Chapter 2

When Izzy was younger, she loved playing doctor. For years, I was her patient. All I really had to do was lie down and fake a few sneezes and coughs while Izzy rushed around me with a plastic stethoscope. She always used to put it on my right side and I would always have to move it to the left, so that it covered my real heart. She used to put up such a fit about it that I gave up and let her put a stethoscope over my lung. Eventually, she realized that a) she didn't know her lefts and rights and b) that the heart was on the left side of the chest, but she still insisted that she was right the whole time. It drove me crazy back then, but now I really wanted to be back on the couch with Izzy messing around with a stethoscope, instead of in an ambulance with a trained professional who was making sure his defibrillator was ready to work at Moments notice.

Kent was beside me. Every once in a while he'd reach out, like he wanted to hold my hand, before he yanked it back. I didn't blame him for not touching me. I looked like a zombie extra from The Walking Dead, except with real blood and wires connecting me to at least three different machines. I slid next to him, but he didn't notice. I stroked his arm to reassure him that I was alright, even though I clearly wasn't. Kent didn't even react. I had to fight the feeling of hurt creeping through me. It was stupid, I wasn't really stroking his arm. Real me was in the middle of dying. Weird ghost me wasn't really there. I was going to die tonight anyways. All this was was a couple of extra hours until even the best technology could ensure my body stayed alive.

When the ambulance pulled into the hospital, I stayed with Kent. I wanted to follow my body, unconscious and close to death, but I refrained. I didn't have much time left before my body gave out for good, instead of barely stringing me along like it was doing now. My parents would be here soon too, I wanted to see them one last time.

Kent and I had only been there for twenty minutes before my family appeared. They looked frazzled and panicked, clearly scared and confused. I know Lindsay had been told to call them, but just what exactly had she said? Izzy was wearing her pyjama bottoms with a t-shirt I'm sure she barely had time to pull on. Mom's hair was all over the place and she wore a mismatched top and pants. If I had been there, I would have teased her about how getting old had changed her fashion sense, but she looked so scared that I was scared as well. Dad, finally, looked the most put together of them all. He had managed to tame his hair, somehow and threw on an outfit that looked at least half decent.

Kent recognized them and stood up, "You're Sam's Mom and Dad, right?"

Dad jerked his head in Kent's direction. The moment he spoke, I realized that if anything, he was worse off than Mom and Izzy, "Yes, what happened?" his voice cracked halfway through his sentence.

Kent hesitated, just how do you tell a panicking family how their daughter was dying? "A girl, um, Juliet, she ran onto the road. Sam pushed her away, but she got hit."

Mom gasped, "Hit?

Kent nodded, "A van. It was big. Lindsay called the ambulance, I think."

"Have the doctors said anything yet?"

I leaned in, had they said anything I hadn't heard?

Kent shook his head, "It was really fast. The paramedics were talking like it was bad and the second they got to the hospital, they wheeled her over there," he pointed to two doors marked 'surgery'.

"What happened to Sam?" Izzy piped up. She looked so confused, standing next to Dad, still half asleep.

Mom crouched down to her level, "Sam was in a car accident. She was hurt and so she was brought to the hospital. Wasn't your friend Alice hit by a car a year ago?"

Izzy nodded, "She broke her arm. Did Izzy break her arm too?"

Mom stroked Izzy's hair, "We don't know yet. The doctors are working really hard to help her, okay?"

"She's okay though, right?" Izzy asked. I crouched next to Mom. Izzy looked scared and she had good reason to be. Mom and Dad looked as scared as her, but they were trying to hide it.

Parents master wearing a mask around their children. One of the first times I had seen my parents without their's on was when I was sneaking downstairs after my bedtime to steal a cookie. Mom had tears steaming down her face and Dad was covering his face with his hands. I still don't know what scared them so much, probably Grandma's illness or something to do with the mortgage, but the image of my parent's utter despair stayed etched in my mind to this day.

"Izzy," Dad reached into his pocket and grabbed twenty dollars, "Why don't you buy some flowers we can give to Sam when she wakes up? Something that will make her smile."

Izzy nodded eagerly and grabbed the twenty. She scrambled away to the gift shop. Mom and Dad sat beside Kent, who was looking incredibly awkward. Then, I saw the mask vanish. Mom's optimism faded and Dad's bravery disappeared. Dad grabbed Mom's hand and held it tight.

