Daydreaming

the white ceiling room - short story <3

The White Ceiling Room

Vanessa Hernandez

I fluttered my eyes, opening them to see a white ceiling, trying to recall the earlier events. In the background was a loud beeping noise, my neck was stiff. I didn't bother trying to move it, it felt secure. My head began to pound at the thought of remembering. I could see myself, sitting in the middle seat of our car, looking through the front windshield. I tried to focus on the image. My head was beginning to strain and my ears were starting to ring, but I couldn't stop thinking of what happened. I saw myself again, looking through the front windshield. I was looking through the front windshield, when the image disappeared. There I was again staring at a white ceiling.

My eyes started to flutter again, this time they started to close. Please I don't want to sleep anymore, I thought to myself, but it was too late. My eyelids had already fully closed, leaving me in my own darkness, surrounded by memories. I saw myself again, looking through the front windshield. I couldn't hear my dad or mom, but their lips moved. They both looked back at me and smiled, I smiled back at them. From behind me, I could hear the acceleration of a car, not worrying I continued to look at my parents who turned back front.

Looking at the world through the front windshield, I watched the traffic light turn green and our car begin to go through the intersection. In what seemed like a second, a flash from my right collided into our vehicle. I looked to see my side of the car busted and broken, my head spinning at the sudden jolt. Within another second, another car smashing into us from behind. I felt myself jump up this time causing my seatbelt to snap at the pressure. The impact caused my body to, what felt like flying, but forced me through the glass of the front windshield. I wish I had just stopped on the hood, but my body slid to the gravel.

I tried to push my hands on the gravel, but one of my arms was caught under my chest. The air was covered in fumes from the gasoline. My vision blurred, and all I could see was the ground below me. It's dark pieces of rock jumbled together. I tried to focus on the sounds of voices, but all I could hear was a faint ringing in my ear. The shuffling of feet from outside of the darkness woke me up.

Around me were at least ten figures. They all looked as if they'd been crying, their noses were running and their eyes began to swell. My eyes tried to focus on their faces, but the strain started to make my head pound, so I resorted to listening to their voices. At the moment, all I could hear were their sniffles. They just looked down at me. I reached for a notepad and pen on my chest, and started to write to them. The notepad being my only form of communication. I began to write to the familiar faces around me.

*Hey, guys*. They looked at each other and smiled sadly.

"Hi, Nessa." It was the shorter girl who talked first, I recognized her as the girl from school that I called my sister. I went to her house almost every weekend and she always offered to give me a ride home.

I brought the pen to the paper again, *How are you guys?*

"We're okay", this time a boy spoke, he was taller. He sounded like he was lying, but I didn't want to bring it up. I knew him too, his brother was next to him, looking towards the floor. His brother used to say he never cried, but it seemed like he was now.

*I miss you guys. Seeing you guys at school*

"It's alright, you'll be back at school soon, Sis", that's when everything got quiet. They all shuffled and looked at each other. I knew they knew. My parents had to have told them, my injuries had me in critical condition. I wouldn't be going back to school.

*Yeah, I'll be excited to be back*

That's when another girl spoke up, "Can I talk to Vanessa in private?", my friends all nodded towards her and exited my room. She shuffled closer to the side of my bed. Her face became clearer, and I could see her black glasses and narrow chin. She looked really tired and I felt awful that I was probably the reason she had no sleep, "Hey, Vanessa." I had heard her say my name before, but her voice had never sounded so lost and broken. I had never truly seen my best friend at her worst until now.

*Hey*

"I've never really prayed before, but now I'm praying every chance I get fo you, because.... because I need you." Her breathe hitched and I could see the tears well up behind her thick glasses,"You are my best friend and I don't know what I would.... would do without you. You helped shape me into who I am and you've made me a... a better person. We talk to each other so much, I don't know who... who I would talk to if you were gone."

I tried to write as fast I was could. My tears overfilling my eyes and making it hard to move the pen. *It's alright. I'm still here*

"I am never good at saying how I feel, but I just need you to know that... that you truly are my best friend and I love you. You made my life so much better, and I hope to God you never have to leave it."

I looked over to see her shoulders shaking. I reached over to her with my right arm and held her hand. The sound of her crying covering the sound of the beeping, she looked over towards me and smiled. I tried my best to smile back at her, but I knew my face looked pained so I just looked at her. She started to sniffle, and she came in for a hug. Not really succeeding because of the neck brace, but it was effective.

"I'm gonna go see if anyone else wants their turn to talk to you." I waved as she started to walk away.

From inside the room, I couldn't hear anyone. I could feel my breathing become slower, but I tried to focus on my friends' presence. My eyes followed the sound of the door opening, revealing a boy in a hoodie and jeans.

He walked over to where Kathryn was. I could see that he had been crying like everyone else, his face was still red. His hair was flat, unlike the way he did it every morning. I shifted my gaze to see him twiddling his thumbs, he stopped when I met his eyes again.

I grabbed the notepad. *Hey*

"Hey, Nessa." He sounded uncertain, like he wasn't sure that he should be here, "I know we had our good times, and we definitely had bad times, but despite all of that I wanted.... I wanted to say thank you." I could tell he was struggling, but I didn't want to stop him. "Although I may have not really noticed you before two years ago, somehow I always knew you were the one for me. Even though you and I didn't last very long, I had a wonderful time with you. I had a wonderful time making each other laugh. I used to love when we played tricks on each other", he chuckled, but not the usual way he did, "and I especially loved when we would talk about what our future would be like...like together."

He could see that I was crying, and I'm sure he was crying too. He lifted his hand up to my cheek and caught my tears. The warmth from his hand made me blush, but also wince at the contact. He moved his hand away, "During our time together, I like to call it my 'happy time'. I believe it to be one of the best and happiest years of my life. Thank you for being yourself and.... and thank you for teaching me the meaning of love and life, and why it's worth living for. And I would like to say thank you for loving me, and not trying to change me. I love you, Nessa, and I always will love you. You're not only my best friend, but my family."

I had never known he was so good at making me cry. I lifted the pen up to the paper. *You're welcome. Thank you for always believing in me and being there for me. I love you, too*. I watched him look away and wipe his face with his hands. I could feel my eyelids become heavier, and all of a sudden I was asleep again. My darkness swarming around me. This time I let darkness cast over me, letting me rest for a bit.

When I woke up to the white ceiling again and the beeping noise, it was more sudden. A group of people rushed over to me. I started to gasp for air and my lungs were starting to burn. The neck brace was becoming tighter and tighter. The beeping noise becoming louder and faster as I panicked. My mom was next to me holding my hand, trying to calm me down, but all I could hear was ringing in my ear. My dad was on my other side, holding my shoulder. The other people were crying and around me in every other spot. The door of the room swung open, followed by a doctor and a few nurses. All of them rushing to my side, pushing my mom and dad away.

My body was starting to jolt as the doctor went to the IV, trying to switch it. All I could think of was the pain, I tried to scream, but all I could make were gurgling noises. My throat was starting to burn at the effort and the room around me was starting to spin. My friends and family turning into weird contortions of themselves. I was scared.

I could hear my mom in the background saying a pray, as loud as she could, along with my grandma. My eyes fluttered closed as the new medicine settled into my veins. Everything was calm again, looking up at the white ceiling.

"Amen."