GHOSTS - GRAYSON DOLAN

two: warmth

"Grayson!" the girl yells, walking down the long corridors. "Where the hell did you go?!"

"What do you want?" he sighs, waltzing out of one of the doors. "I'm not a fuckin' tour guide. It's a hospital, they've got signs."

She huffs, crossing her arms tightly. "You can't just tell me that I'm in a coma--might as well be dead--and then disappear." She's pouting with narrowed eyes. It would be a hard reality for anyone to face.

Grayson lets out a small laugh, rolling his own eyes. "You walked away from me. Without even giving me your name, might I add."

She huffs again, "Valerie."

"What's got you in such a bad mood, Valerie?" He asks, grinning innocently. He knew exactly what had her in a a bad mood--it would put almost anyone in a bad mood. He dealt with it when he first woke up too, but he's been here long enough to accept it now. "Has your headache set in yet?"

"Huh? What heada—ouch, what the fuck?" As if on cue, her head starts pounding all over. It's a sharp pain from different angles, so intense her vision starts to blur.

"Have fun with that," Grayson snickers, walking off once more.

Valerie crumbled to her knees, holding her head in agony. Before, she couldn't feel anything other than pressure, if she tried to move things. Now her head feels like it's going to implode.

It was surely the worst headache she's ever had. It came with a feeling of nausea that made her want to throw up, but nothing happened. She thought she might be really dying.

But then it's gone like it came.

She's slowly standing to her feet, weaving through the now crowded hall of doctors, as if they even know she's there. Grayson is waiting for her, leaning against one of the walls when she finds him.

"What did you do to me?" She glares.

"It wasn't me. I just know it happens to everyone when they get here." He'd suffered from his own headache for a lot longer than she did. The few other people in comas he'd spoken to all said they had one too. "But sure, I'll answer some questions. Keep in mind that I'm human too, I don't really know everything about this."

"I--what happened to me? Why am I in a coma?" Valerie asks, biting her lip. "And how are you sure? Why can we see each other but no one else can?"

"Look, dollface, I don't know what happened to you. There's probably a sheet on your bedside that'll tell you enough," he sighs, walking down the hall. She follows him with furrowed brows. "We can see each other because we're both stuck in fucking limbo. There are a few others but they aren't as... friendly.

"Most people don't react very well to finding out they're stuck in a coma. Surprisingly," as Grayson drones on, Valerie finds herself getting more upset.

It's been a few hours now, and she still hasn't woken up. Was this really just a nightmare, or had something genuinely happened to her? Valerie wanted it to be a nightmare. She wanted to wake up in her own bed and laugh about all of this.

That pain, though, and everything happening was telling her it wasn't.

"This is impossible," she mutters, realizing he's brought her back to her room. "Why can't I--why can't I touch anything?"

Grayson shrugs, picking up the chart on her bedside table. He didn't even hear what she said to him--despite his attitude, Grayson feels grateful to have someone to talk to. No one else in the hospital who could see him wanted to interact. Valerie was helping him stay sane, and he was surely helping her too.

The chart he picked up has an abundance of information, so it takes him a second to find the cause of her coma. It reads cerebral hypoxia.

"Oh, cool! Near-drowning."

"Cool? Oh my god, I almost fucking drowned. How is that cool?" She sputters, glancing at the page in his hands. "The last thing I remember is... I was going to the beach to watch the storm. I wasn't planning on swimming or anything, I don't know what happened."

"Yeah, it's cool! I just got a TBI. Can't remember what I was doing either," Grayson vaguely remembers being at home, with his brother, and then nothing.

"Why the hell cant I move anything? How do I wake up?" Valerie snaps, kicking at the wall as if it will help. "Can we leave the hospital?"

"No, stuck in the building," he shakes his head. "I'm gonna give you some time to take this all in. I'll see you later, dollface," and with that, he left her in her confusion, staring at her own comatose body.

Though she was dressed in a hospital gown in her bed, she was still wearing the clothes she went to the beach in in her non-corporeal form. She hates staring at herself in the gown because it makes things feel too real. It was the same for Grayson.

Valerie wants to find and snap at him for the nicknames and condescending tone. Instead, she sits on the floor and lets herself cry.

By now, Grayson has accepted the fact that he's in a coma. He has accepted the fact that he's probably going to die--and he's actually okay with that. Anyone who knew Grayson would be confused by him giving up so easily, but they didn't experience what he did.

Grayson had a small glimpse at the warmth that comes with death. The feeling of ease, and like everything was going to be fine. Call it selfish, but he wants that.

His traumatic brain injury aside, he can recall having a tough time before this. Just being stressed, unmotivated, the usual. He was pushing through, things would've changed eventually, but this all felt like an opportunity to him.

Valerie wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew she wanted to wake up. She hadn't felt the warmth herself yet though. He thought that might change her mind... she didn't think anything could.

A/N

I did way more research on head injuries/brain damage/loss of oxygen than was necessary tbh