Authors Note: Just want to post a quick credit to the video game "Beyond Two Souls" for inspiration for part of this chapter.

Chapter 135: You Changed Me

Meanwhile…

Alicia's Point of View

I watched Zak pace around my hospital room, seemingly distracted by whatever thoughts were running through his head, when I started to feel strange.

Even though I was clearly having an out of body experience, I found myself suddenly feeling short of breath and light headed. It didn't make sense to me. How could I feel this way if I wasn't even in my own body?

Then chaos ensued.

The machines my body were hooked up to started beeping rapidly, all at once. The first one I focused on was the heart monitor, and I could clearly tell something was wrong.

Then the hospital room disappeared, along with everyone in it, and I found myself in what I could only describe as a long, seemingly never ending, hallway. There was a wall on either side of me, and they seemed to go upward far beyond my eye could see, as there was no ceiling above me. There was a white, semi blue light shining from the "end" of the hall.

The walls on either side of me seemed to be made of some kind of liquid, because they were moving in a slight wavy motion, and the light was reflecting off the surface. Even though both walls looked the same in one way, in another way they were entirely different.

On my right, the wall was dark, almost pitch black, and had a smoky affect to it. I found myself feeling the urge to walk to this wall, even though I had no idea what was going on.

I walked up to the wall until my face was mere inches away from the surface, and I reached up and slowly touched the wall with my hand. I was stunned to be able to touch the surface, but felt no liquid on my hand. I also had the distinctive feeling I could push my hand through the surface of the wall if I wanted to.

Suddenly, within the darkness and smoke, I saw the scene of what must have be happening in my hospital room at that moment. I could see Zak, watching the activity from a short distance away from my hospital bed. Meanwhile, Dr. Hamza and two nurses were working on me. First compressions, and then shocking my body with a defibrillator.

Why was I being made to watch these horrible things happening to my own body?

When I pulled my hand away, the image vanished, and I had no further understanding of what was happening.

I turned to face the other wall, a part of me also feeling drawn to this wall as well, and walked up to it.

This wall was bright, almost painfully bright. It was a combination of blue and white colours, almost like the sky on a bright sunny day. Judging just by looks alone, this wall was definitely more appealing. But what would I see behind it?

As I had done with the dark wall, I slowly lifted my hand and touched the wall. The image that appeared before me brought tears to my eyes.

The bright, sunny day scene remained, but three people appeared.

My mother, my father, and my sister.

My mother and father had an arm around each other, and Emily was standing in front of them. Both my mother and my father had their free hands on her shoulders. All three of them were smiling, and something inside me told me that they were free from pain, worry, and fear. They were together, happy, and they beckoned for me to join them, just by the looks in their eyes.

I stared at them in shock, in sadness, and in longing. I had never seen my mother and father during all of the paranormal experiences I'd had throughout my life. And now they were here, along with my sister, mere steps away.

I felt torn in two different directions, and I now knew what the purpose of this place was. I had a choice to make, whether to continue living, or to die.

One part of me wanted to cross into this beautiful scene, embrace my family and never let them go…

But another part of me wanted to cross into the dark and smoky side. To my friends, many of whom were like family to me now. To Zak…the man who, I realized in that moment, I loved. I wanted to love, to be loved, to grow old…to live.

But why was that side filled with darkness? Surely it should be bright and happy too? Was there something I was missing?

While keeping my hand on the bright wall, I looked back over my shoulder at the dark wall. It was still dark and smoky. I couldn't understand. If I made that choice, did the darkness suggest my life wouldn't be as perfect as I hoped it would be? But how bad could it be? I'd already been through some dark times before, and I always had Zak and my friends to help me through it. As long as I had them by my side, I could get through anything.

It was then I realized I had made my choice. I needed to get back to my life…there was so much more I wanted to do, so many things I wanted to experience.

I looked back at the bright wall, and the image of my family remained. I could tell by their changed expressions that they were aware of the decision I had made, and I felt horrible.

"I'm sorry…I love all of you, and miss all of you so much…" I said, unsure if they could hear me or not.

