August, 2007

Mike Schmidt(Jones)

Mike groggily tried to sit up but found it hard to do.

'Ugh, my head hurts.' He thought. He laid back down and tried to make his oncoming headache stop.

He tried to slowly open his eyes and saw bright lights above him, and blinding sunlight coming through windows to his left.

He quickly shut his eyes again and slowly brought a hand up to rub at his eyes. His hand went father up his head and he felt something soft wrapping around him.

'What's going on?' He thought.

He sat up and slowly surveyed his surroundings. He blinked until his eyes were completely focused and recognized that he was in a hospital room. He wondered why he was alone and looked towards a door where he could hear muffled voices.

He couldn't make out what they were saying or who they were but soon the door opened to reveal both of his parents and a person in a white coat.

'A doctor.' Mike thought.

The three adults looked over to him and once his parents saw that he was awake they both rushed to his side. They both looked slightly different from before. His mom's hair had grown from just past her ears to the middle of her back, and her eyes looked red and puffy as if she had been crying. She wore a green shirt and brown khakis. His father had grown a bit of a beard and his hair looked messy, which was weird since he was always so careful to keep it neat. He wore a black button up shirt and jeans.

The doctor stood on the other side of him and quickly checked him over. When the doctor was done he asked if he could speak to Mike alone to which his parents reluctantly agreed.

Once they were out of the room he pulled a chair next to his bed and introduced himself as Dr. Carter Borris. He then proceeds to ask him simple questions like what his name was and if he could recognize certain things.

"How long have I been here?" Mike questions.

Dr. Borris seemed to hesitate before answering, "I've been watching over you for the last two years."

Mike's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what the man was saying.

'I figured I'd been out for a while but not that long. What happened to my friends?' He thought.

"Umm, what about the others? Michelle and Jeremy?" He asked.

"I don't know about them, but I can ask the doctors looking over them." Dr. Borris said. "Here comes the hard part, do you remember how you got here?"

Mike tried to think back but his head throbbed painfully. He remembered going to Freddy's like always and then nothing. He sadly shook his head no.

Dr. Borris sighed, as if he didn't want to tell him what happened, "Well you've had serious head trauma that required stitches, we've taken most of them out but the rest have to stay in because they haven't healed properly." He explains.

Mike nodded and moved to feel the bandages on his head again. The doctor asked if he wanted them removed and Mike said yes. When he was done Dr. Borris went into the adjacent bathroom and came back with a handheld mirror. He gave Mike a moment to collect himself before handing the mirror to the now eleven year old.

Mike froze as he looked at his reflection. Looking back at him was a pale, skinny boy with bags under his eyes. What caught his attention the most was the ugly reddish-brown scars and stitches marring his bald head. He set the mirror down in his lap and stared down at his hands.

He concluded that the rest of him seemed to be fine, save for a handful of cuts, but otherwise his only injury was his head. He faintly heard the doctor ask if he wanted to let his parents back in, to which he nodded.

His parents rushed to his side and gently hugged him, mindful of his head. The doctor told them the potential side effects of his head injury and Mike halfway listened. He heard something about anger issues and a short attention span but didn't catch the rest. When the doctor left Mike's mom, Julia, gently touched his face and turned his head to look at her.

"How do you feel, Mike?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders in response and she stroked the side of his face. Julia muttered something about him coming home soon but Mike was back in his thoughts again.

'Why can't I remember? Will I look like this forever? Did Michelle and Jeremy survive?' He thought. His head started pounding again and he winced. His mom quickly handed him a glass of water and he slowly sipped it. The family sat there in silence as Mike got used to his surroundings.