Glowing in the Sun 1

6 August, 12040.

Six months. Six months!?

He spent six months of his life sleeping.

Darren had many questions as to what happened over the past six months. Tora gave him the crash course version. After listening to her, he was silent as he was overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness and grief. For six months, while he slept, time marched on, forgetting him, leaving him behind. It was like he died and now he was resurrected. How was he going to get his life back?

A few days after he was injured, she went to Texas to get his dog and informed his bosses of the accident and that he would not be returning to work. The company had to get another engineer to replace him, but maybe there would still be a position for him if he reached out.

But, how long would he have to stay in recovery in the hospital? Darren thought as he looked down at the wheelchair he sat in.

His apartment lease had expired as he was unable to pay his rent for apparent reasons.

What should he do? He needed time to recover. He was in a wheelchair as his body was quite sore and heavy from sleep for several months. His own body was foreign to him as he could barely move his legs and arm as he wished. They were heavy, like a ball and chain. He would probably be in physical therapy for quite a while, so he would have to stay in LA as Miriam, most likely, would not let him out of her sight.

Darren sat before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his hospital room, looking out over the city below. He had the curtains wide open, letting the sun into the room.

He inhaled deeply, then exhaled as he felt the sun spread across his skin. He felt each individual ray hit every cell of the exposed skin on his face, his arms, and his legs, energizing them. He had never felt so refreshed, so relaxed, sitting in the sun.

Slowly, Darren felt the knots in his body loosening as the soreness in his body lessened. He looked down at his feet, squinting his eyes as he dared his toes to move. He smiled a child-like smile as though he was a child who just made a great accomplishment when his toes twitched and his legs tingled. He curled his fingers to clench his fists. Slowly, he raised his arms up. Darren laughed, a wide grin on his face full of joy.

Darren turned when he heard the doorknob turn and the door open. He was met with a slobbery kiss on the lips as the giant dog placed her large upper body on him. "Oh, Sasha!"

She stood on her two hind legs as her front legs remained on Darren's shoulders.

Darren returned the dog's hug. He let the young Spanish Mastiff continue to lick his face as her tail wagged from left to right. He passed his hands through her fur, scratching behind her ears. Sasha whined and whimpered as if saying how much she missed him.

"Sasha, down girl," said Tora. "Sit."

The dog licked Darren one last time before she sat on the floor with all fours, her tongue hanging from her mouth as she looked at Darren. Sasha remained close to Darren as she put her head on his lap, her doe eyes never leaving his face.

"How were you able to bring her into the hospital?"

"Sasha is an emotional support dog. She's allowed in the hospital if that will help you recover faster," Tora replied. "She'd been coming to the hospital for the past few months, visiting the children and the other patients. Everyone loves her."

Darren got Sasha a few years earlier as a puppy as he needed a pet to help manage his social anxiety. He had her trained as an emotional support animal. He passed his hands over the dog's long hair again, massaging her behind the ears.

"Hey, how was your morning?" Tora placed the multilayered lunch box on the table. She unpacked the boxes, setting down the fruit salad and the vegetable salad first before the clam chowder that he loved so much, a bowl of rice and a whole boiled chicken. She pulled the table in front of him before she took a seat.

"It was fine. I was getting some sun," he looked down at the food on the table. "That looks good."

"You just got out of a six-month-long nap. You need to eat healthy food to restore your strength; not shitty hospital food."

Tora was present so early in the morning as he came out of the coma. It could not have been a coincidence that she was there at the exact time he awoke. How often did she come to visit him in the past six months? When he said he wanted to be alone after hearing the news, she simply nodded and left for the rest of the day.

Looking at the food, Tora must have prepared it herself. Darren smiled to himself. It had been so long since he ate Tora's cooking. Once upon a time, Darren only ate the foods Tora cooked as he was not the best cook. He could cook rice and fry eggs, but he was troubled by seasoning. The many different cooking techniques only added to his troubles, so he only did what he knew.

Although not intended, he lived as a vegetarian. Raw vegetables and simple meals that included rice and boiled potatoes were easy to make. They were healthy and they held him for the day. Most days, he ate out, spending thousands of dollars on takeout each year.

"I'll handle your meals from now on," Tora said. She poured the clam chowder from the large bowl to a small bowl. She took a spoon and sipped the clam chowder before she moved the spoon in front of Darren. "Here, it's clam chowder, your favorite. It's warm and good for your body."

Darren looked at her as she motioned for him to taste. He took a sip from the spoon in her hand. "Hmm." He closed his eyes, savoring the rich taste that tickled his tongue. He swallowed the thick mixture before he chewed on the boiled carrots and potatoes. There was a taste of bacon and diced clam, enriched by garlic, left in his mouth as he moaned. His favorite New England clam chowder. "It's so good."

"Hey, can you move your hands?" she asked.

Darren looked down at his hands and made an effort to move them up. With his arms raised, he replied, "Yeah."

"Then, take it. I'm not gonna feed you while the rest of the food is getting cold. I didn't make it just for you; this is my lunch too."

Darren's eyes widened before he burst out in childish laughter. He missed her so much. He missed being spoiled by her and being scolded by her.

He had a feeling like she was trying to make him feel normal again. Although it was six months for her, to him, it was just a day. While the world moved on, he took a long nap. Now he had to play catch-up. Many people would treat him differently, including his bosses and his coworkers. Only Tora would treat him the same.

Whether it was six months or six years, she would never change.

"You know I love you, Tora. Feed me like you used to. I'm still sick," Darren complained as he opened his mouth.

Tora smiled wryly before placing the bowl and spoon in front of him. "I love you too, but you just woke up from a long nap, and you look better than you did before you went to sleep. Your skin is glistening like you just had a facial on your whole body, and you have more muscles than an MMA fighter."

She touched his face, pulling on his skin, feeling the softness beneath her fingers, while trying to inflict a little bit of pain. "I'm a little jealous. Your skin is softer than mine even though I spend so much money on skincare and facial products every month. You, all you had to do was take a nap to get your baby skin back." She pulled his face tightly across his cheek before slapping him as she let go.