Zee says quietly. He smiles before saying " He truly was. He would have been so excited to meet you guys ". He lets go of NuNews hands before standing up. He walks back over to his bookshelf before putting the photo album back. He still doesn't have the courage to open it.

" It'll take time Nat. It's only been a year. You have a long time to get the courage " NuNew tells him. " I know " he says a little sad before he walks back to his bed. " You guys are probably curious about that " he says, lightly laughing. He doesn't want to worsen the mood.

" It's a photo album that has photos of just me and him in it. He gave it to me for my last birthday. I haven't had the courage to open it since the car accident " he says quietly, sitting back down on his bed.

WC: 1287