The Do Over (Ziam)

Chapter One

"I'm still breathing, I'm alive" - Alive, Sia

Monday
September 24, 2018
Avery Grace Memorial Hospital
6:09 A.M.

Liam
Light pierced my eyes violently as I pried them open from the rest my body had settled into. Unlike when I was sleep, my body ached and felt unmoving when I woke up.

I looked around the room that I recognized was not my own and in fact was a hospital room. It was white like any other room in a normal hospital and had monitors everywhere. I then saw my estranged parents in two small chairs asleep, my mom resting her head on my dad's shoulder.

It was a bit comforting seeing them like that because it had been a long time since I had even seen them in the same room without arguing, but I couldn't even admire it because of how bad my head felt.

I desperately wanted to take off my head and set it beside me.

I swallowed a huge lump in my throat feeling it burn harshly from the swallow. My mouth felt so exceptionally dry that I felt it almost impossible to utter the words I was desperately trying to say.

"Mom." I whispered lowly hoping to wake her up, but I knew there was no way she heard me.

"Mom." I said a little louder causing me to cough loudly from how dry my mouth and throat was. My chest ached from the cough making my face contort into an expression I knew wasn't pretty and my brain continued to pound against my skull, but luckily, all of that was enough to get my mom out of her sleep.

"Liam? Liam, oh my gosh, baby, you're finally up!" She said rushing to my bedside and placing her hands on each sides of my cheeks as tears started to form.

Close up, I could immediately tell my mom had been crying from how puffy her face looked. Her whole face oozed of an expression of exhaustion although her whole face showed how happy she was that I was finally up. Even with how happy she looked, however, she looked as if she had aged some from what I could remember.

I had so many questions. Like why I was here in the first place, being the most prominent one. How long had I been here, being the second most important.

"I'm going to go get a doctor. You lay right here and don't move, okay? I'll be right back." I nod slowly giving her some acknowledgement without actually talking while she rushed out the room causing the door to harshly shut behind her which had woken up my dad.

"Liam?" My dad said getting up quickly from his seat and running over to my bedside. Tears filled his eyes as they did my mom's. He almost looked just as old and tired as my mom. He no longer had a full head of hair like I had remembered, but had now had his hair buzzed down close to his scalp.

"I knew you'd be up in no time, you're a trooper." My dad announced proudly before my mom had returned.

"Dad" I began before clearing my burning throat. "C-can you get me something to drink?"

In no time I had a straw in my mouth that led to a cup of water that was much needed with my mom and dad standing at my bedside.

"What happened to me?" I questioned after I had stopped drinking. My mom looked hesitant to tell me at first, but eventually she opened her mouth to speak.

"Sweetheart, you were in a really bad car accident. Everyone was really worried about you." She said taking my hand into her's and touching the side of my face.

Her look held one of hurt and maybe even sympathy for my situation, but the weird thing about it was I had no memory of the car accident at all. As hard as I tried to recall what she was talking about, my mind kept drawing a blank.