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- 04/24/2016
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
In an Instant - 1. Chapter 1
Walking home from guitar practice never really bothered me, it always gave me time to think about things ya'know ? With mom constantly working and no father in the picture it's not like I really had a choice at 15 years old but hey, at least I didn't mind it. Today however, it really sucked. Tropical storms are a given at this time of year and I was walking home with my guitar case on my back in the middle of a bad one. After 15 minutes my baggy t-shirt was clinging to me and my shoes were soaked through but the sign up ahead marked the halfway to home point so i kept trekking on down the county road. My mind wandered from different topics, what was going to be left for supper when I got home, what song to play at the next school concert, why did I decide to wear thick khakis pants today? I was snapped out of my thoughts to a familiar voice.
" Mason ! Get in the car buddy it's pouring out, you'll have to use that guitar case as a raft soon!"
It was Mark, my mom's co-worker. They both worked different shifts at the local store in town. I threw my guitar into the backseat of his car and hopped up front into the warm vehicle.
"Hey Mark, thanks! Crappy weather, huh?"
"You can say that again buddy, moms working today isn't she?"
"Yeah until 10:00 tonight" I replied. We continued small talk for a few minutes and he turned up the radio to a song he must have liked. I idly stared out the window once again lost in thought. Suddenly, I felt Mark hit the brakes HARD and for a second thought maybe another damn deer decided to venture into the road but when I looked ahead all I seen was a dip in the road completely filled with water. The next motion is very similar to when u turn really fast in a roller coaster and your stomach feels like it's coming up your throat. The car leaned to one side and it felt like we were not even driving on the road any more. Then like something out of a movie the car seemed to slowly roll off the road into the rocky ditch below. Though i'm sure it was only a few seconds, for what seemed like an eternity I listened to the horrible screeching of metal on rock and glass shattering as Mark's old Mazda bounced and crunched over the brutal terrain below. My vision was completely blocked all of a sudden as the white airbag deployed in my face. I wish I could say I was knocked out and woke up later in a hospital room full of balloons and stuffed teddy bears or whatever junk they sell at the gift stop but that was far from the case. I rag-dolled around strapped behind the seat belt until the car finally came to a stop upside down on its roof.
For a few minutes all I could do was focus on my breathing. When I finally opened my eyes I could see the airbag slowly deflating in front of my eyes. My head stung and i couldn't see out of my left eye. The seat belt squeezing on my ribs was making it quite hard to breathe and therefore hard to stop myself from hyperventilating. I turned my head to my side and that made things a whole lot worse. Marks lifeless body was hanging from the seat next to mine. For some reason it seemed that his airbag had not went off like it should have. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down as much as possible so i could think a little more rationally. I felt the bottom part of the seat belt digging my cellphone into my thigh. I fished the iPhone out with my fingers and dialed 911.
"911 what's your emergency?"
"My name is Mason Connors, i'm just past the turnoff to Tanner's pond, please send help fast"
How I managed to get that out I will never know but the lady on the other end told me an ambulance was on its way. I must have been suffering from a concussion and blacked out because the next thing I know there's an ambulance and a firetruck on the road and there is a paramedic looking in through the shattered side window of the car.
"Hey young man, how are you feeling? Any neck pain or numbness?"
"No, no I just want to get out of this car I said between sobs."
Very efficiently two firemen use a large tool to pry open the crumbled doors open with a horrible screeching sound. The paramedic then moves in and quickly puts a neck brace on me. He then shines a flashlight in my eyes and checks out my ears. He calls over to one of the fireman to help him get me out of the car and just like that they had me on a stretcher. They loaded me into the back of the ambulance and placed an oxygen mask over my face. I could feel myself going into shock and it must have been obvious because another paramedic, a women with a very gentle face, began asking me questions. I assume it was to keep my focused and awake.
"Hey Hun, my name's Debbie, you must be Mason? How old are you?
"Umm, i'm 15 years old" I managed
" Okay, is there anyone we can call Mason? Mom or dad?"
" My mom, she works at Miller's convenience store"
"Okay sweetie, we will have someone call her and let her know what's happening"
I felt the ambulance slow down and come to a stop. The two back doors swung open and the two men up front hauled the stretcher out and onto its wheels. They pushed me past the sliding doors and into the sterile environment known as E.R. They stopped to talk to a another lady who was decked out in all the typical hospital attire.
" Male, 15 years old, Connors, Mason. Automobile collision, BP is normal, no signs of neck injury. Minor laceration to the forehead, suspected cracked ribs, possible leg injury."
The driver riddled if all off like an episode of grey's anatomy as I let my eyes wonder around the area. I was right next to a waiting room which was quite full of people. A young lady with a baby in her arms, an older man who looked quite ill, a boy around my age with a cast on his foot. They all had concerned looks on their face as they stared in my direction. Something about the boys look expression was different however, concerned as well but almost confused. Before I could give it any more thought I suddenly began to be pushed down the hall towards a room.
Once in the hospital room I was given a shot that very quickly began to make me feel very weak and tired. I couldn't help it and was out like a light in a matter of minutes. When I woke up I was in a hospital gown and lying on a very uncomfortable bed. There was an IV in my left arm and a bandage on my forehead. A doctor was sitting down across from my bed writing on a clipboard. When he noticed I was awake he told me they ran some tests and checked me out when I was asleep. I had suffered minor injuries and was very lucky my airbag had went off. My ribs were not cracked just bruised up pretty good. My legs also were banged and bruised but there was no sign of breaks or fractures. Just as the doctor got up to leave my mom came flying in through the door to my room.
