Just a Dream

Just a Dream

1/17/2018

Hollie Hausenfluck

The sun shines bright in the sky. The wind blows in her face. She looks to her left. Damon looks back at her and her heart melts. She remembers all the reasons they fell for each other: his dirty blonde hair, twinkling blue eyes, and the small scar above his lip. She smiles at him and he returns the smile, stretching the tiny scar flat. He twists his fingers into hers.

“I love you, Anna.”

“I love you too, Damon.”

A sound wakes her from the moment. Tires screeching on the road and the sound of metal crunching. An arm reaches out in front of her, pushing her back into the seat. Her head slams back into the headrest and her eyes close.

*****

The beeping sound wakes her. It's a constant sound through the otherwise quiet room. Her eyes flutter open and she stares around the room. It's empty, no one is waiting for her to wake. She lifts a shaking hand to the call button and presses the button as hard as she can.

“Miss Smith, are you awake?” A crisp female voice crackles over the intercom.

“Where am I? What's going on?” Her scared voice breaks.

“I'll be right there.”

Moments later, the door opens and a woman steps into the room. The room is dark and she's outlined in the light streaming in from the bright hallway. She walks closer to bed and starts reading the machinery next to the bed.

“Do you remember what happened, dear?” Her voice is soft and comforting.

“No. What's going on? Where's Damon?” She can barely contain the panic threatening to overwhelm her.

“Calm down, Miss Smith. Everything's going to be ok. You were in a car accident.”

“A car accident?” Pieces of the memories flash through her mind: Damon smiling, the screeching tires, his arm pushing her back into the seat.

“Yes, dear. It's been a few weeks. You were hurt pretty badly. A broken leg, a punctured spleen and quite a few broken ribs. It was touch and go for a little while.”

As the nurse names off each injury Anna can feel each pain associated. Her hand flutters to the bandaging around her ribs. “Where's Damon?”

The faint wrinkles around the nurse's eyes tighten. Her lips press into a thin line. She clears her throat and the words rush out of her mouth. “I'm sorry honey, he didn't make it.” The nurse's eyes fill with tears as she looks down at the woman lying in the bed.

The tears flow freely down Anna's face. She pounds her weak fists into the bed, willing this to be a dream.

*****

She shoots straight up in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. “It was only a dream,” she chants over and over. Eventually, her racing heart returns to normal and she slides back down into the warm covers. She pulls the blanket over her head and closes her eyes. She reaches towards the empty side of the bed and a single tear traces down her cheek.