Why can't I see anything. I hear people talking. They sound like doctors and nurses with all the medical terms. Why are they all here? Did something happen to me?
Oh, I can see a light now. It's dim but I can see it getting brighter and brighter. There's a person in that light. Who is it? They are heading right toward me. Do I know them?
"Katie"
No way. That can NOT be who I think it is.
""Katie, it's me." Her face is now visible to me. Mom. It's my Mom. But how can it be her? She died YEARS ago!
"Mom? Where am I? How can I see and hear you?" I need some answers. Is this someone playing a cruel joke on me?
"CLEAR" I hear someone behind me shout. There is only darkness behind me so I don't know who said it or why. This is really confusing me. What the hell is this place.
"It's not Hell, Katie"
How did she know what I was thinking? "What is going on here?"
"Katie, you were shot. You are in an operating room right now where a top-notch team of doctors and nurses are working to save your life." She turns me around to where I can now see my body on the operating table and the medical staff all around me.
"So am I dead? Am I in Heaven?"
"No, Katie, you're not dead...yet." My eyes go wide. YET? "It's not your time. You need to go back and start your life." Start?
"Start my life?"
"Yes. Start your life as a wife and mother yourself"
"Wife and mother? With Josh?" I feel like I am going to be sick.
"No... not with Josh. You know where your heart lies. You know who is your, what did you call it, your one and done. It's time you listen to your heart and finally let Rick know how you feel about him. He's told you. It's your turn now."
Castle. Where is he?
"He's waiting for you in the hallway, outside the operating room."
I see him there and can feel his pain. He looks so scared.
"CLEAR"
"Katie, sweetheart, it's time for you to go back. You have too much living left to do. Know that I will be with you, watching over you and loving you, always."
Always. That one word has so much meaning to me. Now, it means even more. She's fading from my view now."No, wait, Mom!" She's almost completely out of sight. "I love you, Mom...always."