Comatose

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

                Angelica could feel herself floating as if she was weightless.  The sensation felt a lot like swimming to her.  Garbled voices made their way to her ears as she strained to bring them into focus.  Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find the sun beating down on her as she drifted along in water.  Shocked she glanced around seeing trees and a cabin in the distance.  Not just any cabin though but the one they use to rent to take the kids to the lake for summer vacation when they were little.  It had been years since they had been there, however.  As the kids got older, they started to spend the summers with friends and doing summer jobs.  The last time she could recall coming to the lake house was when her children had been in jr. high.  It had been over a decade since she had last seen the place and found herself confused as to how she came to be there now.

                The voices mumbled again drawing her attention back to the cabin.  Turning her head in the water she watched the dock lazily as she floated on the water.  Figures began to materialize, fuzzy at first before solidifying making her eyes widen in shock.  There, standing on the dock, was her husband and their two children.  There was another figure with them but there were no discerning features she could make out on that one.  Turning over in the water Angelica began swimming a path straight to the dock hoping to catch her family.  She was so determined to get to them she didn’t even realize something wasn’t quite right.  About four feet from her destination however she ran into some kind of invisible wall.  Reaching out into the air her hand slid across an invisible barrier that kept her from getting any closer.  Frustrated she swam along reaching her hand out until the barrier disappeared and she tried once again approaching the dock from the side.  Again, she met the wall just before she could reach her family just beyond it.  Deciding to try from the other side she turned around in the water only to stop in shock.

                Laying in the water where her legs should have been was now some kind of tail.  Reaching out a shaky hand her fingers danced along the glittering silvery scales that ran along it.  She pulled her hand back in fear as she found that not only could she feel the sensation in her fingertips but also in what should have been her legs.  Testing it out she tried to wiggle her toes only to watch in horror as the end of the tail flickered through the glistening water.  Freaking out she began to push around on the invisible wall trying to get to her family and away from the nightmare she now found herself in.  No matter how hard she tried or how she approached the dock she could not break through.  Not only that, but she found she was also cut off from the shore.  She was left adrift in the water as some kind of freakish mermaid completely cut off from her family.  She could only tread the water of the lake as she watched them with tears in her eyes.  A longing so vast it consumed her very being taking hold as she viewed helplessly the scene in front of her.

                “We did everything we could, but she was in pretty rough shape when she came in.  It was a rough surgery Mr. Byrant and I’ll be honest with you we weren’t sure she was going to even make it.  Your wife suffered an excessive amount of blood loss due to her injuries and I’m surprised she made it to the hospital alive.  I wish I had better news for you than that, but the fact that she made it this far is a miracle itself.”  Though Angelica couldn’t make out the figure that had been talking she assumed it was a doctor.  Did that mean she was actually in a hospital right now and not at the lake? 

                “When will she wake up doctor?”  This came from her husband whose voice sounded watery and distressed.

                “It’s hard to say.  At this point it’s a waiting game now.  She could wake up tomorrow, it could be a few days or even months from now.  We just don’t know at this point.”  Her daughter, Tiffany, let out a horse cry of distress that squeezed Angelica’s own heart with the sound.

                “But she will wake up, right?”  Asked her husband desperation thick in his voice.

                “I just don’t know.  It’s up to Angelica now.”  The doctor stated making Angelica cry out.  Up to her?  She had been trying to figure out how to get out of where she was since she woke up in this strange world she found herself in.  How could it be up to her to leave?  If she knew how to do that, she would already be back with her family instead of watching from a far as they crumbled.

                “So, what you’re saying is my mom could be stuck like this?”  Her son, Tyler, inquired sounding as if he was on the verge of breaking down as well.  Angelica was sure he was only keeping himself together for the rest of the family’s sake.

                “Only time will tell.”

                “And if she doesn’t wake up?”

                “We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.  For now, just be there for her and hope for the best.”  With that parting statement the doctor walked away.  Angelica could hear his footsteps echo across a hard floor into the distance as the fuzzy figure disappeared from her family’s side.  Something bad had happened to her and now her family was left to watch what became of her.  She drifted in the water, her heart breaking as she listened to them crying.  The visage of her family was as she had last seen them.  Her husband smiling at their two children as her son stood daydreaming and their daughter rolled her eyes texting away on her phone.  It was clearly not what was going on now and the visual was jarring as the distressful sounds of cries filled her ears.  She could hear a faint dripping sound accompanied by the steady rhythm of beeping somewhere in the background.  Just what had happened to her?  Though she asked the question she couldn’t seem to make herself want to find the answer.  Whatever was done was done, there was nothing that could change that now.  Dwelling on it wouldn’t help her in the slightest at the moment.  What she needed to concentrate on was finding a way back to the people she loved most in the world.  How she was going to do that was beyond her. 

                “Why weren’t you with her?”  Tiffany asked her father through her tears as Tyler tried to shoosh her into comfort.

                “I had an important dinner to attended.  I called and told her that, she should have never gone out alone.”

                “So, you’re blaming mom for what happened to her?”  Tiffany cried out as Tyler had fallen silent at his words.

                “I didn’t say that.”

                “No but you did infer it.”  Tyler pointed out taking his sisters side in the argument.

                “It’s the fault of whoever did this to her.”

                “You should have been with her.  Haven’t you accomplished enough in your career that your family doesn’t have to take the back burner anymore?”  Tiffany shouted at her father shocking Angelica by the words.  She never knew her daughter felt that way before.

                “It doesn’t work like that, and once you’re older you’ll understand the sacrifices I’ve made for this family.”

                “Your sacrifices!  More like our sacrifices.  How many times did you miss our concerts, games, award ceremonies, parent teacher conferences, and dances while we were growing up?  Huh dad?  Who knows what mom has had to give up supporting you throughout the years?  And look where it’s gotten her.”  Tiffany screamed just before she ran off so Kevin couldn’t defend himself.  The picture of her daughter shattered into dust swirling off into the sky as her footsteps ran off.  Angelica wanted to call after her to try and mend the fence between her and her father.  If only she had known her daughter had felt so abandoned all these years perhaps it could have been fixed before things had gotten to this point.

                “You understand don’t you Tyler?”  Her husband pleaded to their son.

                “I used to think that I did dad, but now I’m not so sure.”

                “Why not?  What’s changed?”

                “Mom’s in a comma dad or have you forgotten that fact even though you’re sitting right next to her.”  With those pointed words Tyler’s footsteps followed after Tiffany’s making his visage shatter too.  Angelica had thought it looked like dust scattering in the wind but realized now it was ash.  A coma?  She was stuck in a coma?  Not dead, but not really alive either.  Angelica was stuck somewhere in between while her family disintegrated, and she was powerless to stop it.

                She treaded the water watching the one family member who remained behind.  What had become of her family?  She wasn’t sure not having seen the signs of discord before now.  What she did know was if she didn’t figure out a way out of her current predicament, they may never be whole again.  Light sobbing traveled to her ears as she listened to her husband break down.  He was such a strong man normally and would never show weakness to his children.  She wished they could see just how broken he was too.  Angelica reached out her hand to the barrier in front of her wishing like hell she could touch him.  Placing her forehead next to her hand she sighed as her own tears dripped down to mingle with the water.  She closed her eyes not being able to look upon the happy face of the man she knew was lost to his misery.  If only she could reach out and comfort him instead of being held prisoner in her own body.  She cried along side him joining him in his pain even though he would never know this fact.  She found that with her eyes closed to the world around her if she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel the phantom touch of her husband holding onto her hand.  A horrible shriek of despair ripped from her as she succumbed to her hellish fate.