One part of me knew I should be grateful. Not many people get to see their family again after they die. I got to see them for five more days and now I had a few extra hours before my body died, but a bigger part of me was bitter. This wasn't supposed to be part of the deal. I was meant to die and move on, not have to watch my boyfriend, sister and parents grapple with false hope, stuck in limbo until a doctor tells them that I was going to die. Maybe it was a little bit selfish, to settle all my affairs, accept my death and then die without having to watch my family grieve for me, but hadn't I already been selfless enough? I'd given up my life, wasn't I entitled to a little selfishness?

I wanted to scream at that point. I didn't know why I was still here or what I was supposed to do. All that was left for me to do was watch my family suffer, all the while I couldn't do a single thing about it. I stormed away from my family. Maybe if I went into the surgery and pulled out the oxygen I would die. Full of anger, I marched right to the surgery doors, before they opened in my face.

A doctor strode out. He glanced around the waiting room. It seemed like everyone leaned forward, desperate for it to be their family he was giving the news about. "Family of Samantha Kingston?"

I gasped. My father stood up, "Here." The doctor nodded and approached them. Izzy walked out of the gift shop, proudly holding a bouquet of marigolds. She got to Mom and Dad just as the doctor did.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Caldmen. Your daughter, Samantha is in my care right now."

Dad gave him a tense smile, "How is she?"

Dr. Caldmen frowned, "Do you want to do this in front of your daughter?"

Izzy straightened up, "I want to know!"

Mom sighed, "She'll find out anyways." She pursed her lips together and the doctor nodded.

"Samantha suffered grave injuries to her head, but she managed to pull through the surgery. I won't lie, her odds aren't good, especially considering she's in a coma."

Mom cut in, "A coma?"

The doctor nodded, "She has suffered tremendous brain damage. Mrs Kingston, there is a good chance that Samantha won't wake up."And just like that, I felt like I couldn't breath anymore. Brain damage was bad enough, but never waking up? That was the stuff of nightmares. Would I be stuck like this, invisible, forever? "And," The doctor continued, "There isn't a guarantee she will stay in a coma for very long. There's a high probability of her dying."

"But a coma, people in comas don't die, do they? They just sleep," Dad said, quietly.

The doctor shrugged, "Sometimes the body has gone through too much and it decides to just shut down. Some coma patients survive for decades, it's true, but there isn't a guarantee.

Mom and Dad stared at the doctor uncomprehendingly.

"Doctor, can we talk about this somewhere else?" Dad asked. Mom nodded and the doctor agreed, looking relieved that he wouldn't have to stare at Izzy anymore.

"Izzy," Mom said, "I need you to stay here with," She stared at Kent, who straightened up at her glance.

"Kent," He introduced himself, "I'm Sam's boyfriend."
Mom looked confused for a minute, probably trying to figure out why she had never heard of Kent before, "Can you look after Izzy for a few minutes?"

Kent nodded, "Sure. Hi Izzy."

Izzy stared at him warily, "Mom, I want to go with you."

Mom shook her head, "I need you to stay with Kent, okay sweetie? Your Dad and I will be out in a minute, can you do that?"

Reluctantly, Izzy nodded. Kent smiled at her. Mom and Dad took after the doctor and I was still standing by the surgery doors, feeling numb.

Maybe I wasn't here for a reason. Maybe the universe just glitched. Was I stuck here forever? I couldn't save Juliet this time to escape. Would I have to wait until my body decides to just shut down? Or would I stay awake while the years passed by, getting old and grey, while my family and friends visit me a few times every year. I sunk to the floor. Had I died just to stay alive, invisible and unable to interact?

So, just for clarification: Sam can touch things, but she can't actually interact with them. She can touch a door knob but can't actually turn it.

Alright, I hope everyone enjoyed. I'm going to watch the movie tonight and I'm really excited for it. I felt the book had a lot of heart in it and I hope the movie can live up to it.

Also, I don't have a consistent update schedule. I've tried that in the past and I tend to screw up after upload three or four. I'll try to update as much as possible, but all this isn't my first priority. I love writing, but it has to take a back seat to some things in life. Thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoyed.

Oh, also if you spot any spelling mistakes or anything like that, please tell me so I can fix it up.

Last thing, I'm still learning how to write. I've gotten better in the last few years, but I still appreciate when people tell me when there's something I can improve on, whether it's confusing to read, hard to follow or the flow just doesn't quite work. I appreciate everything.

Thanks!