Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
His eyes still. His body stiffens. I release him and let him fall to my feet.
“Nine more,” I say as I step over his body on my way to the others.
Nine more… And then, my sweet soul is mine.
CHAPTER THREE
Anna
* * *
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” my mother asks for the—I don’t even know anymore. I’ve lost count. Mom has always been a first-class worrier. She’s always been on a whole other level when it came to being anxious, but since the accident, she’s become a real pro. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us? It wouldn’t be a problem. We wouldn’t mind? Right, Gary?”
My father has the most patience of any person I’ve ever met. “Of course, we wouldn’t, but I’m sure our Anna would like some alone time.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom,” I say as she darts over to my medication again.
“So, you’re going to take this—“
“Every six hours,” I interrupt. “I got it.”
She’s nibbling on her bottom lip as she looks doubtfully at me. The pills are rattling in the bottle from her shaking hand.
I sigh as I walk over and gently take it from her. She’s been a lot to deal with over the past two months, but I have to remember that the accident was really hard on her too. I can’t imagine what she was going through when I was in a coma for ten days.
I wrap my arms around her and give her a warm hug. She melts into me, on the verge of tears.
“I’ll be okay,” I tell her honestly. “And if I need anything—“
“You’ll call me.”
“I’ll call you. Promise.”
She squeezes me tight until my father has to peel her off. “Don’t get her more injured,” he says with a chuckle as he half guides, half pulls her to the door.
“Call me before you go to bed,” she says as Dad pulls her out. “And we’ll come tomorrow to check on you right after breakfast.”
“Okay, Mom,” I say with a nod. I’m trying really hard not to roll my eyes as my father closes the door with a knowing smile.
“Bye, love. Enjoy your night alone.”
“Bye, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The door closes and I go collapse onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.
That… was a lot.
Two months of staying in the hospital, being surrounded by patients, doctors, nurses, my parents… It feels so good to get away.
It feels so good to be home. To be alone.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, loving the silence. No beeping, no footsteps, no anxious mother asking me if I’m okay every ten seconds.
This is paradise.
I still can’t get over what happened. One second, I was driving down the freeway, singing a Taylor Swift song at the top of my lungs, and then out of nowhere, a car smashed into mine and I was flipping through the air.
Crunching metal, broken glass, then… peace.
I remember walking out and feeling this overwhelming sense of calm. My body was hanging upside-down in the car. I can remember it vividly. Blood dripping along my cheek. My black hair hanging straight down. My arms limp.
I had known immediately that my spirit had left my body. I was enjoying the tranquility of the water when I sensed a warm presence approaching me.
My spirit hummed with energy when I saw him. A black hooded cloak covered his face in shadow, but even though I couldn’t see him, I felt drawn to him. The feeling was so intense.
It was so…
Fake. It was fake.
I can’t stop thinking about it, but I keep having to remind myself that it was just a hallucination. It wasn’t real.
My doctor said that during stressful near-death experiences like the one I had, hallucinations are pretty common. The brain is flooded with all sorts of chemicals and visions. Dreams and hallucinations can feel very real.
“But it was real,” I told him. He spoke to me. I could remember being gripped by him. Even as I told the doctor about it, I got goosebumps all over.
“I’m afraid it wasn’t,” my doctor said. “There could also be memory issues from the coma and side effects from the drugs. The point is, I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re fine now. That’s all that matters.”
I wasn’t convinced then and I’m not convinced now.
It felt too real.
And it wasn’t just that.
During my stay in the hospital, I kept feeling the same masculine presence nearby, watching me, protecting me. It felt safe and comforting when it was there and lonely and sad when it wasn’t.
Doctor Jones would have said it was a side effect from the medication if I had told him about it, but I kept it to myself. I didn’t want anyone telling me that incredible feeling was a delusion. It was the only thing that kept me going.