Chapter 2: Their Word Against His
She was supposed to be dead. He may not remember a whole lot but he knew for a fact that she was dead. This was definitely not possible. Never in a million years. He knew she did not survive that fatal car wreck. He saw her dead body at the funeral with his very own eyes. He had stared at her hollow rouge-plastered cheeks and lips for hours during the wake. He even touched her stiff cold hand when he placed the Rachmaninov CD into the casket. It really was her in that coffin. It couldn't be the same person he was gawking at right now. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke? As she came closer, he was sure it wasn't just some woman who looked identical to his mother. This WAS his mother in flesh and blood. She held out her right hand to Ephram.
"Baby! You had me so worried." She exclaimed. Frightened, Ephram recoiled like an injured animal to avoid her touch. He pulled on his dad's hand.
"No. You're not real." Ephram whimpered while his entire body rattled causing his parents great concern and confusion. "Dad!" He cried in alarm.
"Baby - don't you remember me?" His mother asked.
"Dad. Tell me this isn't real. This is a dream, right?" Ephram shuddered. His parents gave each other a quizzical look.
"Why are you so afraid of me?" His mother inquired. "Do you know who I am?" She whispered.
"You're supposed to be dead." Ephram shook his head. Then he realized something - maybe she really was dead. "Am I dead? Did I die? Is that why I can see mom?" Ephram pressed looking at his father for an answer.
"Sweetheart, nobody died." His mother said. "I'm certainly not dead. If I'm dead, would I be able to touch you?" She smiled and took hold of his hand. "Oh my! You're trembling!"
"I don't understand. I've never seen him this scared before. Are you sure he's alright?" She asked Andy.
"Julia, his cognition is impaired. It happens in comatose patients." Andy replied.
"You can see her too!" Ephram shouted to his father in amazement.
"Yes, I can. She's not dead. See." Andy playfully pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the temple.
"But this is not possible. We moved to Colorado because mom died in that car wreck coming to my piano recital. You opened a clinic and hired Edna to run the front desk. Don't you remember our home address? 15 Maple Drive. Between Seamour and Pine Streets. Porch with the big swing?" Ephram pleaded pausing for a deep breath. "We lived there for the past year and a half. Nina used to bring over homemade strawberry muffins on Sundays. Dr. Abbott hates your guts. Bright is a jackass. Amy - well, she's just Amy. Then there's Colin. You must remember Colin!" Ephram finished.
"You've been dreaming because none of that existed. We've always lived in New York." Andy said cautiously. "You've never even seen Colorado!"
"Ephram, we were in the car wreck together. I was driving us to your piano recital that night. The accident happened on the intersection of Broadway and Amsterdam when a car ran a red light. It was a side impact. The car slammed into the front passenger side where you were sitting. Your head hit against the side window hard. I was so scared when you didn't wake up." Julia explained. "And I broke my wrist." She pointed to her cast with her free hand.
"NO! That's not what happened!!" Ephram denied. "You were driving yourself to meet me at the recital hall but you never made it because you were killed in the car accident. Don't you remember? It was a huge Mack truck?! Dad, tell her!"
"Son, I don't know how you thought up this story, but that's all false." Andy said.
"Where's Delia? Ask her. She'll tell you." Ephram said. "You remember Colin, don't you? Amy's boyfriend?" Ephram asked again. "You saved his life. You operated on him. All of Everwood knows it."
"Ever-where?" Andy questioned inquisitively raising an eyebrow.
"Everwood. It's a little snot town in the middle of friggin' nowhere. Colorado." Tears streamed down his face as he peered at his clueless parents. "Everwood!!" He screamed.
"Honey, oh, shhh, don't cry. It was all just a dream. There is no Colin or Amy or Maple Drive. I doubt this Everwood place even existed. I've certainly never heard of it. It'll be ok. I promise." Julia stroked his cheek. "Andy, is this normal?" She asked her husband.
"Give him a chance. The way I see it is the sooner a person wakes from a coma, the better the chances are for a full recovery. I would say Ephram's lucky to have come out of the coma in two weeks, which is a relatively short period of time considering the extent of his traumatic brain injury. He doesn't appear to show signs of paralysis or brain damage. Further tests should confirm that." Andy replied.
"I'm worried about this outrageous story he's telling us. It's too detailed." Julia wrinkled her brow.
"Well, it is definitely strange. He seems to be experiencing an altered mental state." Andy observed.
"You think I'm crazy!! You think I made it all up. But I didn't!" He sobbed. "I know it wasn't a dream. We were at your funeral. They put the fancy blue and silver cocktail dress on you - the one you wore on your first date with dad to the opera. I saw you. I cried. Dad cried." He shouted with trembling lips.
