Comatose Dreams

Dreaming and Believing

   I'm standing on a beach, watching the waves. The sand is soft on my bare feet. The cool breeze whips my long, blond hair into tangles behind me. The birds above me are mournfully calling out to their loved ones. I'm all alone on the beach. There's a storm brewing; the waves are rolling and crashing with enough force to sink a ship. Yet here I am, standing up to my ankles in the salty water. I don't feel lonely; I feel completely at ease, no worries in the world.

     I'm standing here, facing a storming ocean, thinking of nothing more than that if the world were to end in this storm, I would be content. The smell of salt and seaweed fills my nose, bringing me out of my stupor. The sky above me is darkening from a light gray to a navy blue. I know, somehow, that it's only three in the afternoon, but the sky is as dark as midnight. The storm is raging on; the waves growing as high as skyscrapers. The birds have left to find a hideaway from the storm. I can see the rain pouring around me, but I can't feel it anywhere. Even in a pair of white shorts and a red tank top, I feel as if I'm under a blanket.

     The crashing fades from my ears as I hear my name being called. It starts as if far away, but continues to grow in volume and distance. I want to know where it's coming from, but I can't bring myself to turn away from the water. My feet begin to sink in the sand, as if hands are gripping my ankles to hold me in place. I try to scream, but no noise comes out. The calling is getting closer and closer until I realize, whoever is calling to me is crying. Then everything goes black.
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     A mother clasps her daughter's hand as she sits beside her. The daughter is asleep in a hospital bed. The white walls surrounding the mother remind her of innocence and purity: everything she remembers her daughter to be. The daughter has been in a coma for almost three weeks, and the doctors don't expect her to wake up. The mother refuses to give up on her however. Her daughter is the only family she has left.

     “Jenna, I have no idea what’s going on in your head right now, but if you can hear me, I need you to be strong. I need you to keep fighting. I need you honey,” her mom cries.

     Just then, there's a delicate knock at the door. As the mother turns to face it, the door is gently opened to reveal a nurse. The nurse was around five feet tall, with short black hair, dainty hands, and solemn, sad eyes. She quickly went through the daughter’s paperwork. Asking simple questions about Jenna’s health before the injury.

     After checking the daughter’s vitals, the nurse turns towards the mother and explaines, “The doctors believe Jenna’s injury was caused because of an accident. Did Jenna mention any injuries that could have been a result of this accident, or even tell you about the accident, prior to her being admitted?”

     “Jenna wasn't one to complain. When she was five, she broke her arm falling off of a tire swing. She came in with a swollen arm and a dry face. She wasn't even going to mention it to me until I asked her about it. She didn't want an X-ray because she didn't want me to have to pay for it,” her mother tells nostalgically.

     “I understand Ms. Weathers, but if anything comes to mind, anything at all, please tell me right away,” the nurse replies.

     As the nurse left, the mother turned towards the door to watch her leave and noticed the white name tag that read, “Nurse Terri”. She then turned back to her daughter and laid her head down on the mattress while she held her daughter's hand in her left one.
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     When I open my eyes, I’m in the old pizza parlor that the high schoolers would hang out at every Friday. As I look around I see all of my friends and then me. As the scene before me starts to play out, I realize it's a memory. I'm watching my own memory, but in person.

     Three friends and I are hanging out at Joe’s Pizza. Shawn, Liddie, Isabel, and I. This was about five months ago, so I was still sixteen. We were all mowing down on a pepperoni pizza and talking about the football game that had happened earlier that night. Shawn was a varsity player and had played a big part in winning the game. We had all gone to watch, and now we were celebrating. Shawn got up to get more ranch for his pizza, and Liddie and I were laughing at Isabelle, who couldn't stay off her phone.