Risking it All

19

Prepping for surgery is so boring. I should know; I've been in enough. But I haven't had one since the leg amputation, and I was unconscious for that.

The doctors got the Anesthesia ready. I was getting pretty nervous, but I closed my eyes and thought of Nick, barely breathing. The doctors hooked up the machines and everything. "Are you ready?" one asked me. I paused and looked around the room, wondering if I would wake up again. Though I was scared, I looked at the doctor and said, "Yes." The doctor nodded and grabbed the gas mask. "Okay, so I'm going to count down from ten and I want you to think of a happy memory and when I finish counting, you'll be asleep and wake up with a happy memory." I nodded to his words and made sure my eyes were open. The doctor leaned over and said, "Ten, nine." I thought hard about what my memory should be. It was hard to think about, but I finally thought of it. "Five four," he continued. He put the mask on my face and I closed my eyes. "Three, two, one..." His voice trailed off and it was as if someone threw a blanket of darkness over me and I fell asleep.

I seemed to have slept for hours because when I woke up, it was light. The only problem was, I was outside my house. The sun was bright and the sky was cloudless. I walked out of my house and saw my family was there. It was the Fourth of July. I was wearing my favorite jean shorts and gray 70's style tank top with an American flag on it. I heard my younger cousin Abigail call me. She had her perfect blonde hair in a braid and wore a pink sundress. She ran and did some type of flip in the air.
"Come on, Kenzie!" she yelled. "Do a cartwheel!" I shook my head. "I'm not flexible," I told her. She laughed and said, "Come on just do it." And just to make sure I knew how to do a cartwheel, she ran down the yard and flipped once more. I somehow walked over to the edge of the back yard and looked down at my feet. I saw two perfectly healthy legs, pale, though now tanning in the sun. "Do it!" Abigail called.
I took a deep breath and started sprinting, elbows tucked in, arms bent. And just when I had enough, I skipped one leg and somehow hopped over, my right arm touching the ground first, and then finally flipping over. Abby squealed and embraced me. "You did it!" she screamed. I did? I did! It felt amazing. I was proud, but it felt as though I could do more. As though life had bigger and better things for me to accomplish; it's just I don't know what.

After the sun set, we gathered around the fire pit as I saw my uncle David come out if the house, carrying his guitar. "Hey Kenzie," he said. "How's your singing?" I gave him a look. "It's fine, why?" He smiled and fished his pick out of his pocket. "I was wondering if you wanted to sing a little," he said. I shook my head. "I think you guys should first." My friends and family laughed as my uncle started strumming a song. Everyone started singing, but I couldn't tell what it was by the melody or lyrics. But then, I knew.
Here comes the rain again, from the stars. Drenching my pain again, becoming who we are. As my memory rests, but never forgets, wake me up when September ends.
By then, I started singing the slow but awesome Green Day song. But when that was over, my uncle brought it up by playing a classic American song, perfect for the Fourth of July. And I knew this one right away and started singing along.
Bye bye Miss American pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing this will be the day that die.
This will be the day that I die.