Once in a Lifetime

Chapter II

-- Next Day --

I open my eyes and I still find the same old boring white walls around me. I look around to find a clock of sort. It's only 6.32am. What can I do to pass the time? It’s so boring here, there’s no one to hang out with and it's only me by myself. Ashley walks past and has a quick check up on me and walks off. This time I see something different in the room. I saw a person on another bed near me and he looked like he was here to stay for a while too.

"Hi, I'm Tessa."

No reply.

He must be one of those quiet ones.

7.20am.

Ashley walked in again and had something in her hand. It was my breakfast.

"Here Tessa, this is your breakfast diet from now on. It is made to your diet and has no nuts in it."

The plate of food disgusted me but I had to say something because akward had filled the air.

"...Thanks Ashley. Can you stay for a moment?"

"Sure."

I quickly eat my breakfast and chug down my orange juice.

"Who's that new person over there on the bed? He hasn't talked to me yet and when I said hi, he ignored me."

"Him? He arrived this morning. I think he was involved in a car crash and he's unable to talk at the moment. From what I heard, his older brother went to a bar and took him with him. Look what's happened now."

"Oh I see, what a wreck less brother!"

"Okay, Do you need anything else Tessa? I've got another patient about your age and she's in the mental ward. I'm going to go now but another nurse will look after you today if you need anything. I'll be off now."

"Okay, bye Ashley."

She walked off again and from the corner of my eye I saw that strange boy stare at me.

For the rest of the day, no one had come in so I had decided to make a fantasy of my own, especially at times like this when no one is really here to comfort or to talk to you. From the corner or my eye, I saw the boy look this way again and I had noticed his chart. 'His' name was Alex. Alex Jackson. From my bed or from where I could see, he looked like a innocent boy, one that does not deserve this sort of treatment and one that should have definitely not have been in the car that his brother was driving. His 'brother' put him into this condition. I heard mumbles coming out of Alex's mouth but they were too quiet and distant for me to make any English words or sense out of it. Everything calmed down for a while and nothing interesting was happening at the moment. I flicked the TV on but nothing had caught my interest so I turned it back off.  Although it was only a little bit past 3.30, I felt faint and weak probably because of the drugs I was on.

Everything went blurry as I felt weaker and weaker and eventually dozed off.

I hear a faint conversation over a huge crowd but none of the voices seemed familliar at that point. i couldn't feel my legs but I knew I was standing and out of bed. Somehow, I could interact with my dreams and I could control it.

"Hey Alex, mum says I have to look after you tonight while they go out for dinner but I have plans too. I'm going with a couple of friends to a near by bar but since I have to look after you, you're comming with me."

He walked  straight through me. Was I invisible? I could see and hear everything but no one could see me. This must have been the night before the crash that happened.

"I have homework to do, Aaron. Besides, I'll be fine myself. We've already been fed and all I'm planning to do is go up to my room, turn on the radio and do my homeowrk. I won't do any harm."

"No. I promised mum and dad that I'd look after you. Get ready, I'm leaving in 5 minutes."

I couldn't believe what was infront of me. Rubbish everywhere, broken bits of glass lying on the floor and his brother, his brother was already drunk before he even got the the bar!

"Alex, I'm waiting for you in my car! Hurry up or we'll be late!"

I knew that things started going wrong the minute that I entered this 'ALTERNATE UNIVERSE'. Although it was only my dream, this felt so real. I felt that faint feeling again and almost fell to the ground. 

"Alex! Hurry up!"

Aaron yelled over and over but I doubt that Alex had heard anything becuase the car radio was turned up so loud. Despite my opinions to things, Alex came down all ready hoping that he could do some homework while he was at the bar.

I followed ALex into the car and we drove off.

"Aaron! Slow down! Your going faster than the laws will let us and if you don't, we'll most likely crash!"

"Relax, I know how to drive and you don't so DON'T tell me how to."

"But..."

I woke up short of breath. I tried to breathe properly but ended up suffocating myself even more. The machines beeped ferociously and my heart rate went higher and higher. I knew that this wasn’t a good sign – especially if I was on my way to recovery.  I tried to press the EMERGENCY button as quickly as I could but I couldn’t reach it. Luckily, Ashley rushed in and I knew that she had a ‘feeling’ that I was not well.

“Tessa, Tessa! Can you hear me?”

I saw her poke at her pager whilst I was coughing like a maniac. I was sure if anyone else was here, like Shannon, she would’ve run away instantly. I looked terrible and to everyone else I must’ve been disgusting.

“Tessa, breathe. It’s okay. You’re experiencing post-traumatic trauma and it’s going to be okay. I know it’s hard to relax but can you do that for me?”

I obviously knew that it wasn't post-trauma because under my bedsheets, I saw my hands glow yellow and I knew it was just me acting up. Something must've triggered it or something. For the time being, it was uncontrollable.

The machines started to calm down and at this point, Dr. Taylor was by my side and Ashley on the other. A bunch of other nurses rushed in one following another. I felt like I could help with something but every time I tried to get up, Ashley would always push me back down saying that I needed to rest or something like that. I knew that I wasn’t a helpless girl that needed attention. I am a normal person that doesn’t need ‘special treatment’ just because of a stupid tumor.