"All this talk - baby, you're scaring me. There was no funeral and your father and I had our first date at a Springsteen concert." Julia's troubled voice raised. "I wore a halter top and blue jeans."
"We don't think you're crazy, son. We just think you're a little disoriented. You had a brain herniation - a swelling in the brain caused by the brain shifting position in your skull resulting in an increased intracranial pressure on surrounding tissues and blood vessels."
"I'm not even going to try to understand what you just said. But I know what I know. And I know we lived in Everwood." Ephram continued.
"Just give him time, Julia. He'll be alright." Andy spoke softly giving his wife a gentle squeeze on the shoulder when he saw tears welling up in her big green eyes.
Ephram was sure he lived a life in Everwood, Colorado. All the memories he held in his mind were very real. He remembered every detail about his life in that small town. He knew all the streets and places by heart. He rode his bike to and from Everwood High School everyday and hung out at the EZ Arcade, where he aced at Galactic Innerspace. He has roamed the twinkling light-strung promenade a thousand times with his father at night. The lemon chicken with rosemary was his favorite dish from Momma Joy's, where he picked up dinner orders every other night for his family. Catching the matinee at the Fiveplex was the typical weekend excursion. And once in a blue moon, there would be a double feature at the Fiveplex and all the townspeople would go to cash in on the bargain. He vividly remembered all the fights he had with his father, all the laughs he shared with Delia, and all the fond memories his broken family built at 15 Maple Drive. Matt came every Tuesdays and Thursdays promptly at 4:30pm to instruct Ephram's piano lessons. Every Sunday, Nina brought a large helping of her best tasting strawberry muffins and remained for afternoon coffee/tea. Delia and Sam would watch Snow White and fall asleep before the Prince got to whisk Snow White away on his white horse. He remembered the time he kissed Amy and how good it felt even though he knew she belonged to Colin.
It was incomprehensible that he can jog up his memory with these facts and then be told it was all a figment of his imagination by the two people closest to him. But Ephram knew he wasn't dead and that his mother was really alive. He should be jumping for joy but he couldn't put his mind at ease. Something didn't feel right. It just didn't make sense. He saw the romantic, caring way his father looked at his mother. Weren't they supposed to be drifting apart? He wondered what other things he was oblivious to.
* end of chapter 2 *
She was supposed to be dead. He may not remember a whole lot but he knew for a fact that she was dead. This was definitely not possible. Never in a million years. He knew she did not survive that fatal car wreck. He saw her dead body at the funeral with his very own eyes. He had stared at her hollow rouge-plastered cheeks and lips for hours during the wake. He even touched her stiff cold hand when he placed the Rachmaninov CD into the casket. It really was her in that coffin. It couldn't be the same person he was gawking at right now. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke? As she came closer, he was sure it wasn't just some woman who looked identical to his mother. This WAS his mother in flesh and blood. She held out her right hand to Ephram.
"Baby! You had me so worried." She exclaimed. Frightened, Ephram recoiled like an injured animal to avoid her touch. He pulled on his dad's hand.
"No. You're not real." Ephram whimpered while his entire body rattled causing his parents great concern and confusion. "Dad!" He cried in alarm.
"Baby - don't you remember me?" His mother asked.
"Dad. Tell me this isn't real. This is a dream, right?" Ephram shuddered. His parents gave each other a quizzical look.
"Why are you so afraid of me?" His mother inquired. "Do you know who I am?" She whispered.
"You're supposed to be dead." Ephram shook his head. Then he realized something - maybe she really was dead. "Am I dead? Did I die? Is that why I can see mom?" Ephram pressed looking at his father for an answer.
"Sweetheart, nobody died." His mother said. "I'm certainly not dead. If I'm dead, would I be able to touch you?" She smiled and took hold of his hand. "Oh my! You're trembling!"
"I don't understand. I've never seen him this scared before. Are you sure he's alright?" She asked Andy.
"Julia, his cognition is impaired. It happens in comatose patients." Andy replied.
"You can see her too!" Ephram shouted to his father in amazement.
"Yes, I can. She's not dead. See." Andy playfully pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the temple.
"But this is not possible. We moved to Colorado because mom died in that car wreck coming to my piano recital. You opened a clinic and hired Edna to run the front desk. Don't you remember our home address? 15 Maple Drive. Between Seamour and Pine Streets. Porch with the big swing?" Ephram pleaded pausing for a deep breath. "We lived there for the past year and a half. Nina used to bring over homemade strawberry muffins on Sundays. Dr. Abbott hates your guts. Bright is a jackass. Amy - well, she's just Amy. Then there's Colin. You must remember Colin!" Ephram finished.
