Bed Bound

Jack was halfway through his second piece of artwork when his mother finally arrived. An explosion of glee came upon him as he shot out of his chair to receive largest hug he'd ever been given before. Smiling from ear to ear, he waved goodbye to his new teacher and hopped in the car, where his father waited.

"So how was your first day of school, Jack?"

"I tried to make a friend but the boy was really mean and told me to go away so I ran to the toilet"

"Aw, don't worry about him, there will always be people like that darling."

"But it's okay"

"Why?"

"A nice girl called Katie came and asked to be my friend because she saw the mean boy being rude to me. I drew a picture for her - it was us on a hill with a bird."

"How nice of her, and how nice of you Jack! So you had a good day today didn't you?"

"A very good day Mummy." Jack replied as the car started to lurch forward towards their home.

It had been 3 years and Jack was settled into school very well, having more friends than he ever imagined. He was now able to play the piano very well for his age, learning piece after piece which soothed the neighborhood rather than disrupt it. After another amazing day at school his mother arrived at the school door. Jack sat in the back of the car as usual and hummed a joyful tune. He began to slowly drift into a trance of blankness as he had a tendency to daydream but he quickly snapped out of it after realizing that the seat beside his mother at the front was empty and Dad was not driving. It was unusual for Dad to not drive; there must be something wrong. Jack began to rack his brain on the possible events that may have occurred (based on the scary stories his friends tell each other) until he was stuck in a cage of darkness, his thoughts gradually getting darker and darker until he felt tears on the verge of trickling down his cheeks. Acknowledging that there was a very high chance he was overthinking, he took a deep breath and queried,

"Mummy, where's Dad?"

"Your dad was in a little accident this morning so he's gone to hospital but don't worry about it sweetheart, he is fine. We are going to visit him now."

Was he fine? Jack had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. It was as if he had butterflies gracefully fluttering around in his stomach but now they were dead, colourful mounds of lifelessness. Jack was not able to rest his eyes or his body itself for that matter. He felt tense. Unable to do anything. Wishing he could have helped - but there was nothing he could've done.

After what felt like a lifetime, the hospital came into view and suddenly a wave of fear, seemingly inflicting paralysis, came over Jack. He didn't want to get out of the car anymore. He didn't want to have to see his father in such pain. The butterflies began to be consumed by ravenous maggots; Jack felt nauseous.

"Come on love, we haven't got long until we have to leave."

He built up the courage to exit his spot and nervously shuffled towards the entrance, tightly gripping his mother's hand. She conversed with the receptionist and finally they headed towards the room his father was situated in.

Jack couldn't bear to look but after gentle encouragement, he glanced up and was struck with confusion. There was not a single cut on his body, only a neck brace rested under his chin. It was as if gravity had lost its effect on Jack as the weight removed from his shoulders brought a radiant glow to the room around him.

He ran to the bedside and gently began,

"Dad? Can you hear me? I thought you were very badly hurt and I was so worried."

A hoarse reply came from the bed.

"Hello Jack. I got very lucky but my car didn't. I'm glad to hear your voice again."

As the two conversed, the nurse brought his wife outside to inform her on her husband's condition.

"You are Mr Turner's wife, is that right?"

"Yes that is correct."

"Okay. Essentially your husband has been in a collision which involved a very sudden loss of speed, meaning a lot of force was exerted on his head. The damage was almost completely internal and we believe this trauma may have resulted in the growth in the brain which we have found, which could kill him within days if untreated. It slowly destroys the sections of the brain ending with the area for communication and then the control of the heartbeat. Therefore it is good that he can still talk to us. We have scheduled a difficult operation for tomorrow, but there is a thin chance of survival."

"Thank you for letting me know. So because he is still able to talk that means it is not in its final stage?"

"Yes, but we are unsure about the rate of damage. We just have to hope and pray."

Tears of fear and sadness began to roll down her cheek as she imagined the future without the love of her life and more importantly, how Jack would survive without his father. Briskly wiping away the droplets of grief she re-entered the room and asked Jack to say his final goodbyes so they could leave.

"See you soon, Dad" he exclaimed with a beaming smile.

As they headed back to the car, Jack noticed the red tinge on his mother's cheeks.

"Were you crying? What's wrong Mummy?"

"Oh nothing Jack, I was just very pleased to see your father doing well."

The car's engine roared unto life and as they began their journey home Jack told his mother about how the person who had hit Dad wasn't looking at the road and that he thought they were a silly person. After a moment of silence, Jack returned from his dream land.

"I can't wait to see Dad again when he comes home."

"Don't worry, Jack. We'll all be together again soon."