Boundless Love

Paralyzed

Levi's POV...

Paralyzed! Walk again! Those inconceivable words playing over and over in my head. I must be delusional! That's got to be it! The pain killers must be making my mind foggy.

How did this even happen? One minute I'm having drinks and dancing with Emma and the next I'm here, lying in this bed while my mum cries. I have no recollection of the events that took place after Landon dragged me out of the pub. I remember flashes of horror across Landon's face when he looked at me, but at the time I didn't know why. None of this seems real. Like I woke up in the middle of a surreal dream.

All I see above me while I lie here is a white ceiling and when I turn my head slightly, I can see light gray walls. Emma is gently rubbing up and down my arm with her hand and she's whispering, "It's ok baby, everything will be ok." I'm not sure I believe her as tears are rapidly flowing down her face. My body is here but I don't actually feel like I'm in the room.

My mum is sitting by my other side and looks like she has been crying nonstop for hours. I can barely feel Emma stroking my arm, and I can't seem to reach for her. My arms feel heavy, so heavy that I can't move them even though I want to. I look down and see my legs covered by a blanket. I try to wiggle my toes from underneath the covers, but I can't, they don't even feel like they are connected to my body.

This is scary shit! The only proof  that this is real is the feeling of my heart uncontrollably beating out of my chest, and my lungs constricting by my rapid breathing. The pressure in my chest keeps building, starting to intensify more and more. I can't even focus on anything that is going on around me. Someone please help me! But the words don't leave my mouth.

Emma continues nervously stroking my arm while telling me to calm down, and I can't take it anymore.

"Stop touching me!" I finally blurt out.

Instantly, the expression on Emma's face turns to shock and she instinctively steps away from me, her eyes filled with even more pity than before. Shit! I don't want to scare her, but I'm frightened beyond comprehension right.

"Everyone just please stop touching me! And stop crying! You're not the ones lying in this bed!" I'm practically hyperventilating now, something I've never actually experienced before.

This is not happening! This is just a terrible hallucination I try to convince myself.

Just then, I'm startled by the feeling of my right arm being lifted from the bed. I can feel some pressure up towards my armpit, the pressure then shifts to my elbow down to my fingers. I look over towards my arm and find someone massaging my hand and fingers with hers. What the bloody hell? She then moves her hands back up towards my shoulder, massaging certain spots and back down my arm again, ending at my fingers. I didn't even notice her enter the room as I was about to flip my shit. But here she is, this strange and surprisingly beautiful girl, gently yet firmly massaging my arm, and without realizing it, my breathing begins to slow.

"Look at me," her angelic voice says. She speaks! This must be real. Her voice is soothing.

With hesitation I try and focus my gaze on her.

"My name is Charlotte Thomas, but everyone around here calls me Charlie," she says to me. I find myself staring at her with nothing but confusion.

She looks to be around my age and she is very pretty, not an ounce of make-up covers her natural light skin. Her hazel color eyes are studying me, it's not a look of pity for me when she looks into my eyes, it's more of a hopeful and determined look. The way she looks at me is much more calming to me than the way my parents and Emma have been looking at me. Maybe she isn't real. At this point, nothing it what it appears to be.