He slipped in and out of conciousness, seeing people bustling around, their eyes full of shock. Why do they bustle? They look ridiculous. Why are they always in such a hurry? He pondered as he lay there on the ground. He could hear someone wretching. Suddenly he wished he had done it another way, a more sure way; something less dramatic. He wasn't sure how bad it was, all he knew was that he couldn't move. He gazed at the sky, his ear ringing, people shouting. The wretching continued. Chaos. Then, nothing.
He opened his eyes slowly, cautiously, as if opening them too fast would cause something terrible to happen. He remembers something terrible happening, but what? The room came into focus. There was a man standing at the foot of hi bed, watching him. He tried to move. Pain shot up his chest. The man walked closer and laid his hand on the John's shoulder. The man was a doctor, he was in a hospital. Why?
"Blink once if you can hear me." John obeyed. The doctor nodded slowly. "John," he breathed heavily, "would you like to hear the good news first? Blink twice." Twice John blinked. "The good news is, you will be okay. Your fall was broken by an awning. Unfortunately, you won't be able to walk again, John. You're paralyzed. You may not even be able to speak. We'll have to go day by day."
