Coming of Age

Chapter 11

Hours passed. Phil paced, stared at the wall, held Dan’s hand, and whispered loving things into his ear waiting for him to open his eyes. He went through two bags of blood while he paced knowing that if Dan does wake up, he’s still going to need Phil’s blood to get his strength. And Phil will be ready. He won’t give up on Dan.

“I know you’re going to wake up. I just know it. You’ve been so strong your whole life, don’t stop now,” Phil whispered sitting next to Dan on the floor so he was eye level despite Dan’s eyes being closed. “Remember when you turned ten and had to give up your teddy? You were so scared that first night, but you braved it out. And how about the time that you stood up to those bullies at school for picking on a little year one? They hit you and as much as I wanted to step in and save you, you didn’t need me. You were strong enough to take them—take their punches and walk away to help that little kid get to school safely. Or when your dog died. Your mum was so sad and so were you, but you didn’t cry once in front of her. You were strong for her because you’re a strong person. I know you can fight through this too. Wake up, Dan. Come on. Please. Just wake up.”

***

Dan opened his eyes in that black room again. He waited for Phil to appear knowing that he was dreaming.

“Phil? Phil! Where are you? It doesn’t hurt anymore!” Dan called looking around.

The black room hadn’t changed much except now it had a door instead of the window. Underneath, a light was glowing so brightly making Dan want to open the door and see what’s inside, but something told him not to. As beautiful and warm the light looked, Dan knew it wasn’t time to open the door yet. Soon, but not yet.

“Phil! What does the door mean? And why is there a golden light coming from it?” Dan shouted wondering what was taking Phil so long to get inside his head.

He placed his hand on the doorknob about to open it and check it out when a TV turned on making him jump. That wasn’t there before… Dan walked towards it looking at the picture on the screen. He was ten years old, hugging his teddy bear tightly for a few seconds then handed it to his mum.

“That’s my big boy! Soon enough, you’re not going to need this old thing to sleep with anymore. He’ll just be a memory.”

Dan smiled at the screen remembering that day clearly. He watched himself sulk back into his room and climb into his too big bed keeping his eyes wide open. He remembered feeling the loss of his teddy bear and remembered his dying need to have it again.

Just then, the screen changed to a few years later when he was thirteen and on his way to school when he saw kids his age pushing around a year one student, trying to get money his mum gave him for lunch. He watched himself march right up to the group and shout at them for picking on such a little kid and told them to leave him alone. He almost felt the punches again, watching those kids beat the crap out of him over some little kid he didn’t even know. Still, they left and Dan got up tucking his shirt back in and took the little kid’s hand to walk him to school safely. It was definitely one of his proudest moments, yet he and that little boy were the only ones who knew what Dan did that day.

The screen changed again to quick clips of him and his dog, playing fetch, getting dirty and late night cuddles. Then it switched to the day his dog died when the veterinarian gave Dan a chunk of his fur and his collar back. Dan’s mum was crying and as much as Dan wanted too, he didn’t. He promised himself he would be strong for his mum because even though their dog was like a family member to them, he wanted to somehow prove to his mum that he could be strong.

“Phil? Can you see this?” Dan asked looking around the room.

Then it hit him. When people die, they say their life flashes before them. What if he’s dying or dead and this is his life flashing before his eyes? All his high and low points that he experienced all in one smoothly rolling film like a movie? Dan fell to the floor on his knees tugging on his hair trying to remember what happened before he was in this room—how its possible that he could have died. Ruse bit him, but Phil got there in time. He was safe. Dan remembered being brought into the house where he saw Phil was okay and stitched up to stop the bleeding. He recalled being on Phil’s bed, Phil bit him, he drank Phil’s blood, and…now he’s here. Did that kill him? Did he not make it through the change? He knew there was a chance that he wouldn’t, but Phil was so careful. How could it be that he’s dead?