Return to Me

Thirteen

I can't breathe. For a moment I can't remember where I am as the life that was sucked out of me slowly returns to my lungs. 

My eyes slowly open and I see the cloudy sky above looking down on me. A face then comes into view, a look of concern on her face. I watch as her mouth moves, but everything sounds so foggy, I can't understand what she's trying to ask me. Trying to ask the woman what she said, I realize I can't seem to find my voice and all I can do is move my lips.

More people start to show up and look down at me, trying to ask me things, but I still can't answer. I notice other people rushing past me towards the street. Where did all these people come from? What is going on?

"Somebody call 9-1-1!" a voice shouts. 911? Why?

I have to see what's going on. Slowly, I start to get up, which proves to be quite difficult. My head is pounding, different parts of my body hurt and just moving makes me want to lie back down. However, something is telling me to keep trying to get up and fight through the pain I'm experiencing. When I'm finally to a sitting position, I grasp what all the commotion is about. There, lying in the middle of the street is a man and a car is stopped mere inches from him. 

Then it starts to come back to me. I struggle to make my way over to him, my head starting to spin more and more, blackness fighting to take over. But I keep going. I have to get to him. When I finally do, it feels as if the breath has been sucked out of me once again.

Still conscious, Jack is lying on the cold, wet pavement. I've never seen him look like this...who am I kidding? He was hit by a car!

"Oh--my--god!" is all I can manage to get out before I break out into a cry. His eyes are staring into mine and I try to tell him how sorry I am, but I can't get anything out. Still fighting the blackness that threatens to over come me, I watch as his hand slowly reaches up to my head and I can feel him touch a sore spot and I yelp out. His hand comes back down and it's covered in blood. I'm bleeding?!

I feel my arms give out and I land on the pavement next to him, crying and still trying to speak to him. Jack is still looking at me too and he looks more concerned about my well being than his own and before I know it, the blackness around my vision finally takes over and it swallows me whole.

_____________________________

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ugh...where is that beeping coming from?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My eyes slowly open as I come back into consciousness. A bright, white light is shining down on my face and I immediately shut my eyes again.  Trying again, I open my eyes and the lights are less harsh. Where am I? Turning my head to the side, I see my arm is attached to an IV bag and next to that I see a heart monitor. IV bag...heart monitor...

I manage to get into a sitting position just when the door to my room opens. A thin, brunette woman enters and I assume she's my nurse. When she sees me, her face immediately lights up.

"Well, look who's awake! How are you feeling?"

"Confused. Achy. Nauseous. Take your pick."

The nurse just chuckles at my response and pulls out a clipboard from the end of my bed to write something down.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You don't remember?"

"Everything is a little foggy."

"There was an accident. A young man pushed you out of the way as you were about to get hit by a car. You cracked your head open from hitting the icy pavement so hard--lost some blood and then some bumps and bruises here and there. The man got the worst of it."