Conscious
The familiar sound of the heart monitor sang as Kyle’s eyes adjusted to the light. Distant voices became clear. A window came into focus, and he noticed a red cardinal was resting on a branch outside—a burst of pins and needles shot up his spine. As he reached for his head, he noticed the IVs coming from his wrists and forearms. All the tubing made it challenging to move.
The sounds began to fade into the distance as he saw his mother asleep in the chair next to him, her auburn hair a mess, curled up with her glasses dangling from a thin chain. Her winter jacket wrapped around her body.
Kyle rubbed his eyes as a lanky man in white walked in.
“Welcome back, Kyle. Glad to see you’re awake; you had us all worried. I’m Doctor Hartley,” he said as he picked up Kyle’s chart.
“Ugh, where am I?” Kyle groaned as he tried to sit up.
“You are at Murphy Meyer’s Hospital.”
“What happened?” he asked as he looked at all the bandages covering his body. A sharp pain in his shoulder made him wince.
“Take it easy. “ You were in a bad car accident,” Hartley explained. “The good news is that you are awake.” Now, take it easy and let us know if you need anything.”
“I will,” he said. Kyle grabbed his head as it throbbed.
“How do you feel?” Hartley asked.
“My head is killing me.”
The faint buzzing from the fluorescent lights scratched at his eardrums. Kyle shifted his leg, and a sharp pain ran from his heel to his thigh. He reached for his leg, but the tubing got caught. “Ow,” Kyle said softly.
“Easy now, you sustained a lot of injuries. If you are experiencing pain, press the small blue button on the remote next to you,” Kyle did.
His mom jumped when her head dropped. She collected herself and looked forward. “Oh, thank God, you are awake.”
Her purse dropped when she rushed to embrace her son. Kyle moaned in discomfort. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so; my shoulder really hurts,” Kyle replied with a hoarse voice. “Mom, was I really in an accident?”
“Oh, honey, yes, you were,” she cried. She held her son’s arm tightly. Dr. Hartley shone a light in Kyle’s eyes. He remembered seeing a vehicle’s high beams shining, nearly blinding him. He put his hand up to block the light.
“Sorry, but I need to check your pupils.” Hartley shone the light again. Kyle struggled not to blink. “Everything looks fine.”
Kyle closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he looked at his mom. “Can I get some water?”
“Of course,” his mom said, reaching for the cup on the side table. “Here, drink this.”
The ringing from his mother’s purse pierced his ear like screeching tires on the road.
“What is it, honey? What can I get you?” His mom said, rummaging through her purse, looking for her phone. “Where the hell is it?”
Kyle’s stomach started growling. “I’m kind of hungry too.”
“I’ll have a nurse bring you something,” Dr. Hartley said as he left the room. As the phone continued to ring, Kyle grabbed his head.
“Nancy, you need to clean out your purse,” his mom said. “Fuck it, I’ll just let it go to voicemail.” She moved her chair closer to the bed. Kyle tried to get comfortable, but each time he moved, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He pressed the blue button again, and his body fell into itself.
“What kind of accident was I in, again?”
Nancy found the words difficult to say. “It was a car accident, dear.”
“How long have I been out?” Kyle asked
“You’ve been asleep for six days.”
“Six days! Was I driving? What day is it?”
“Don’t worry about that now.”
“Wait, where’s my phone?” Kyle asked.
“I’m not sure, baby.”
“Oh, I wanted to call Craig and let him know I am okay.”
“Sweetheart. I don’t know how to tell you this, but… Craig. Craig was…” His mom was struggling.
“Craig was what?” Kyle’s chest began to tighten. His heart rate started to rise, and his breath became shallow.
Nancy grabbed her son’s hand and looked at him sympathetically in the eyes.
“Craig was with you in the crash.”
Struggling to control his breath, Kyle asked, “Is he okay? Can I see him?”
“In time, but please rest,” she replied.
“I found some green Jello for you, sugar,” said the voice of a true Southern woman. Kyle turned toward her. A large black woman entered. She wore her scrubs with pride. Her bright smile made the day better. A sense of comfort radiated from her.
“Thank you,” he said, noticing that the sounds of carts moving and the distant conversations had brought him back. His breath slowed as he opened up the Jello and took a bite.
When she left, Dr. Hartley came back in. “Kyle, you look distressed. Is everything okay?”
Without missing a beat, “Is Craig okay?” Kyle said firmly.
“He is currently in surgery.” Dr. Hartley informed him.
“What’s wrong? How bad is he?”
“I’m not one to sugarcoat information. Craig is in critical condition.” Kyle grasped his chest. “We detected some bleeding in his brain. He is currently in surgery.”
“What?” Kyle felt a lump in his throat as his heart rate rose.
There was a blunt pain in his shoulder. “Ow, when can I see him?”
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Nancy said, gently touching his shoulder. Kyle pulled away.
“Sorry, Mom, my shoulder hurts too much.”
“If you haven’t already, press the blue button next to you,” Dr. Hartley reminded him. Kyle pressed it, and the pain started to subside. “Once he is out of surgery, we will let you see him,” Dr. Hartley said. “Don’t worry about him now. You must focus on your recovery. You’ve been through a lot.”
