FicWad

Chapter 1



I woke up in a room that was completely white, lying flat on my back, and still incredibly tired. All I could see was the ceiling, white with its lights, and through my peripheral vision I could see that there were windows to the right with vertical blinds that were just as white as the walls. I could tell it was daytime from the visible light blue sky. To the left were more white walls and some machine.



I tried to move, but it seemed impossible, like there was something weighing me down. I guess I was just that tired. Next I tried to speak. Nothing but an incoherent strangled noise came out. That's when I felt it. I felt tubes. They were everywhere. I freaked! I tried to speak and move once again. Apparently I was being held down because I heard whoever it was make a grunting noise.



"Five more minutes mom," he said.



I can feel him now. He's hugging me by the waist, his body pinning my left arm down, and his head on my chest. I lifted my head as much as I could, probably not even half an inch, before seeing his messy black hair. My right arm was free, but it still felt the same, like it was weighed down... or just incredibly weak.



I didn't know what to expect. Who is this person?Where am I? There are so many questions, but I couldn't get them out, I was too tired from the previous attempts, and I didn't have anyone to ask even if Icould.



I managed to tap his back with my left hand by just flicking my wrist. It came out more of a twitch and took a lot of energy. That woke him. I felt him instantly tense. Not two seconds later he sprung up and into my line of vision.



I woke up startled, but my eyes were still closed and my body was tense. It wasn't like those fake nightmare wake up things they show in the movies. This wasn't a movie... but it seemed like one.



I felt my body loosen from its paralyzed state and I was able to stretch out. I opened my eyes to see my bedroom room with its light brown walls and white trim, not a bland, ultra white hospital room. The sun was streaming though my bay window and I heard some movement in the hallway outside my bedroom door.



It's been almost two weeks since I got out of the hospital and everyday I've been dreaming about waking up in that hospital bed. But the dreams were different. Sometimes it would be exactly how it happened, waking up to white walls and beeping machines after months and months, five years worth, of sleep. At least that's what it felt like, sleeping.



Other times the dream would be different, there would be some mystery person, just like my last dream. Why would I have a dream like that? It didn't happen that way. Then again since when do dreams always reflect reality?



Five years ago I got into an accident. I don't remember what happened, but they tell me I was hit by a drunk driver. By they I mean my family.



If I weren't sleeping all that time I'd be a 22 year old college graduate, possibly living on her own trying to earn a living. Instead, I'm a 22 year old who's taking a year off before getting her high school diploma. Mom thought it would be better to use the year to get used to being older than I thought I was.



There was a knock at my door that broke me from my thoughts.



"Come," I said, my voice alittle raspy. I cleared my throat and said, "Come in."



My door opened and my older brother Jorge walked in. There were three of us, he was the oldest and not to mention the man of the house when dad left us 13... I mean 18 years ago. Jorgie looked a little different from the last time I saw him. He was around my age then. Jorgie was the jock through out middle school and high school, quarterback on the football team his senior year as well as captain of the basketball team. When he got to college he had a bit of a beer belly from the college partying he did, messy brown hair, and not very well shaved. Now he was a 27 year old certified athletic trainer at our old high school with a family he lived with a few blocks away. He finally got a proper hair cut, has nothing more than a little stubble, and he was thin... maybe even a little muscular. It was so weird.



"Hey Ang," he greeted using my nickname while sitting down on my computer chair. "How are you feeling today?"



I sighed. Some things never change. He may have been a partier, but he was responsible, reliable, and always cared for us, his family, before anyone else.



"Jorgie I'm fine," I said using his nickname. "So I was in a... coma for five years," I always felt uncomfortable calling it a coma, "the doctors said I'm in perfect health. Don't worry so much."



He shrugged. "I just have to make sure my baby sister's okay."



I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. "It's been two weeks, get over it." I walked over to my dresser and picked up my hair brush. "And besides, don't you have a pregnant wife and son to think about? I should be the least of your worries."



"Jorge has always put you guys before me," Wendy said standing in the hallway.



Wendy was like the female version of tall dark and handsome. She had long dark, wavy hair that stopped at her mid back, dark brown eyes, beautiful natural tan skin, and was almost as tall as Jorgie was. He was 6' and Wendy was just south of that at 5'8".



Jorgie held out his hand to her as she semi-waddled over to us with her four month old baby bump lightly protruding through her maternity dress.



"I'm so glad you're not abitch anymore," I said to Wendy. "I hated you when you two started dating."



Wendy and Jorge just laughed. They knew exactly what I was talking about. She really was a bitch, always whining that he though about his family and studies before her and his social life. When I woke up and found out they were married, she was pregnant, and they had a son I almost fainted.



After spending the past two weeks with her I could see that she changed. Five years is a long time to get your act together.



"I'm glad too. I wouldn't be this happy if I kept up a selfish attitude," she said before turning to give Jorgie a kiss on the lips.



"You forgot egotistical, snotty, spoiled..."



