A Different Light

Chapter 4

Tobias POV

The beeping of machines in the ICU is both keeping me sane and driving me insane simultaneously. Hannah is alive but just barely- these machines are even breathing for her. I keep having nightmares about that phone call- the sound of crunching metal and the popping of shattered glass haunts me. I was so torn- I didn't want to get off the phone but I had to call the police and her parents. I got to the scene, watched them load her up. They told us they lost her a few times and had to shock her to get her back to us. That was eleven days ago. The Silver's and I are taking shifts between here and the hospital- all 3 of us on separate shifts. Harper has been having nightmares, like I have, and though they won't say anything, I believe Mr. & Mrs. Silver have the same fate. I take a break and walk out of her room. I walk down the hall to stretch my legs and go to the nurse's station for coffee. Tabitha, a cute nurse with long brown hair and toffee eyes comes up to me as I'm filling my cup.

"No change?" She asks.

"Not yet. I have a good feeling about today, though," I tell her- as I do every time she asks.

"Would you like to hang out sometime?" She blurts out. I look at her, stunned.

"I uh- I'm- I just- I don't," I stutter like an i***t.

She presses a finger to my lips, "Shh it's okay. I understand. Maybe when she wakes up, we can do something."

She sounds hopeful and I don't want to hurt her.

"Uh sure. When she wakes up we can do something," I say. I stir cream and sugar into my coffee and smile at her. "I gotta get back, though, yeah?"

She kisses me on the cheek, "See you around."

She winks at me and saunters off. I rub my temples. What the f**k have I gotten myself into? I head back to Hannah's room, set my coffee down, and hold her hand. Her mother comes in some time later with a Nana's burger and a milkshake.

"I brought you lunch," she says with a smile, handing me the greasy brown paper bag.

"Oh wow, thanks," I say to her.

I sip the milkshake and take a big bite of the burger.

"Has the doctor said anything?" She asks

"He said that he sees no signs of permanent brain damage and that she's healing well," I check my phone for the time. "They're taking her for x-rays in an hour to see how the broken ribs are doing."

"Hopefully we get good news... Maybe she'll even wake up today," she says, her eyes never leaving Hannah's face.

"I have a good feeling about today," I tell her.

"Go home and get some rest, Tobias. You know you only have another week or so before you have to leave, right?"

"Before we have to leave, Mrs. Silver," I tell her, setting my jaw.

"I don't know how ready we will be to let Hannah go in the fall," she says.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, with all that's happened lately, we're just not sure it's the best decision for her to be leaving. You know? She can always take a year."

"A semester," I say sternly. 

"What?"

"A semester. If she wakes up, give her one semester. I'll help her catch up. Please... We were always supposed to go to college together," I say and my voice breaks, "I don't want to go without her."

"Oh, dear. You'll be fine, you'll meet new people and-"

"One semester," I tell her, setting my jaw. I've never tried to bully someone to get my way- but that doesn't mean I don't know how.

"I'm not agreeing to anything today. Let's just see how she does. If she's good enough to go and wants to, then she can. Harold and I won't stop her if that's what she really wants. But Tobias, if something happens to her..."

"After this, I'll make sure she's safe," I tell her.

"I'm going to hold you to your word," she says, looking me dead in the eye.

"Yeah- I know," I respond.

I finish my food and head out, promising to be there tomorrow. As I drive home, my mind drifts to how Hannah and I met. She was playing touch football with the neighborhood kids when I had just moved to town. I went out to play, too, and made some comments about girls not being able to play. She punched me right in the nose. We were best friends ever since- and I've never let anyone disrespect her like I did.

Hannah POV

I remember a horn honking, a flash of pain....and then I was looking down at myself. Was that me? It looked like me- if I had gotten in a fight with The Hulk. My blond hair is bloodstained, I'm covered in scrapes and bruises, and there's a sense of urgency in the room that can only mean one thing- death. Sure enough, a monitor that was beeping along with my heart rate gives one solid beep and a doctor rushes in with a cart. I feel so sleepy... Watch them Hannah, a voice says to me. So I force myself awake. Outside in the hall, I see Tobias, my motherb and my father. They're all hugging each other. That makes me smile- I'm glad they have each other.

