I rubbed my eyes and took a look around. What the fuck. I said in my head. I was surrounded by machines and there was a tube shoved down my throat. I was clearly in the hospital but what the hell happened? There was no one in the room other than me.
I thought as hard as I could trying to uncover what had led me here. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep with Luke dreading the idea of leaving him. I was thinking as hard as I possibly could about what happened but I couldn’t figure it out.
Just then, my mom, dad, and Gia walked in the room all hand in hand. I couldn’t speak so I just darted my eyes towards them.
“Oh my gosh. Sutton?!” My mom threw herself to my bedside and started bawling her eyes out kissing me gently.
“I’ll go get the nurse!” My dad ran out of the room as fast as he could.
Doctors and nurses looked me over for what felt like hours. They removed the tube that was in my throat and they talked but it was mostly about me and not directly to me. I had never been so confused in my entire life.
Finally, a middle-aged man with a mask and a seagull scrub cap introduced himself to me as Dr. Grebs. He was the doctor handling my case this entire time. Dr. Grebs made me follow directions and asked me questions about what I remembered, what happened to me, etc. I understood everything he said and followed all the directions I could but I had no answers about what got me here. I told him the last things I remembered, falling asleep with Luke beside me the morning I was set to leave Coopersville. Every time I talked my throat felt like I had swallowed nails. I could speak but my voice was so hoarse and quiet.
“I’m going to go get your family and bring them in, Sutton. I’d like to talk to all of you.” Dr. Grebs smiled and then walked out to gather them. I was really looking forward to finally understanding what was going on. I wondered where Luke was and if Reagan knew about any of this.
“So Sutton, your case is extraordinary. We have done many many tests and you appear to be completely healthy. You have a slightly irritated throat which is expected because of the tube. The laceration located on your temple has healed remarkably.”
I lifted my hand and felt a large scar that I remembered before. It was from when Luke crashed into me on the bike. Although it did feel bigger than it used to. I continued to listen. “Your motor skills look great so far and you’re able to talk and answer questions already. Cognitively, you’re doing well. All of this is nothing short of a miracle.”
My mom squeezed my hand and I smiled at her. Her eyes were swollen like she had been crying forever and my dad had his arm around her and his other arm around Gia. My dad looked prouder than I have ever seen him but Gia was looking at me like she had seen a ghost.
“Sutton, I would like to tell you what got you here and then I’m going to give you some time to talk to your family and ask all the questions you would like. The memories that you have aren’t aligned with the actual events that occurred to get you here. If you can, I would like you to remain calm and just take all of this information with a grain of salt. I want to observe you here in the ICU overnight and you can get some rest. We’ll assess the situation from here tomorrow and make a plan going forward.” I nodded and took a deep breath.
The doctor took a seat on the edge of my bed and said “Okay Sutton. On June 25, 2019, at 10:28 pm you were in a car accident and ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle hydroplaned on a bridge and you were thrown through the windshield. You were rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. There were also two other victims in the car. The driver was Shane Johnson and the other passenger was Reagan Larson.” My heart felt like it had dropped out of my chest.
“Both Shane and Reagan were evaluated but had minimal injuries. You, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky. You have been in a coma for almost five months.”
My world was spinning. I tried to wrap my head around everything. “So what about everything that happened after my night with Reagan and Shane? None of that actually happened? What about Luke?” I had tears in my eyes and my head was pounding. My mom grabbed my hand.
“Could I talk to her alone for a few minutes?” My mom asked politely, forcing a smile.
“Of course, I’ll give you all some privacy.” Doctor Grebs stood up and exited the room.
“Honey. Dr. Greb believes that all of the events you have been recalling that occurred after the accident are sort of like a dream. It’s common for people in comas to take pieces of things that are actually occurring around them and dream about events including them.”
“So I’ve never met Luke? I just made everything up in my head?” My face was hot and my head hurt worse than it ever had before. I swore I could feel my brain pulsating inside my skull. Tears streamed down my face.
“Honey a boy