Then I heard two voices I hadn't heard in a long time.

"It's okay sweetheart," My mother said.

"We just want you to be happy," My father said.

"I'll still be with you," Emily said.

"We love you, and we're proud of you," All three of them said together.

I felt tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry for this…if I hadn't-" I began, but my mother cut me off.

"It's not your fault sweetheart. Stop blaming yourself. You need to let go of the guilt, and the self hatred, and move on with your life," she said.

I felt my hand shaking as I kept it pressed against the wall, and I openly cried. How could I do this to my family.

"We'll be here when your time comes," My father said. "And it will feel as if no time has passed at all, but this is not your time honey," My father added.

I took a deep breath, finding that made me feel better. Without their support, I don't know if I could ever make this choice.

"And Emily…you should stay with mom and dad, I want you to be happy and at peace," I said, even though I knew I would miss seeing her if she stayed.

"I like being with you, besides, you need my help," Emily said.

"Emily…" I said softly.

"It's okay, once I help you, I'll come here to be with mom and dad," Emily said.

Once she helps me?

Before I could question her further, I suddenly found myself feeling weak, and short winded.

"You don't have much time honey, you need to go," My father said.

"Okay…I'm going to go back…I love you all, so much," I said softly, in a shaky voice.

"We love you too sweetheart, with all our hearts," My mother said.

"Now go. Find out the truth, and then live the life you deserve," My father said.

Truth? What?

"Truth? What truth?" I asked, despite the weakness getting worse.

"You need to go sweetie! You're running out of time!" My mother said.

"But what are you..." I breathed, feeling short of breath.

"Go honey, please! Before it's too late!" My father said.

Knowing this weak feeling was probably a sign that a choice would be made for me soon, I said goodbye to my family, walked back to the dark wall, and stepped into the smoky darkness that was on the other side. The moment I crossed through the barrier, I felt exhausted, before I even felt my body hit the floor, I fell into a deep sleep.

Zak's Point of View

Several hours later…

I was once again sitting in the waiting room. I was leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, and my head in my hands.

Dr. Hamza had taken Alicia for emergency surgery over four hours ago. He had only had the time to tell me she needed a "Craniotomy". Even though Dr. Hamza had explained earlier what the procedure was, my memory of that moment was foggy. I knew I could of looked it up on my phone, but with the long wait ahead of me, I didn't want to know what they were doing to Alicia.

When I had informed Aaron of what had happened, he immediately called Cheryl, while I called my mother. They both insisted they were flying out as soon as they could, and my sister Meredith wanted to come out too.

They managed to get a flight that left roughly an hour ago, but with the flight being close to three and a half hours, and then another twenty to thirty minute drive to get to us, they wouldn't be here for a while.

Jay, Billy and Ashley had shown up shortly after Alicia had been taken into surgery, and they stayed for a bit, but then I insisted they go back to the hotel and get some rest. I tried to convince Aaron to go with them as well, but he didn't want to leave me alone.

So here we were, four hours since Alicia had been taken into surgery, sitting in the waiting room once again.

"Bro?" Aaron said softly, looking up from his phone.

"Yeah?" I asked softly, lifting my head up to look at him.

"I hate to say this, but I'm starving, I gotta get something to eat," Aaron said. "I know the cafeteria is probably closed at this hour, so do you mind if I leave to go get something?" Aaron added.

"Not at all, go ahead bro," I said softly.

"Do you want anything? You should eat something too bro," Aaron replied.

"I'm not hungry…I won't be able to eat until I know Ali is okay…" I replied softly.

Aaron frowned as he gently rubbed my shoulder.

"I get it, but you need to take care of yourself too," Aaron said.

"I'll get something once I know how the surgery went," I said, partly lying. The thought of eating anything right now made me feel sick.

"Alright, if you're sure-" Aaron started to say, as he stood up, when a voice cut him off.

"Mr. Bagans," Dr. Hamza said as he entered the waiting room, and walked over to us.

