A Brand New Ending

Chapter 71

Phoenix



Pain.

There is so much pain that I'm surprised I don't lose consciousness from it. It feels like every bone in my body has been shattered and every inch of my skin bruised. I try to open my eyes but I can't. Something is keeping them shut. I begin to panic and try to move my arms and legs but they are weak. Am I paralyzed?

An ever-increasing beep reaches my ears and I concentrate on it, since it is the only sound I can hear. Someone's hands are on me and I cry out, not being able to see them is terrifying me.

"Shh," is all the voice coos. It's quiet and comforting.

I feel something being pulled away from my eyes and I pop them open, the bright light harsh. My eyes are extremely dry and I blink rapidly to regain some moisture.

I now see whose hands are on me and it's a face I don't recognize. She holds a flashlight in her hand, taking turns shining it in each one of my eyes.

"Do you know where you are?" she asks, her voice distant and muddled.

I shake my head.

"You're at the hospital," she states.

I look at her confused.

"Do you know where you are?" she asks.

I nod.

"Oregon," I say through a dry and scratched throat.

She is the one now looking at me confused.

"No," she says while shaking her head. "You're in San Francisco."

I begin to get upset. This nurse does not understand what I am saying.

"Do you know your name?" she asks again.

"Phoenix…Harper," I say, pausing to swallow between words.

"Good," she says.

She continues to look over me, touching and feeling all over my body.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" she asks.

"Yes," I respond.

"I'll have your doctor increase the amount of morphine," she starts. "Can you lift your arm for me, Phoenix?"

I look down at my right arm, concentrating on my muscles until it lifts off the bed slightly, it shaking immensely.

"Good. That's a good sign." She smiles at me.

I continue to stare at her, confused by everything.

"Where's Braeden?" I ask. "Can I see him?"

She looks into my eyes again.

"Oh, is that your boyfriend?" she asks with a smile. How does she not know who Braeden is?

"Yes," I explain, repeating my question "Can I see him?"

"I think the doctor just wants to make sure your progress is well enough for you to have visitors."

Turning off her flash light she pulls the blanket back over my body again.

"OK," I say with disappointment. "What happened to me?"

"The doctor will be in shortly," she says before exiting the room, her eyes sympathetic. "He will explain everything to you."

I take this time to look around and I see a long curtain separating the room. I hear a steady beeping that is not coming from my own machine. The room falls quiet again except for the constant beeping of the machines. I don't know how long they were gone, but every moment ticking away painfully slow. I jump a little when I hear the door being pushed open, someone coming through it. I think I smile a little when I see who it is.

"It's so nice to see you awake Ms. Harper," Dr. Harris says, his eyes warm and gentle. I am confused by his formalities.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, looking down at what I assume is my chart.

I ignore his question as I look up at him. Something about him is so different. His hair is darker. His eyes the wrong shade of blue.

"Ms. Harper?" I hear him repeat.

I snap my attention back and I begin to cry, tired of not knowing what's going on.

"Where's Braeden?" I cry out, wanting and needing his comfort.

I start to thrash around, my limbs somehow regaining strength. I feel two sets of hands on me, the nurse from earlier is back.

"Please, just calm down," Dr. Harris calls out.

"Why am I here?" I call out between cries.

"If you calm down I can tell you," he says, his hands still on me.

I slow down my movements and keep my eyes on him.

"You've been in a coma, Phoenix," he says with regret.

I become paralyzed by his words, my body now remaining still.

"What?" I cry out. "How?"

He stands back up, his hands now off of me.

"You tried to commit suicide," he says.

"No, I didn't," I call out. "You're lying." He pulls open the chart, reading some more.

"You tried jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge," he reads. "You were pulled from the frigid waters seven days ago; you've been unresponsive until now."

Everything in the world stops. I feel so lost, my mind not being able to comprehend what he just said.

"That can't be possible," I say to myself.

I hear Dr. Harris say something to the nurse but I don't make out what it is. I reach down and grip the blanket with my sweaty palm, pulling it off of me.

"Miss Harper," Dr. Harris says, his hands back on me.

