Chapter 1: Awakening .1

Opening my eyes I have to immediately shield them from the bright fluorescent lights that are directly above me.

I try to turn my head, “Why can’t I fucking move”

I search for the reason I couldn't move my own neck. I barely see the bottom half of a neck brace in my vision. Grabbing it I try to tear it from my body but it doesn’t give.

What the fuck! feeling around I find the straps and undo the neck brace, slinging it across the room. Jolting up I wrench my neck back and forth. No pain, feels fine, no, maybe a little weak... So why did I have it on?

After confirming my neck was fine I ripped the sheets off me only to see a hospital gown that someone must have forced me into. My feet hit the ground and then were followed closely by my knees. My legs couldn't even support my own body weight.

Holy shit! My legs? Was I drugged?

I fight my way to my feet, my head tingles, the word seems to lag and I catch myself on the bed as I almost fall again. What the fuck has happened to me!

 I need to find someone who can tell me what's going on. If this is a hospital there's got to be a doctor somewhere around here. I stumble over to the door, slowly regaining my ability to walk. Once I feel a little comfortable on my feet I throw it open and storm up to the first doctor I see.

Whitecoat means doctor right? I call out to him, "Hey!"

Turning around he seems displeased.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation! I was wondering if you could tell me why I'm in a hospita?" While the sarcasm was dripping off my comment it didn't seem to have an effect on him.

His face only displayed shock, "You don't know why you're in the hospital?!"

"No fucking idea, but either way I need to call my--" a voice interrupts me.

"Tom!" The voice came from the nurse who was now running towards me. "TOM, you're awake?"

"Why yes, I am..." I have no idea who this is "Um..."

She grabs my arm and begins to walk me like a woman trying to kidnap a kid in a store, back to my room. Clearly, this loud woman seems to know something. While escorting me back to my room she whips out her cellphone and dials as if she was trying to remind me. I need to call my Ma as soon as possible. Knowing her she is probably worried about me.

Before I can say anything she puts the phone to her ear, "Can I speak to miss Gun?"

Did she read my mind?

She looked at me as if I was some miracle while she spoke, "Tom... is awake."

 

The doctor walks into the room the nurse brought me back to. He pulls up a chair next to my narrow bed with one hand while holding a transparent screen in the other. After a brief introduction, he gets right into it. "I’m going to ask you a few questions, try to answer them as quickly as you can and to the best of your ability. If you don't know something that's fine, just say so."

Does he think I'm stupid or are they hard questions?

"How old are you?"

I see... stupid it is. "17."

"What month is it?"

Come on now he’s fucking with me, "January."

"What is your full name?"

Oh, WOW. He's throwing curveballs! "Tom Gun."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Well, that's... Um, "I..."

The door swings open and my Ma walks in, over to me, and without saying a word she hugs the absolute shit out of me!

After getting back the air that was squeezed out of my lungs I retorted, "Dammit, Ma you don't have to-- are you alright, you don't look so good?" She looked like she had lost a bit of weight that she didn't have to lose. Even putting that aside the dark circles around her eyes told me something was off, and how was her hair so much longer?

"Well, I'm glad to know you're feeling fine." Though it sounded casual I noticed a sadness in her voice.

Standing up the doctor turned to my Ma, "I'll give you two a moment." and then he left the room making sure to shut the door behind him.

"For someone who just woke up clueless, and in a hospital, I'd say I'm doing pretty good."

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Slight tears began to form in my Ma's reddened eyes, "So you don't remember anything?"

“I was hoping one of the people here would tell me, but nope, they were useless. Sorry for worrying you over nothing, I feel fine. By the way, how did the nurse have your number, do you know her?"

"I gave it to her in case anything happened to you, I wanted to make sure I knew right away."

"Wait, you knew I was here?"

"They didn't tell you?"

"No, apparently not."

"You went missing for two days, then you suddenly showed up in our front yard. Your head was covered in blood, so I rushed you to the hospital and--"

"Two days, damn. Where did I hit my head, it doesn't hurt anywhere?" Feeling around on the back of my head I avoided eye contact with Ma. I really wasn't trying to act tough or anything, my head really didn't hurt. The only thing was my neck felt a little weak but that's nothing. After feeling my head I looked back at Ma, her face worried me.

"Tom!"

Focusing my gaze on her I noticed how red her eyes were. She stared at me for a few seconds before speaking, "You were in a coma."

"Damn, a coma--" she cut me off.

"Tom! I know what you're doing. You need to listen to me, this is serious." I could tell by the tone of her voice it was.

"Sorry Ma, how long was I out for?"

She paused for a while before answering my question. "You have been asleep for five months."

"What's the date?"

"June first."

Slowly raising my head to look her in the eyes, I stared silently. She finally began to tear up completely, beginning to let go of the tears she had been holding back this whole time.

"That's barely five months Ma, way to oversell it!"

"GODDAMMIT Tom, don't you fucking do that to me."

Holding back my laughter, somewhat, I responded, "Come on, I couldn't resist."

Knock. Knock.

The door then opened up with the doctor walking back in. He sat down at his chair and began again, this time addressing my Ma, "Your son seems to have some memory loss. We would like to run a couple of tests on him to make sure he is alright, and we would advise that he stays here for a couple more days, just in case."

I look over to my Ma who is already giving me a look, "I have no problem doing some tests, but I think I have already spent enough time here, I'm leaving today."

My Ma's glare intensifies, “Excuse me?”

I tense up. "Come on, cut me some slack Ma, I just woke up."

"If they say you check out you can come home, ONLY if you check out."

Yesss!

She has been driving for a while now, and still hasn't said anything! She must not have thought they would let me go, I didn’t either. I don’t know what that lag was earlier but clearly since I passed all the tests it’s nothing to worry about. Should I have told the doctors this? I feel my hands tighten in obedience to the unusual rage inside me.

Glancing at my Ma out of the corner of my eye, "I told you I was fine; I wouldn't lie about that." It’s not a lie if the doctors said I was fine, I just have to act like myself is all and everything will be fine.

"Uuhhu." I gulped swallowing nothing but air. That's not good, she is definitely planning something, but what could it be? I just got out of the hospital! You would think a mother would cut her, recently comatose, son some slack. Nope, not her, I bet she'll make me do dishes or something when we get home. She must have no heart at all.

"SOO, MA? Anything interesting happen in the past five months, I hope I didn't miss much?"

"Huh, oh, I'm not sure. I was too busy worried half to death about my only child going missing and then showing up in a coma!"

Well, I definitely stepped on a landmine there. At least she hasn't changed though, I was worried when I first saw her.

"Love you too Ma."

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