He looked alarmingly like Sean had when we met, other than the eyes, and I wondered if he was some distant relation that I didn’t know about … Although I was pretty sure I’d met every single one of Sean’s relatives over the years.
Sean stood up at the young man’s entrance and held out his arm. My curiosity grew when the boy went into his arms and Sean embraced him.
I watched the scene, waiting to see what would happen next.
My heart was struck with terror and my world turned upside down when Sean said, “Jake, give your mother a hug,” and the young man began to walk my way.
That’s when I started screaming…
Four
Jacob
Out of all the scenarios I’d imagined in my head any time I’d dreamt of my mother waking up, not ever had I imagined her screaming at the sight of me.
Tears of joy…
Lots of hugs and kisses…
Her holding me as I told her how much I’d missed her…
Any of those would have made the moment perfect; instead, I’d stopped, frozen in horror as I watched at my mother’s terrified face as she screamed. Her hair was long, limp, and unkempt, her skin was sickly pale, and the circles under her eyes seemed to be taking over her entire face, but at least she finally looked alive.
Even as my heart shattered in my chest at her reaction to me, I felt relief that her eyes were sharp and she was animated.
“Kelly.” My dad was rubbing her arm, trying to get her to calm down, but it was no use, she was inconsolable.
The doctor came rushing in, pushing me aside as he called out to my mother, “Mrs. Talbot … Mrs. Talbot,” he consulted his chart and tried, “Kelly, you must calm down. I don’t want to sedate you so soon after coming out of a coma…”
At his words, my mother stopped, the horror still evident on her features as she grasped the last word he’d said, “Coma?” she croaked.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Talbot, I wish I’d been here when you woke up … at the very least I should have reminded your husband that you needed to be eased into the present gently.”
She choked on a sob, her eyes on me as she asked, “How long?”
“Five years,” the doctor said, effectively ripping off the Band-Aid.
Her breath caught and her gaze on me turned from fear to a pain so vibrant that I had to turn away from it. Suddenly everything was too much for me to bear, and I had the overwhelming need to escape.
“I gotta go,” I said to my dad, not waiting for a response before rushing out the door.
I understood her confusion, I even understood why she’d been afraid when Dad said my name, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. That didn’t make me feel any less like a monster. She was looking for her twelve-year-old, baseball-playing son, and that’s not who I was anymore. I was bound to be a disappointment to her, just like I was to my dad.
Consumed by my own self-loathing, I swung my Jeep toward Ally’s house. I shot her a text, asking her to meet me outside, and let out a relieved gust of breath when I saw her standing on the curb, her long hair blowing in the wind.
Just seeing her there helped to ease my soul.
Ally hopped in and we sped off toward my place. I had a feeling my dad would be at the hospital for a while, so we’d have the privacy I needed right now.
“Was she really awake?” Alison asked, turning her hopeful face toward me.
“Can we talk about it later?” I asked, sensing her confusion at my answer, but not able to talk about it now. Not in my car.
Ally didn’t respond, she knew it was best to let me be when I needed time to process things. That was just one of the many reasons why she was the perfect girl for me. She wasn’t one of those brainless harpies that got all wound up when you didn’t place them up on a pedestal and give them one-hundred-and-fifty percent of your attention at all times. She was like me. An old soul. Someone who took the time to think about things and process them.
She was the other side of my coin.
We parked in my driveway and walked silently into the house, her presence making me calmer with each step. When we got in my room, I shut the door and went to my closet. When I came out, I was licking the end of a joint and twisting it, as Ally sat watching me from the bed.
I sat next to her, scooting so my back was against the wall, then held out my arm, inviting her to snuggle in. I lit the joint as she got comfortable and inhaled deeply, holding it in for a few seconds before blowing out the aromatic smoke. I repeated this a few times, then offered the blunt to Ally.
I closed my eyes as she smoked, allowing the tension to leave my body, embracing the calm.
Once we’d had our fill, I pinched off the hots and placed the roach in a small box that I kept in the space in between my mattress and bed frame.
“What happened, babe?” Alison asked, intuitively guessing that I was ready to talk.
“She freaked when she saw me,” I replied miserably. “I walked in, stoked to see her awake in that damn hospital bed … I didn’t even think about the fact that the doctors told us years ago that she’d wake up as if she’d fallen asleep after the accident. It didn’t occur to me that she’d be expecting to see me as a kid, and would lose her mind when she saw who I am now … I went to hug her, but when my dad said my name, and she realized who I was, she started screaming. I mean, it was like a horror movie scream … She was terrified … of me. My own mother…”
Ally sat up and took my cheeks in her hands. “I’m so sorry, Jake,” she said sweetly, touching her soft lips gently to mine. “I’m sorry she did that. You know I’m always here for you.”
I leaned my forehead against hers and said, “I know … I came to you right away. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out, baby,” Alison said, and I watched with tired eyes as she lifted her shirt over her head.
I reached for her, eager to lose myself in her and forget about the last few hours.
Ally was the only person I could count on. I knew she’d make it all better.
Five
Sean
The last few weeks had been a blur of tests, physical therapy, and answering questions. It was emotionally exhausting, yet absolutely amazing.
Kelly was back.
My wife was back.
She was confused, weak, and sad about the large lapse of time, but she was awake.
“Sean, why don’t you go on down to the gift shop and grab a book or magazine for Kelly? I’m sure she’d like something to pass the time. I need to speak with her for a few moments,” Dr. Smythe said, and I wanted to growl at him.
I hadn’t left Kelly’s side since the moment I’d arrived to find her awake, and I had no desire to do so.
“Please, Sean,” Kelly asked softly, and although I wanted to stay, I needed to respect her wishes.
She’d been through a tremendous amount ever since she’d woken.
Finding out you’ve lost five years of your life would be a horrible blow for anyone, and I could hardly imagine how hard this must be for her. In her mind, no time at all had passed since that day on the side of the road, so of course it was hard for her to come to terms with how much things had changed while she was asleep.