Bring Me To Life

Bring Me To Life - Prologue

How can you see into my eyes, like open doors

Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb

Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold

--- Bring Me To Life, Evanesence

April 2016

Durham, NC

Being in the hospital sucked.

Grayson sighed as he watched his teammates leave, laughing and joking with each other. Luke, J-Rob, Chase and Javin's visit had provided a welcome distraction, but they were off after all-too-short a time, leaving Grayson alone again.

He should be looking forward to his upcoming trip to Hawaii with J-Rob and Amile. He should have been glad that his injury wasn't more serious. But he couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

All he could think about was the fact that he was supposed to be preparing for the draft. Would have been, if it weren't for a stupid sports hernia. Instead of getting ready for the combine and workouts, he was laying in a hospital bed and spending another year at Duke. Hawaii was just a consolation prize. He'd just have to stay healthy this year.

Sure, he loved school, loved Coach K and the other coaches. Loved his teammates. But he was tired of living in the fishbowl that was Duke basketball. Especially when he was the most hated Duke player, well, maybe ever.

He could still hear the boos, couldn't forget the criticism from a certain four letter sports network. He knew that he lost his cool when he was in the heat of a game. Hell, maybe he didn't even have any cool to begin with when he was on the court. Everyone wanted him to change, find some chill on the court. Be someone else.

That included his now ex-girlfriend. She never got mad, never raised her voice, just gently suggested that he needed to be different. Grayson would have preferred a good argument, not her sweet smile and soft proposal that he consider "talking to someone." He'd ended it, with a lot less good grace than she probably deserved. But he was tired of being patronized, of her saccharine personality. She never wanted to make him mad.

Sometimes, Grayson needed to be mad. And he couldn't do it with that girl. She would have cried, wouldn't have known what to do with him.

Being who he was had gotten him to Duke in the first place. His own high school coach had laughed at him when he said Duke was his first choice. But not only was he here, he had won a national championship by being himself. Fearless. Reckless.

His mother eased into the room, looking down at him in the bed with a soft expression. "Honey, I'm going to get some dinner. Do you want anything?"

Grayson merely shook his head. Sherry ruffled his hair, kissed his cheek and slid back out with a concerned glance.

So, here he was, laying alone in a hospital room. He looked out the window at a beautiful spring day, but his mood was something else entirely. He was thinking about the year ahead. Feeling something worse than blue. Feeling black. Numb.

Vail, CO

Being in the hospital sucked.

Caitlin Callahan looked down at her right leg, in traction again. The second surgery was just as bad as the first. And now, the doctors were telling her there would be a third in a few weeks, if she wanted to ski again. She could, they had gently suggested, just get into physical therapy, maybe be a "recreational skier" someday. Give up. And do what exactly?