“What do you mean by ‘Don’t worry about him?’ He’s my best friend,” his voice rose.
“Kyle, I need you to calm down,” Dr. Hartley said.
Kyle was becoming short of breath. His mom drew his attention to her and gently covered his cheeks. “Sweetheart, please listen.
The sound of the monitor increased. Kyle turned his head back to Hartley. “Don’t tell me to calm down! I have to see him!” he demanded.
“Kyle Marian Jones!” Nancy responded. “You do not talk like that. You know better!”
A sudden realization gripped Kyle. His breathing slowed, and the monitor’s beep returned to a steady rhythm.
“I need you to focus on your recovery. I promise I will take you to see Craig when he is out of surgery,” Dr. Hartley repeated.
Realizing he had no choice, Kyle tried to relax as best he could, but couldn’t get Craig out of his mind. Oh God, I hope Craig is okay. Was I driving? Am I responsible? I couldn’t live with myself. “What happened?”
“How’d what happen, dear?”
“The crash? Craig and I? Do you know?”
“I can only answer one question at a time, dear,” she replied.
Terrified of the answers, a pit formed in his stomach. “What happened?” Kyle asked.
“A semi-truck ran a red light and collided with the passenger’s side of your car.”
“Wait, who was driving?” Kyle asked.
“They found you in the driver’s seat.”
That means! Kyle missed a breath. He inhaled quickly. “How serious is Craig?”
“We are taking good care of him. I promise.” Dr. Hartley reassured.
The pit began to grow. “Please, I need to know.”
Nancy sighed. “Oh, baby, are you sure? It’s not easy to hear.”
“Please,” Kyle said with a look of deep concern.
“Craig’s side took most of the impact. He has several severe injuries.” Kyle was about to cry when he heard this.
Nancy interjected, “But nothing that he can’t recover from.”
Kyle has a slight moment of relief. He tried to move his sore ankle, but he couldn’t. He lifted his blanket and looked down to see that his leg was in a cast. “How bad is it, Doctor?”
“Well, from the X-rays, you’ve got a broken leg, a fractured skull, a few broken ribs, and a hairline fracture of your shoulder blade. Besides that, you are lucky to be alive,” Dr. Hartley responded.
A burning pain began to grow in his side. Kyle pressed the blue button, but there was no relief. He pushed the button more forcibly, but nothing happened. His breathing became short as the pit became heavy. “This isn’t working.”
“Don’t worry, it’s working. There is a limit on how much you can take. No more than twenty milligrams an hour. We can’t have people developing an addiction, now can we?”
“Is there anything I can get you, sweetheart?” Nancy asked.
Kyle focused on his breathing. “Can we turn on the TV?”
“Of course,” Nancy replied, handing him the remote.
Kyle turned the TV on to discover that The Price is Right had just started. He pressed the button again, hoping to help with the pain. Still, nothing happened. He tried to enjoy the show, but the discomfort was too much. After it ended, he anxiously pressed the button again. Once the medication kicked in, his body relaxed. Finally, he thought.
Kyle’s eyes grew heavy. His mom softly rubbed his forehead with her thumb. “I’m so happy you’re awake,” she said. His vision became blurred. He noticed a tall man in a purple shirt walking in. Kyle nodded off. He heard his mom stand and say, “I love you so much, baby.” She began to tear up. “I wish I had never gotten you that damn car,” she whispered. A memory flashed into his mind as he fell asleep.
*****
“Okay, Kyle, now keep your eyes closed and no peeking,” Nancy said with her hands on Kyle’s shoulders. With his eyes closed, they guided him through the house and into the front driveway. “Your father and I know you’ve been trying hard in school lately. And we are so proud of your grades that we decided to get you something extra special for your birthday.”
Kyle stood, nearly shaking in excitement. “I can’t wait to see it. Can I open my eyes now?”
“In just a moment, Ky.” His father said. “You have proven yourself responsible ever since my diagnosis. You have really stepped up, and we wanted to show you how much we appreciate it.”
“Okay, baby, open your eyes,” his mother said. His eyes widened once he saw a 1997 cherry-red Chevy Malibu sitting before him. He was speechless.
“Happy Birthday, Kyle. Now, it may not be in the best state.”
“Oh my god,” Kyle interrupted.
“But learning how to fix it is good for you,” his father said as he began to cough.
“Eric, honey. Remember what the doctor said,” Nancy said.
“I know what he said,” Eric said dismissively. She gently slapped her husband’s shoulder.
“Thank you so much, but… how could you afford this? I thought...”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s all taken care of,” Nancy explained.
Kyle’s father dangled the keys in front of him. “Remember, don’t do anything reckless in this car. The last thing we want is to get a phone call saying that you were in some accident,” Eric said, coughing forcefully into his handkerchief and then tucking it into the pouch on the side of his wheelchair.
His father handed him the keys. Kyle bent over and hugged him. “All right now. You kids go have fun and be careful.”
Kyle got into his new car with Craig and drove off.
“Be careful, honey,” Nancy shouted as the boys left the driveway.
*****