At this hour, Aaron and I were two of the few people still left in the waiting room.

"Dr. Hamza," I said as I stood up, my nerves kicking it up into high gear. "How did the surgery go…?" I asked nervously.

"It went well," Dr. Hamza said. "Let's take a seat, and I'll explain everything," he added.

I didn't know if this was a good sign or a bad sign, but considering he had said the surgery "went well", I was hoping it was good news.

After the three of us sat down – Aaron having decided to stick around to her the update – Dr. Hamza began talking.

"So, earlier, Miss Wilde went into cardiac arrest due to the pressure around her brain becoming too high. As you saw, we were able to resuscitate her. However, the pressure around her brain needed to be released immediately. So we took her into surgery to perform a craniotomy," Dr. Hamza said, and I nodded. "A craniotomy is when we either remove a small part of the skull, or drill small holes into the skull, in order to release the pressure around the brain. Since Miss Wilde suffered a small skull fracture, I decided to remove a small part of her skull where the fracture was. This way, I was able to make sure there were no bone chips, and better set the piece of skull back in place. While I had her skull open, I was also able to suction out the excess blood, and I was also able to repair the site of the bleed," Dr. Hamza explained.

"Okay, so what happens now?" I asked.

"She's back in her own room now, and we are monitoring her closely. Her vitals are stable, however she's still in the coma, and probably will be for some time. The amount of trauma she suffered, it will take a while to heal," Dr. Hamza said.

I felt my entire body tense up again. I had hoped since the surgery went well, that that would mean Alicia would regain consciousness.

"Alright…can I see her?" I asked.

"Yes, of course," Dr. Hamza said. "I'll take you to her," Dr. Hamza added, as he stood up.

I nodded and stood up as well, and then something suddenly came to me and I looked at Aaron.

"Go get something to eat if you want bro, I'll call or text you if anything changes," I said.

"Are you sure bro?" Aaron asked as he stood up.

"Yeah, go ahead," I replied.

"Alright, I'll text Cheryl with the update, and she can update your mom and sister," Aaron said.

"Alright, thanks Aaron," I replied, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"No problem bro," Aaron replied, smiling slightly, and then he turned and headed toward the double doors leading outside.

"Follow me," Dr. Hamza said, and I nodded and began following him into depths of the hospital.

We arrived at Alicia's room after a few minutes of following multiple hallways.

I was glad to see she wasn't in the same room as earlier, and that things were laid out a bit differently. I wanted to block the memory of Alicia's heart stopping from my mind as soon as possible.

I walked into the room and over to Alicia's bedside. She had a breathing tube going into her mouth, held in place by white medical tape across her cheeks. A large portion of her head was covered by white, medical bandages. I wasn't surprised to see the bandages, but was grateful I wouldn't have to see the site of her surgery. She was also hooked up to all the same machines as before.

I stepped up closer to the side of the bed, and gently took Alicia's hand in mine. I found myself wishing I could go through this for her, even though I knew that wasn't possible.

I glanced up when Dr. Hamza walked up along the other side of Alicia's bed, looked at each of the monitors for the machines, and he wrote down a few things on her chart. I assumed he was writing down an update on her vitals.

"Do you know how to reach her parents?" Dr. Hamza suddenly asked, looking at me.

I was caught a little off guard by the question, but quickly regained my composure.

"Her parents…they died in a car accident when she was only a child," I said softly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Dr. Hamza said, frowning as he glanced down at Alicia, then looked back up at me. "Any siblings?" He asked.

I shook my head slightly.

"A sister, but she drowned two years after the loss of their parents…" I said, and found myself gently squeezing Alicia's hand.

How had she survived all of that loss, in such a short amount of time? I couldn't even begin to imagine.

She's so strong…

"Oh goodness…I apologize," Dr. Hamza said. "I had no idea," he added.

"It's okay," I replied, nodding in understanding.

"Well…I suppose this conversation falls upon you, as Miss Wilde's next of kin isn't here," Dr. Hamza said.

"What conversation…?" I asked worriedly.

