Shadowing My Dreams (Haunted Hearts)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Jack

T hey say that death is just one step away, and in my case, it was literal.

There I was, trying to cross the street at an intersection I had walked across thousands of times when BAM! Never had I dreamed of becoming someone’s hood ornament at Westbourne and West Knoll! It’s such a small residential street in West Hollywood that it was almost laughable. I looked both ways. I had been a Boy Scout in my youth, and this small check of safety had been hammered into me over and over – however… It was right by the turnaround, and I didn’t see her as she careened down the street towards me in an electric car that made no noise.

According to the police report, Dora Ethenheimer had dropped her phone and was reaching down to grab it when she collided with something – me. It happened so fast that I barely have any memories, just the jolt and then nothing.

Ten miles an hour was all it took for me to leave the ground and fly into the air a short distance. My body had bruising and a minor fracture on my leg, but my head hit something hard, and according to the report that I eventually received – I died. It didn’t stick, and I was only dead for less than a couple of minutes.

Time, man… Time is a real bitch. I was hit by a car on a Friday and woke up on a Tuesday. Of course, it was almost three months later. I had swelling, and they put me into a coma while I healed. I stayed in that coma for over two months, and then one day – I woke up and freaked the fuck out.

Wires and beeping – in a place I didn’t know – my brain was foggy, and my muscles ached with fatigue. I started pulling wires and apparently cursed a lot before one of the nurses ran in to find me a chaotic mess.

“Mister Johnson, you’re awake? Welcome back.” She hurried over and took my hands in hers as I stared into her gentle brown eyes. My breathing slowed, and I realized where I was. I stopped fighting and let her hold onto my hands. “My name is Bernice, ok? Can you hear me?” She sat down beside me and smiled.

“What happened,” my voice croaked, and my throat burned.

“You’ve been in a…”

“He’s awake! Nurse Roberts! I knew you’d make it back to us, Mister Johnson.” A man in a white coat stood in the doorway and smiled at me. “Someone in the kind of shape you were in was going to be a fighter, and we all had faith in you.”

“I’m a trainer.” The knowledge of who I was leaped out, and my heart picked up its pace. The machine’s beeps made me turn my head.

“I know this is confusing, young man. Do you remember anything?” Another nurse walked in and started checking my vitals while the other stayed in her seat and held my hand.

I shook my head.

“You’ve been in a coma, Mister Johnson. You were brought in after being hit by a car.” White Coat was talking to me like I was an idiot. Shit? Was I an idiot? I was in a fucking coma?

My heart rate rose. “I don’t… Oh, God, am I…”

“It’s fine for you not to remember that trauma when you first wake up. Our minds find ways to protect us. It’s important for you to stay calm while we do a full checkup and scan of you, ok? Can you do that for me?” Nurse Robert’s voice was calm as she flipped a switch. I nodded.

“I know he can. We’ve all been taking turns sitting at your bedside and reading to you, young man. You’ve become like a part of our family during this time, and everyone will be so happy that you came back to the world of the living.” Bernice patted my hand.

“How long was I…”

“Don’t worry about that right now. You just lay back and take deep breaths. Waking up in a hospital with all of these monitors can be jarring. But you’re safe, and now that you’re awake, we just need to do a few tests and make sure you’re healthy. You’re in very good hands, and you’re alive.” Bernice’s voice was so sweet and kind that I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“I can feel my toes.” I wiggled them and raised my hands to my face. “Am I… Was I hurt?”

“A small fracture, but you did hit your head pretty hard,” white coat answered. I guessed he was a doctor.

“How long?” I gasped and turned to Bernice.

“Two months.” She took my hand in hers again.

“Nurse Robert’s? Can you get a second pair of hands in here please? We need to go over everything and get him into another scan as soon as possible,” The doctor ordered. Bernice just smiled and started humming softly.

I was there another few weeks as they gave me every kind of brain scan and cognitive test that they could think of. A miracle – that was what all the doctors and nurses said. Somehow, I had walked away from death without any cognitive damage, and that was not what they had expected. With every test they gave – I came back normal. Eventually, they were all teasing me about my hard head.

It was hard. Walking again had been the most challenging thing for me as my legs hadn’t been used in a long time. It took a while for my muscles to strengthen, but they grew stronger quickly, to my therapist's delight. All of my years of sports, training, and building the best body that I could have finally paid off for more than a quick fling with someone whose name I wouldn’t remember.

Once I grew strong enough – I was released.

Then, the true healing began.