"Clear!" The doc yells, and I'm shocked witg the paddles, my body lifting off the bed. I can feel it...my heart beats a couple times in time with the monitor.

"Again!" He says.

"Sir. This will be the 5th time-" another says, but a light filters into the room, and I can't hear what they're saying anymore. I go towards the light- it's a soft glow, and it gives me a sense of peace, a sense of belonging. I follow it up, up, up, and then I stop.

"I'm not ready yet...there's so much left for me to do..." I whisper to myself.

"So you would like to stay?" The voice says to me again.

"Oh yes, very much... I feel like I hadn't yet gotten a chance to really live. I wanted to go to school and study sports medicine...have a family... I can't do that here, can I?"

"I'm afraid not. I can however, give you another chance, though," the voice says.

I look down- I can still see myself but it's as though I'm trying to peer through a fog.

"Another chance? What does that mean?" I ask.

"Hannah. You must choose now. You either stay or you come with me."

"But I-"

"Hannah you must choose."

I look down and see Tobias, my mother, and my father.

"They need me..."

"Sounds like you made your choice."

"I- ye-"

"I will leave you with a task, though. Heal his heart."

I feel my heart beat roughly in my chest, and everything goes dark. I feel like I'm falling.

"What? Who? What does that mean?"

"Heal his heart.."

"But I don't understand, what if I-"

"Heal his heart," it said again, this time barely above a whisper.

Another heart beat slams through my body. I can hear the steady beep of a machine.

"She's back! You made the right call, doc."

Others in the room clap. Someone pulls up my eyelid and shines a light in it. I wince.

"Oh my god- she's awake!" The doctor who shocked me says.

"Should I notify the family?" A voice asks.

I turn my head to follow the conversation. She gasps and lets out a small laugh.

"I think that would be fine. She will probably want to see a friendly face when she opens those big green eyes," the doctor says, and I can hear rather than see the smile in his voice.

The door closes and then opens again and I struggle to remember how to open my eyes. I feel hands grab mine and I squeeze them back.

"Oh my god! Harold!"

"I know dear, I felt it too," my dad says.

"Come back to us, sweetheart. Please," my mother begs.

Heal his heart the voice drifts through my mind and my eyes fly open. The first thing I see is Tobias with tears running down his face and a dimpled smile. I wince at the bright lights and my head pounds.

"What happened?" I ask in a raspy voice.

My mother throws herself at me and hugs me and my dad squeezes my hand and kisses my forehead. All the while, my eyes drift back to Toby.

"Oh honey. We don't meed to talk about that now," my mother says, wiping tears from her eyes.

"No I want to know. What happened to me?"

"You were in a car accident, sweetheart," my dad says to me.

I a stream of visions run through my head. The truck colliding with my car, flipping over and over again, hanging upside down- and I can hear Toby's voice screaming my name, but I can't answer him.

"A drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit the driver's side of your car. Thank God Tobias was on the phone with you," my mother says.

"What happened to the other person? Is my car okay? Did I miss my deadlines for school?" I ask as everything starts to come back to me.

"You were out for 6 weeks, sweetheart. We called your school and told them what happened. They agreed to allow you to start next semester," my mother says with a reassuring smile.

"Then why is he here?" I ask, pointing at Tobias. 

"He's starting next semester, too. He stayed here to help us with Harper and look after you. Don't be rude, dear," my mother has a curt tone which means Cut the bullshit.

"I-I didn't mean it like that. Toby, what about the NFL? The Packers? How are you-"

"I'll be fine. I'm not giving up my dream and I'm not letting you give up yours," he says to me and flashes his dimples.

Suddenly my heart monitor speeds up and my face flushes. My mother jumps up frightened.

"Quick! Get the nurse!" She yells.

"No no mom, I'm- I'm fine. It's nothing," I say and hide my face in my hands.