Something In Between

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jeremy's P.O.V.

The first thing that crossed my mind before I went to LalaLand was that whatever that was spreading through my arms all the way to my toes hurt like hell. Every part of my body ached and I felt like I broke a few ribs and bones as well. Something like falling from the top of a skyscraper.  Maybe I might end up in hell. As long as there was a Mia Anderson there. 

My whole body had gone numb and the sounds from the machinery around me had been tuned out of my head.

Shoot. . .Please don't tell me that I'm -

Before my unasked question could escape my lips, a large ball of light struck me at my chest and just like that, my eyes snapped open. Sweat inched every part of my body as I let loose a series of heavy pants. My vision was completely blurred and only a splash of green, black and blue painted my surroundings. Slowly, I staggered up to a standing position but ended up wobbling on my shaky legs. I fell back down on the sharp blades of grass with a loud thud.

Groaning in pain, I squinted my eyes through the bright light that seemed to be printed into my cornea and finally got a look at where I was at. Definitely not on the bed of the hospital. This place was so simple yet peaceful. Above my heads, humming birds hummed a melodious tune as they flew by and burst through the large tree. Flowers of many variation were swaying gracefully to the gust of wind as some of them graced the air with their fragrance. 

I blinked my eyes a few times to maybe wake back up on that hospital bed but - nothing happened. 

I looked down at myself and saw that I was in my ordinary clothes. An undershirt with a pair of ripped off jeans. Then, realization hit me like a struck of lighting. Was I really dead? Will I ever be able to see Mia again? Or my Mom, Lucy, Chris, Zach, David or even the girls? I never would have thought that after all that negativity that was coursing through me for the past week could lead me to the cruel, harsh reality. That I was. . .

Really dead? 

Lifting up my shirt, my eyes met the smooth skin of my stomach. Curiously, I splayed my hands over my chest and found the smoothness of it meeting my fingertips. No blue-black nor was there a stitched Freddy Kruger line stretched out over my chest. I slowly dropped the shirt and felt my throat constricting as tears threathened to spill. 

The only image I could dig out of Mia was her beautiful face scrunched up in pain as she watched me roll away into the E.R.. Her knuckles pressed to her lips as one of her hands wrapped around her torso. I could have sworn that I saw determination in her eyes. Hope, even. That I would survive the operation. I tried to find an image of her smiling in my messed up mind but came failed. The only image that kept crossing back and forth in my head was the one I saw before I went into the E.R.. 

You are going to come out of that room, jumping like Tiger and you are going to owe me that rain check... 

Those words rang through my head continuosly. Her sweet mouth forming those words as her chocolate brown eyes pierced through my soul. My head dropped and soon enough, salt water rolled down my cheeks and fell to the grass. My fingers gripped my hair in a painful manner but none of that mattered. I would never get to see Mia again. I would never get to see her smile again. I would never get to kiss her again. I would never get to fulfil that rain check. I would never -

"Damn, kid. I would never would have pegged you to be such a crybaby."

I lifted up my head slowly and with a tear-streaked face met a man's face. Embarrassment flooded through me as I fiercely rubbed the tears off my eyes with the back of my hand and sat up straighter on the grass. "Nice to finally meet you face-to-face, kid." My eyebrows were drawned together at that particular statement.