"We had to resuscitate Miss Wilde once already…there is a chance that more interventions could occur," Dr. Hamza said. "Do you know if Miss Wilde has any wishes regarding a DNR?" He added.

DNR…a "Do Not Resuscitate"…

"We um…we haven't even been dating a year yet…I'm not sure what her wishes would be…" I said softly. "Do I…" I began, but trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now, but I would suggest you consider what she would want, what you want," Dr. Hamza said.

I nodded slightly, not wanting to think about that at all, but I knew I had to.

"I'll think about it…" I said softly.

Dr. Hamza seemed fine with that response, as he nodded as he closed Alicia's chart.

"Good," Dr. Hamza said. "I'll give you some time alone with her," he added.

I nodded, and watched as Dr. Hamza left the room, and gently pulled the door closed behind him.

I looked back down at Alicia and tried to fight back tears.

Without letting go of her hand, I reached over and grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over to the side of the bed, and sat down.

I gently stroked my thumb back and forth over the top of Alicia's hand as I watched her, and couldn't fight back the tears from silently falling down my cheeks.

"Ali…what do I do…? How can I possibly make a decision like this…" I said softly. "I don't want you to suffer…and I know you probably wouldn't want to be like this…but how can I give consent to let you go…if the time comes…" I added, my voice cracking.

I bowed my head down toward the bed, and gently moved Alicia's hand so that it seemed like it she was resting her head on the side of my head, with my own hand over hers. But the physical contact wasn't the same. Her fingers didn't start playing with my hair, her thumb didn't gently start stroking along my jaw line. Her hand was just…lifeless.

I lifted my head up as I took her hand into my own again, and the tears were coming faster now.

"Ali…you can't leave me," I said softly, as I cried quietly. "I need you in my life…so much," I added.

I slowly looked up at her, and seeing the breathing tube in her mouth, and the bandages on her head made my heart break.

I stood up, and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, being extra careful not to disturb any tubing or wiring connecting her to the machines. Then, while holding her hand still, I carefully leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead, and then lightly touched my forehead to hers.

"This isn't at all like how I wanted this moment to happen…but you need to know…I love you Ali…" I said quietly, closing my eyes tightly to try to hold back the tears. "I've been wanting to tell you…but I was afraid it was too soon…and now…now…you might not know I-" I said, and my voice cracked again as a sob escaped my throat.

I spent a few minutes just letting the tears flow down my cheeks, the sobs escape my throat, all while I gripped her hand tightly, and gently moved my head to rest lightly on her chest.

After giving myself time to just let everything out, I lifted my head and rubbed my eyes with my free hand. I then grabbed a Kleenex from a small table nearby and blew my nose.

Once I had calmed down quite a bit, I looked at Alicia's face again. I slowly reached up and gently rested my hand against the side of her jaw, and gently stroked her cheek with my thumb.

"You have no idea how much you've changed me…you've made me a better man…a man I never thought I could be," I started softly, while continuing to stroke Alicia's cheek. "You've changed the way I feel about love…for the better. I love you Ali…" I added.

As much as I knew she wasn't going to respond to me, seeing her just lying there caused me to break down again. Not because I felt like she didn't love me in return, but just because I was afraid of the chance that I might never know if she did love me in return…

"Ali, you need to wake up…" I said quietly, tears beginning to fall again. "I can't imagine my life without you now. My life is so much better with you in it, so much brighter. I finally feel free of some of the darkness I had been surrounded by for so many years…" I continued.

I sat in silence for a moment or two, then, I carefully leaned down and gently touched my forehead to hers and closed my eyes.

"You have to come back to me…because you're my beautiful angel…" I whispered, tears beginning to fall faster now.

Feeling all the fear and worry rearing it's ugly head for another breakdown, I whispered one more thing, before I let myself succumb to my emotions again.

"You're my beautiful, angel of light…"

Authors Note: So...what do you think? I hope you enjoyed these last few chapters. I also hope I gave the "ending" justice, lol. My extended thanks, and a brief statement about the sequel are on the next page.