"You've been dreaming because none of that existed. We've always lived in New York." Andy said cautiously. "You've never even seen Colorado!"
"Ephram, we were in the car wreck together. I was driving us to your piano recital that night. The accident happened on the intersection of Broadway and Amsterdam when a car ran a red light. It was a side impact. The car slammed into the front passenger side where you were sitting. Your head hit against the side window hard. I was so scared when you didn't wake up." Julia explained. "And I broke my wrist." She pointed to her cast with her free hand.
"NO! That's not what happened!!" Ephram denied. "You were driving yourself to meet me at the recital hall but you never made it because you were killed in the car accident. Don't you remember? It was a huge Mack truck?! Dad, tell her!"
"Son, I don't know how you thought up this story, but that's all false." Andy said.
"Where's Delia? Ask her. She'll tell you." Ephram said. "You remember Colin, don't you? Amy's boyfriend?" Ephram asked again. "You saved his life. You operated on him. All of Everwood knows it."
"Ever-where?" Andy questioned inquisitively raising an eyebrow.
"Everwood. It's a little snot town in the middle of friggin' nowhere. Colorado." Tears streamed down his face as he peered at his clueless parents. "Everwood!!" He screamed.
"Honey, oh, shhh, don't cry. It was all just a dream. There is no Colin or Amy or Maple Drive. I doubt this Everwood place even existed. I've certainly never heard of it. It'll be ok. I promise." Julia stroked his cheek. "Andy, is this normal?" She asked her husband.
"Give him a chance. The way I see it is the sooner a person wakes from a coma, the better the chances are for a full recovery. I would say Ephram's lucky to have come out of the coma in two weeks, which is a relatively short period of time considering the extent of his traumatic brain injury. He doesn't appear to show signs of paralysis or brain damage. Further tests should confirm that." Andy replied.
"I'm worried about this outrageous story he's telling us. It's too detailed." Julia wrinkled her brow.
"Well, it is definitely strange. He seems to be experiencing an altered mental state." Andy observed.
"You think I'm crazy!! You think I made it all up. But I didn't!" He sobbed. "I know it wasn't a dream. We were at your funeral. They put the fancy blue and silver cocktail dress on you - the one you wore on your first date with dad to the opera. I saw you. I cried. Dad cried." He shouted with trembling lips.
"All this talk - baby, you're scaring me. There was no funeral and your father and I had our first date at a Springsteen concert." Julia's troubled voice raised. "I wore a halter top and blue jeans."
"We don't think you're crazy, son. We just think you're a little disoriented. You had a brain herniation - a swelling in the brain caused by the brain shifting position in your skull resulting in an increased intracranial pressure on surrounding tissues and blood vessels."
"I'm not even going to try to understand what you just said. But I know what I know. And I know we lived in Everwood." Ephram continued.
"Just give him time, Julia. He'll be alright." Andy spoke softly giving his wife a gentle squeeze on the shoulder when he saw tears welling up in her big green eyes.
Ephram was sure he lived a life in Everwood, Colorado. All the memories he held in his mind were very real. He remembered every detail about his life in that small town. He knew all the streets and places by heart. He rode his bike to and from Everwood High School everyday and hung out at the EZ Arcade, where he aced at Galactic Innerspace. He has roamed the twinkling light-strung promenade a thousand times with his father at night. The lemon chicken with rosemary was his favorite dish from Momma Joy's, where he picked up dinner orders every other night for his family. Catching the matinee at the Fiveplex was the typical weekend excursion. And once in a blue moon, there would be a double feature at the Fiveplex and all the townspeople would go to cash in on the bargain. He vividly remembered all the fights he had with his father, all the laughs he shared with Delia, and all the fond memories his broken family built at 15 Maple Drive. Matt came every Tuesdays and Thursdays promptly at 4:30pm to instruct Ephram's piano lessons. Every Sunday, Nina brought a large helping of her best tasting strawberry muffins and remained for afternoon coffee/tea. Delia and Sam would watch Snow White and fall asleep before the Prince got to whisk Snow White away on his white horse. He remembered the time he kissed Amy and how good it felt even though he knew she belonged to Colin.
It was incomprehensible that he can jog up his memory with these facts and then be told it was all a figment of his imagination by the two people closest to him. But Ephram knew he wasn't dead and that his mother was really alive. He should be jumping for joy but he couldn't put his mind at ease. Something didn't feel right. It just didn't make sense. He saw the romantic, caring way his father looked at his mother. Weren't they supposed to be drifting apart? He wondered what other things he was oblivious to.
* end of chapter 2 *