"Okay she gets it," Jorgie said laughing as Wendy feigned offense. "Come on, let's let Ang get ready."



"Get ready for what?" I asked.



"We're all going out on afamily picnic, like we used to," he said.



"Picnic?" I looked at my clock to see that it was almost 11 o'clock. "It's eleven!? Why aren't you at work? Why didn't anyone wake me? I just wasted half of my day."



"I took a day off and we didn't want to wake you. Now come on the day's still young!" He exclaimed walking backwards out the door.



I stood there for a second taking in Jorgie's attitude. Some things really don't change. I turned around to look into my mirror... but some things do.



I could barely recognize the girl staring back at me through the mirror. There were bags under my eyes and Ilost a lot of weight. I wasn't fat before the accident, but I was pretty chubby when I was 18, but now I looked skinny... and a little weak. I guess that happens when you're being fed by tubes and just lay there for a few years.



A few years. I wonder how everyone handled it. They were really happy when I woke up, but... it must have been so hard to go through five years.



Isn't there a time limit on those things? The hospital bills must be brutal for mom. I'm so lucky they kept me on life support for so long.



"Hey," I heard someone say bringing me out of my train of thought. I looked to my door which was still open and there was Faith, my older sister, standing there.



"Fay, stop using your man voice... it really makes me wonder," I said teasing her.



"Angela, Angela, Angela," she said stepping into my room. "This is all natural." She ran her hands down her body to emphasis her point.



I let out a light laugh."Yeah and that push up bra gives off a good illusion too."



"I know! Don't you just love it? These things are like... lethal."



No, she's not serious.



I just shook my head and continued to brush my hair.



"Ang," Fay said. "Little sister," she was hugging me from behind now. "I missed you."



I looked at the both of us through the mirror. Our light brown hair mixed together and you couldn't tell whose strand was whose. We've always looked like sisters, but now we looked more like twins except our eye color was different. She was always the pretty sister, the skinnier sister with beautiful dark green eyes, knew how to talk to boys, befriend every girl, dressed fashionably, and knew how to do her makeup. On top of that she was a cheerleader throughout high school, co-captain her senior year, and a part of student council too.



"I would say I missed you too, but I don't remember leaving," I said.



"Well as long as you know that I missed you is all that matters," she said heading out the door.



"Fay," I called her back."You're really not gonna wear a pushup to a picnic are you?"



"Sports bra?"



"Sports bra," I confirmed.



After a half hour I was done getting ready. I was dressed in some shorts, a tank top, and threw my hair up in a ponytail.



I walked down the stairs to see Jorgie and Fay in the living room playing with Daniel, Jorgie and Wendy's son. Daniel had Wendy's dark hair, Jorgie's hazel eyes, which we both shared, and his skin was a mix of Wendy's tan skin and Jorgie's somewhat pale complexion.



"Ang!" The two year old Daniel screamed when I came into his line of site.



"Hey little man," I greeted. I was still getting used to having a nephew, but I think I was handling it pretty well, especially since he was taking to me so fast. Maybe they came to visit me in the hospital a lot.



"Why can he say your name and not mine?" Fay asked. Her name was simpler than mine.



"It's Aunt Ang," Jorgie corrected his son.



I continued on through the living room, through the hallway, and into the kitchen. Mom was in there packing a couple picnic baskets.



"Need some help?" I asked her.



"Help would be wonderful,"she said. "So how did you sleep last night?"



"The same," I told her.



I was never one to keep much from my mom. Since dad left us all she made sure to keep a tight relationship with us, tried to keep us together instead of letting us fall apart... and she did a really good job.



I've been told more than once that we were like the "perfect" poster family... minus a father. Mom was a well respected nurse that earned enough on her own to raise three kids and still keep a great relationship with each of us.



The three of us were good students with good grades and took part in extra curricular activities. I never played sports like Jorgie, but I could throw and catch a football and make abasket from the free-throw line. I wasn't a cheerleader like Fay, but I could do a pretty good round off. Instead I was a part of the school newspaper and Interact Club. The Interact Club went out to he community and did service projects one or two Saturdays a month.



Don't get me wrong. We've all had our dramas through out our lives, but we never let it get to us. We had each other and we were all alive and healthy. What more could we ask for?



"Hmm, they're not bothering you are they?" Mom asked about my dreams.



"No, but it's just annoying and that guy in some of my dreams... it's weird."



I looked up to see mom looking at me, almost like she was inspecting me or something. I looked away and my gaze landed on a stack of mail.



"How are the hospital bills coming along? Can we afford to pay it all?"



"Don't worry about it sweetie. I get paid enough at the hospital and Jorge has agreed to help me alittle bit."



"I just feel so bad for draining you guys like this."



Mom tilted my chin to look at her. "You are worth every penny and more," she said looking me straight in the eyes.



I gave her a half smile when Wendy came in from the bathroom and the three of us continued to pack for today's picnic.