Homesick

15

Two weeks later

Abby

Monday, June 17

The doctor says I have to stay in the hospital for another week. My back, legs, neck, and arms are broken. He won't answer my questions about my family.

"Where's Emily?" I ask. "Did you contact her yet?" They bring me the paper everyday, my mind not strong enough for the light of the tv. The headliner today read missing people found, dead in their home. It thought of mom and dad, but when I asked the doctor, he didn't tell me who the victims were. The names were also not listed in the paper which aggravated me.

A sudden realisation hit me; if mom and dad were alive, wouldn't they have come to see me now? Wouldn't they have been notified I was in here? I felt warm tears roll down my face as I saw two people rolled in on stretchers. At first I thought did they really think they would still be alive. Then I saw their faces. My mom's warm soft face, frozen forever in a scream. My dad's mouth propped open as if someone was holding it there. The feeling was familiar, like it happened before. My breaths shortened to almost nothing. My vision became blurry as tears welled up in my eyes. My heart monitor was beeping like crazy, the sound giving me a headache. Doctors and nurses rushed into my room, trying to help.

"A panic attack," I heard one say. They tried to stabilize my breath, but one last look out the door, and I was gone. Before I died, I saw...