“Luke saw your story in the paper and said he felt a connection to you. You’re at a hospital a few hours away from Coopersville. They transferred you here but Luke has made sure to come visit you and talk to you. Dr. Greb thinks you have taken bits and pieces of this and created your own memories. You never actually met Luke before the coma. He has only met you here in this bed.”
My mom held my hand as the waterworks continued. “Honey we are just so glad you pulled through this.” My dad came over and kissed me on the cheek.
“I missed you,” Gia said, still standing in the doorway. I took a deep breath and said “I’m glad I’m okay and here with you guys. Come here G.” I patted a spot next to me on my bed and she came and put her hand on my leg.
A wave of exhaustion came over me. It was hard work being conscious and alert after practically being lifeless for five months straight. My head was pounding, my throat was sore, but I was just happy to have a second chance at life.
I told my family they could go home but every time I woke up they were camped out on the hospital bed next to me. My mom said she refused to leave me at all until I was out of the ICU. I was sure this is what things had looked like around here for the last few months. Every time I close my eyes, the memories of my summer with Luke played over and over in my head like a movie reel. When I slept it wasn’t restful and I was beyond exhausted.
The next day I was hooked up to even more machines. They monitored every part of me possible. The doctor told me I really was doing well. He was going to remove my feeding tube and introduce me to the hospital psychologist who also had a degree in neurology, Dr. Weston. After my first session with him, Dr. Grebs and my family would join us and we would come up with a plan of action.
“Sutton, it is very nice to meet you; I’m Dr. Weston.” I shook his hand. “I have read everything in your file and it seems like you’ve come a long way very quickly. I’m sure this is all a lot to take in.” I nodded. “Experiences like these can be very traumatic for a person whether they remember them or not. Are you feeling okay?”
“Mostly confused,” I replied.
“So do you remember everything before the accident?” He questioned tapping the tip of his pen on the notepad and looking at me with great interest.
“Yes,” I replied. I remember all my childhood memories. I remember details of the day of the accident but-.” I paused. I wasn’t sure how to describe what I remembered with Luke.
“But I’ve heard you remember even more than that?” I breathed a sigh of relief. He must have already known from my file.
“Yes. I have these memories of the whole summer. Memories that I guess weren’t real at all. I remember details. It’s just crazy to me I have been in a coma for five months and I made it all up.” I rubbed the scar on the side of my head and sighed.
“Is there a way we can look at this as a positive thing?” he asked. “I can think of a positive thing. Your brain was making connections with its outside world all along. We weren’t sure if you were going to be okay Sutton and little did we know the little wheels in your brain were turning the whole time.” Dr. Weston smiled. His smile was big and genuine and it made me feel like I should smile too.
“I guess you’re right. I just feel like I’m crazy or something.” Dr. Weston laughed.
“Sutton I have dealt with a lot of people in this hospital. After reading your case and even just talking with you here for a few minutes I can tell you that you aren’t crazy. You’ve just been through a lot and we have a few things we need to sort out. That’s all.” He explained.
Later that night, Dr. Grebs, Dr. Weston, and my parents all joined me in my room. Both of the doctors agreed I was ready to be moved from the ICU and down to another unit of the hospital. They also agreed it would be best to move me to the rehabilitation unit. There, I would continue to work with both doctors as well as physical therapists to reach a point where I could live a life stably at home. I was satisfied with that.
When I got transferred down to my room in the rehab, they gave me my cell phone back. I had twenty-five text messages and they were all from Reagan. There was lots of apologizing. Telling me how much she missed me and all that was going on in her life. The last few texts were clearly after she had heard I had woken up. She was telling me how much she loved me and to call her when I could.
A few minutes later, I found myself scrolling through my texts, then my contacts. A part of me thought I would end up finding what I was looking for. Nope. No messages with Luke. His name wasn’t even in my contacts. I texted Reagan back, tossed my phone on the side table and turned over to try to rest.
When I woke up a few