"Stop calling me that!" I scream out. "You know who I am. You know me!" I continue.

I notice that a new nurse has entered the room, a needle in her hand.

"No!" I scream out. "Please, no," I beg him.

"Wait," I hear him say to the nurse, his hand reaching out towards her. The nurse stops in her tracks.

"Please…just get Braeden. He can explain this," I say.

"Braeden, who?" he asks.

I am confused once again.

"What do you mean? Your son…"

Now he looks at me confused.

"How do you know my son?" he asks.

My knees go weak and I fall, his hands are the only thing supporting me. He sets me back on the bed and turns to the nurses.

"Leave us," he says to them.

They both leave and it's soon just him and I.

"Please, lay back," he says. "You've had a rough time. You shouldn't be moving so much."

I do as I am told, even though I want nothing more than to leave this place. As I lay back, he grabs a chair and sits beside me. We are both silent until he speaks first.

"It's normal for someone who's just came out of a coma to become confused, to not understand a series of events prior to the injury," he starts.

I don't care what he has to say and I'm starting to think he's the one with the head injury.

"Now, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to think about it really hard."

"OK."

"What was the last thing you remember?" I think hard.

"I was at my home, with Braeden, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest."

He opens my chart again. "Impossible," he says stern like.

"What?" I ask nervously.

"You were seen at your home here in San Francisco an hour before your incident by your mother…an Elaina Collins." He's lying.

"And you say my son was with you?" he asks, his eye brows furrowed.

"Yes!" I respond, becoming even more agitated.

He sets my chart down on the bed beside me. "Do you think you can stand again?"

I just nod. He stretches his hand out towards me.

"I need to show you something."

Putting my hand in his, he helps me to raise slowly, the pain still very much apparent in my body. We walk a few steps and I become even more confused when we do not exit the room. Instead, we walk around the curtain, my heart racing. Why is he taking me over here?

As I round the corner my eyes fall upon a blanketed form, the face of this figure not within eyesight. Their side of the room looks the same to mine, the body attached to numerous monitors, obviously where the extra beeping was being emitted from.

"This is my son," he says, his voice heavy.

My eyes widen.

"He's been in a coma for a little while longer than you," he states.

I feel like I am going to faint.

"What happened?" my mouth utters before my mind even has time to catch up.

"He was attacked by one of his patients," he explains. "A war veteran suffering from extensive post traumatic stress."

And in the moment every hair on my body stands up, goosebumps breaking out everywhere.

"We've had a few responses, spike in his heart rate monitor but he hasn't opened his eyes since."

A single tear falls down my cheek.

"There is something that we have been monitoring for a while though," he declares. I look up at him. "It could be nothing more than coincidence, but every time your heart rate increased, his did as well."

A chill runs down my spine.

"Maybe you could talk to him? Tell him to wake up…" he says, a small but painful smile on face.

Neil steps out from beside me, his form approaching the bedside. He reaches out and runs his hand through his son's hair. He leans down and kisses his forehead before standing back up. I can see tears in his eyes.

"I'm sure he would like the company," he states. "Maybe a pretty girl's voice will help him wake up." He continues to walk right past me. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

And then I am alone. I remain in my standing position, staring at the bed. I couldn't say how many minutes pass. I take one step forward.

Then another.

And another.

As I get closer I feel a tingling sensation flow through my body, it's exciting and frightening at the same time. Maybe he doesn't understand. Maybe it's a different Braeden. And then I see him. I look over his lifeless face. But much like with Neil, something is different. Odd.

The grooves in his face are different, his hair a different shade of brown. His face is covered in facial hair and I am sad that I can't see his eyes. I look over at the table beside his bed, a pair of black framed glasses folded on top of it.

"Phoenix," I hear the sound of my name so soft that I swear I imagined it.

I look back down at him, his lips now parted ever so slightly. There's no way. And then in one swift movement, his body jerks, his right arm coming up and gripping his chest. I rush closer to his side, placing one of my hands onto his clutched hand to steady him.

"Braeden!" I call out.

As soon as his name leaves my lips, his eyes fly open and, in return, I am met with the most vibrant green.