" Oh my god Mason, i'm so glad you are okay, please don't ever scare me like this again. I can't believe this happened, you poor thing you must have been terrified" She managed to get out between sobs. It was at that moment that it really hit me. Between my mom's tears, and the shock starting to wear off, the whole thing suddenly became so real and I burst into the biggest fit of tears since I was a kid. I cried for my mom, I cried for Mark, I cried for me. My mom held me while I wept and tried to comfort me as much as she could. It took a solid 15 minutes to cry myself dry and exhaustion took over. A nurse told my mom that she would have to leave to let me rest and that she could come back in the morning to check on me. She kissed me before she left and told me she would be there first thing in the morning. The nurse injected some kind of medication into my IV tube and before I knew it I was out like a light.
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They say time flies when you're having fun, but it also drags on forever when you're in a hospital. The five days I was required to stay there dragged on for an eternity. During my time in the hospital there was a funeral held for Mark but I could not attend. I insisted that my mom go despite her being hesitant to leave my side and she decided that she should go. I felt bad for not making it but it was the doctor's orders so there wasn't really anything I could do. Every night I was in the hospital I would have nightmares of the accident and wake up in cold sweats, it was horrible but my mom was always there first thing in the morning and could always calm me and cheer me up. She was quite strong throughout the week and it made things for me so much easier. I swear there’s nothing that lady couldn't get me through.
The doctor walked in the room to do one quick last checkup and once he finished he got the discharge papers ready and I finally was going home. My leg had only been bruised up so I was able to walk out the hospital doors and was I ever happy to do so. The sunlight of a warm spring day hit me and I felt so happy to be out of there and finally on my way home. I would have to come back in a few weeks to get the stitches removed from my forehead but that wouldn't take very long. Me and my mom walked to her old Toyota and headed for our house on the other end of town. The first half of the ride home was silent, I was looking out the window at the beautiful sunny day. We passed the docks where we would come to greet my dad when he got home from the fishing boats. My mom must have been able to tell that he was on my mind so she piped up and started conversation.
"So sweetie, what are you most excited about going home?" She said with a smile
" One hundred percent it's my own bed, that hospital bed was like lying on concrete"
"I guess you are super excited to go back to school Monday right?"
"Oh of course" I said as i rolled my eyes. She gave me a motherly look and grinned from ear to ear. " I can see you still have your sense of humor."
We made small talk for the rest of the ride home and listened to the radio. When we finally pulled in the driveway I don't think I was ever so happy to see our little 2 bedroom house in my life. We walked inside and immediately started making some food. The hospital food was the shits and I was in need of some of mom's home cooking. We made some salad and deep fried some chicken and chatted back in forth the whole time. When it was done and we sat down I ate to the bursting point. Mom quickly declined when I offered to help with dishes and insisted I go relax, and that she would do the dishes. I walked to my room and laid down on my bed for the first time in almost a week and it felt so much more comfortable than the hospital bed. Out of instinct I went to get my guitar but quickly remembered that It had been in the backseat of mark's car when we crashed, and had most likely been destroyed. I was lost without my guitar and decided then and there I was going to have to look for a second hand one somewhere online, and fast. Not having a computer and at home I made the quick walk down the road to the public library and got on one of the computers there. I signed into my Facebook and started looking in the virtual flea market page for our town. I was scrolling down the page for about 10 minutes when I finally found exactly what I was looking for and quickly clicked on the picture. It was an acoustic guitar very similar to my old one, maybe a few years older and looked to be in pretty good shape. Greg Boileey was the name next to the picture and he was asking for only $50 for the guitar. I had saved up money all winter from shoveling driveways on my street and still had at least $75 dollars poked away in my room and i decided that I was going to try and buy the guitar. I sent a quick message to Greg telling him I was interested in buying his guitar and to my surprise he replied within minutes. 'Hi Mason, the guitar is still available and if you want it, it's yours for $50. Whats your address, I can drop it off today if you would like.' I quickly typed down my address and a quick thank you and sent back my reply. I logged off the computer and got home as fast as I could to get the money counted. Sure enough there was actually $80 dollars left so I had enough for the guitar and some left over just in case I needed it. I was in the bathroom changing the bandage on my forehead when I heard my mom calling my name. I told her I would be there in a minute and finished up changing the the bandage. I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced at the site before me. The kids at school are going to be asking so many questions, I can hear them already. With that I sighed and headed down the stairs to see what my mom wanted. I walked into the kitchen and found my mom chatting with who I recognized from the picture as Greg. He was a tall man with blonde hair that was buzzed off very short.
"Hey Sir" I said as I reached out my hand.
"You must be Mason, nice too meet you young man" He replied, firmly gripping my hand in his. " I think this is what you're looking for" he said as he pointed at the guitar leaning against the kitchen table. I checked out the guitar and was happy to find it in great shape and was even tuned perfectly.
"Thank you so much Sir" I said as I handed him the $50.
"Please, call me Greg" was his reply.
We chatted for a few minutes before he left and he seemed to be a really nice guy. Once he was gone I hurried to my room so I could try out the new guitar. I played a few of my favorite songs to pass some time and started to get tired. I carefully placed the guitar into the empty stand and got ready to go bed. My mind wandered from one thing to the next as I lay in bed, then the Image of the blonde boy from the hospital crept into my head. I could picture him perfectly, sitting there looking at me with that concerned look on his face. I didn't realize it at the time given the circumstances but he was really cute. I tried to think if I had ever seen him in my school before but as far as I knew I had not. I hope I see him again sometime soon. With that I finally drifted off to sleep, back safe and sound in my bed. Once again life has showed me everything can change in an instant.
Thanks for reading ! Chapter 2 will be along very soon, Once again, any feedback is welcomed !
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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