The Chairs Between Us

Whole Notes

I woke up staring at bright white lights. 

My eyes stung from the light.

There was beeping from the machines around me. 

Ugh... I'm at the hospital. 

I have always hated everything to do with the hospitals: doctors, needles, things stuck to your skin, and most of all, memories of him. 

The pain in my stomach felt worst than before and I had an insane headache. I reached under my hospital gown and felt a giant bandage. 

That wasn't there before. 

How long was I asleep? And what did they do to me? 

I took off my oxygen mask, immediately feeling confined. My eye sight was still limited to only one eye. I looked over to see Officer Jones sleeping in one of the chairs. My brain started to flashback after the car accident. 

My mom sitting in a chair watching over my brother. I was sitting beside her in a wheelchair. The doctor came in and told us the news that my brother will never be able to move again. 

The look on their faces. 

It's was like their whole life was taken from them. 

My mom cried so much and my brother just closed his eyes. All the emotion was drained from him...

I snapped back into reality. Officer Jones woke up, "Dominic, I'm sorry the doctors said you were going to be out for a while... I guess I just fell asleep." 

My throat felt so dry, "I-it's fine. I-I just woke up too... How long have I been out for?"

"About nine hours. You went into surgery for about two hours when you got here. We tried to reach you parents but there was no answer and when I sent a unit by your house nobody was home... So I took upon myself to stay here to make sure someone was here when you woke up."

I nodded, "Thank you." 

He smiled and got up, "I will go get your doctor... I have to leave for awhile but I will be back." 

He closed the door behind him and I was left alone with my thoughts. I looked around and found my phone sitting on the bedside table. I grabbed it and it was filled with messages from Liam.

"Dominic, are you okay?"

"Please text me when you can. I am worried."

"I found the hospital you are at but they won't let me see you for your safety. They probably think I am here to attack you or something."

"I am sitting in the waiting room right now with your viola."

"I love you so much."

I texted him back, "I love you too. I am okay. Just been asleep for awhile. I will ask the doctor if I can see you... It's pretty late too. You should sleep."

I put my phone down when the door opened. 

A doctor and two medics came in. They all stood at the end of the bed. One of the medics spoke, "We just wanted to check on you. Were glad to see you awake. When you passed out we thought we lost you."

Ah... they were from the ambulance.

I turned my head so I could see the other medic and chuckled, "No one can get rid of me that easily... Thank you for saving me."

They both smiled and left. The doctor came closer, "I am Dr. Myers. I see you took your oxygen mask off, Dominic."

"I didn't really like it. I actually hate all these sensors on me."

"I am sorry about that... How are you feeling? Any pain?" He was young probably in his thirties. 

He took out a flashlight and looked into my eyes. 

He touched my left eye and winced from pain, "Sorry about that."

"Everything feels like I was beaten to death."

He smiled, "Well you definitely took a beating and we had a few close calls. You are very strong... You probably have a headache from being under during surgery and a concussion. Your stomach and chest hurt from two broken ribs and some patching up we had to do. As for your eye can you see anything?"

"Well I don't have my glasses so seeing is already hard but I can't see anything out my left eye."

He look over my chart, "I will tell the nurse to give you more morphine for the pain and I will see about getting glasses for you."

He put down the chart, "Do you remember anything about what happened?"

I thought for a moment seeing parts of it replaying in my head, "I remember bits and pieces."

He smiled, "That is good."

I began to cough and I held my stomach.

 Each cough shot pain up from my wounds. He reached over and put my oxygen mask back on. My coughing slowly stopped. 

"Keep your mask on, it will help with the coughing."

He left and the nurse came in, giving me more morphine. I ended up falling asleep again, dreaming of my brother. 

He was playing piano and I was sitting next to him. 

He looked over at me, "Do you want to play with me? I will show you the notes." 

I accepted and he showed me the bass notes to Clair de Lune. We sat there all night playing. My mom was sitting watching us, taking pictures and clapping when we finished... 

I woke up again. Officer Jones was sitting in the chair again but this time he wasn't in his uniform, "Good you are awake... look who I found down in the waiting room."

Liam ran up to me and held me in his arms, "I brought your viola and your bag... I was so worried about you."

I smiled, "You are such a mom. Did you do my laundry too?"

He mumbled into my shoulder, "If you weren't injured right now I would punch you."

I looked out the window to my left, seeing the sun beginning to set, "What time is it?"

Liam laughed, "5:30 p.m., You slept all day! Well, it was about 11 p.m. when they gave you morphine last night but still."

My eyes widened, "Dang, I didn't think I would sleep for that long."

"Yeah, Officer Jones brought my up here after school."

I looked over at Officer Jones, "Thank you."

He smiled, "No problem, he just has to leave when visiting hours are over."

We put on a movie and Liam laid next to me. I held him so close that my wounds were in pain but I dealt with it. 

When visiting hours were over he had to leave. We said our goodbyes and the door was shut again. Officer Jones sat back down in the chair, "I am going to be spending the night with you since your parents aren't here." 

He turned out the lights, "It's getting late. You need to sleep."

I smiled, "Thanks for staying with me... I have been going through a lot and it seems like the only person I have is Liam. Now you are showing me that more people care." 

"Your welcome, hopefully we can find you parents tomorrow. Good night."

Something in me doesn't want to see them but I want to.