Begin Again

Chapter 5

I awaken and I find myself alone with my dad. Donte and Lana must have left while I was sleeping to attend to their prior commitments. I check the clock, it reads 8 o'clock pm. I've been in the hospital for nearly a day and it's been one big blur. I've been sitting by my dad's bed waiting for him to regain conscious while I have been slipping in and out of sleep. There is still no change with my dad, the monitors are beeping at their regular pace and my dad's chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm to the machine that is breathing for him.

When I look up I see a figure standing in the doorway, I look closely and see that it's Storm.

"Is practice over?" I ask my previous coach.

"Yup, we are all done for the day so I decided to drop by. Mind if I come in?" Storm asks politely.

"No. Come in." I say still skeptical of his intentions, but realizing he may be genuinely concerned.

"Are there any changes yet?" He asks, taking a step into the room

"No. Not yet," my voice says shakily as I try to keep my emotions in check.

I can't bring myself to look up at Storm, I just sit their grasping onto my fathers hand like if I let go he will never awaken. I hear Storm move across the room and sit in the chair next to mine. He puts his hand on my shoulder in a friendly manner, his deep blue eyes boring into the side of my head like he is unlocking all my secrets.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked in a gentle tone.

I willed myself to look into his intense eyes as I bite my lip, fighting back the tears. "He was in a motorcycle accident," I managed to say, "they say he's lucky to even be alive." I could barley even make out the last part as my lips started to quiver.

He didn't answer, but he draped his arm around me squeezing my shoulder, which was all I needed. I didn't need anyone to tell me how sorry they were because they weren't, it's not their fault, I just needed someone to be with me when I couldn't hold the weight myself.

After a few minutes my tears are starting to dry and I pull back wiping my eyes embarrassed that I have let myself not only cry in front of, but cry in practically a strangers embrace.

"Sorry", I mumbled realizing how weak and petty I must have looked.

"Don't be," he replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

My stomach growled a little too loudly and I realized that I hadn't eaten since yesterday. This time Storm gave me a real smile.

"Come on let's go to the cafeteria to get some food," Storm offers.

I sit there frozen gripping onto the arm of the chair. I haven't left the room since I have arrived to the hospital with the exception of my brief trips to the bathroom.

Storm looks back at me when he realized I haven't moved. "It's all right, he will still be here when we come back." I search his eyes and find that there is something knowing about them, like he understands what I am going through.

I stand up, surprisingly trusting of someone whom I had just met the day prior, and he leads me to the cafeteria a little too knowingly, like he has been here before.

I sit in the corner of the cafeteria at a table for two as Storm approaches me. He places a bowl of Mac-n-cheese in front of me and one in front of him. My favorite.

I look up into his dazzling eyes and smile, "how did you know?"

"It's my favorite too."

Maybe we have more in common than we realized. We sit there eating while making small talk, but mostly eating. Maybe, I think, maybe not everyone is the same.