When he opened his eyes again the bright light still surrounded him, but nothing hurt. He felt calm and able to relax enough to breathe. As the light dimmed he sat up and looked around him. Nothing seemed like the familiar surroundings of his hospital room. There weren't any noises of the machines he had grown accustomed to, and no doctors or nurses were coming and going from his bedside. Everything around him seemed so peaceful and quiet. Even though he wasn't able to see his surroundings very well, he had a good idea of where he might have been right then.

Bam slowly stood up, not even sure if he was standing on any form or solid ground. He took in everything before him, even though it turned out to be nothing more than what appeared to be thick fog. The air around him was still and as he breathed it in he found it to be the freshest, cleanest aid that ever filled his lungs. But wait, he thought, if this place was what he thought it was the how was it possible that he was even able to breathe at all? This didn't frighten him though. In fact he found it impossible to be afraid of anything as he stood there. It finally dawned on him that he wasn't even in the excruciating pain that he had been suffering through just minute earlier and he even felt much stronger and healthier than ever before. The thing that he felt the most at that moment was calmness. He even realized then that he had never felt more at peace than he was at that moment.

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. It was the first time he was aware that he wasn't alone in this place. Bam looked up and saw a mysterious figure in white standing before him. He squinted his eyes as he tried to make out who or what this figure was but the fog and bright light that had surrounded the figure prevented Bam from seeing any sort of details in the figure's body. The figure had no face as far as what Bam was able to see, only light surrounding the spot where a face should have been. Bam wasn't even sure if the figure before him was male or female. Even once the figure spoke, it had no distinct male or female quality to its voice, but rather a mixture of different types of voices blended into one. At first its voice sounded strange to Bam but then it made perfect sense to his ears.

"Welcome." The figure spoke calmly and with an amount of authority

"Who are you?" Bam asked.

Through the light and fog it appeared almost as though the figure was smirking smugly at him, before giving a nod. Bam realized then who this figure was.

"I… I'm dead aren't I?"

"You would not be here if you were alive."

"Is this heaven?"

"No."

"This can't be hell…"

"You are correct. This place is neither heaven nor hell."

"How long have I been dead?"

"That answer could lie anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours. However you do not need to know that bit of information."

"Why not?"

"It serves no real purpose to you."

Bam let out a sigh as he peered around him again. Nothing really made sense to him but yet things were beginning to make perfect sense to him. He looked back up at the figure that stood before him.

"How come I'm not in heaven?"

"You were not needed there yet. You were not expected to arrive for quite some time. You need to go back until heaven needs you."

Bam looked away again and thought for a second before answering the figure.

"I don't want to go back."

"Why is this, my son?"

"I like it here. I don't feel any pain. I feel so much better than I've ever felt when I was alive. And nothing scares me here."

The figure nodded "You are not needed here. Here is not where you belong. Not yet. You must return to whence you came until it is your actual time to be here."

"But I want to stay. Just for a little bit."

"Very well. I will allow you some time to stay here but you must return soon. But first I have to show you something."

The fog in front of Bam faded away. Bam looked down and saw the earth that was far below him. The image zoomed in at a very fast pace until he saw his hospital room. He saw the doctor in his room by his bedside talking quietly to Phil and April. Missy sat in the nearby corner, unable to look at either of them. She held her eyes down to the floor and her hand clung to the collar of her shirt. She looked like it took her all she could just to sit there. The image shifted back over toward the hospital bed. A nurse stood next to the bed examining a still body beneath the covers. Bam gasped once he recognized this body as his own. The nurse checked Bam's vitals one last time before going up to the doctor. Bam saw the nurse softly talking to the doctor but he could not make out what they were saying to each other. But by the way it looked Bam knew it couldn't have been good.

Bam closed his eyes, unable to watch the scene any more. He felt the same hand upon his shoulder, replenishing the calm peace within him. He opened his eyes and saw that the scene had changed. What he saw needed no explanation whatsoever. His family and dearest friends had gathered together, all of them were dressed in black and sorrow, and they were about to witness Bam's funeral. Bam saw one by one, everyone who had attended his funeral and he saw how they interacted with each other before sitting down. He saw Missy, his now widowed bride, be lead up to the front of the room before she was seated next to Phil and April. Phil placed an arm around her for a moment and whispered something in her ear before placing a kiss on her temple. April sat there dabbing tears onto a tissue, unable to look up towards the front of the room. Phil moved closer to her and held his arms around her. Bam could tell that Phil was merely pretending to be brave for the sake of his wife and daughter-in-law. But the truth of the matter was, he was broken up inside, unable to stand the loss of his youngest son. The image then moved slowly until Bam saw the front of the room as if through a guest's eyes. There at the front was the last thing that he ever wanted to see; the casket. His casket. He then felt like he was standing there before the casket, looking in at his own dead body.

Bam covered his face, no longer able to take in this scene before him. When he uncovered his face the scene had changed again. This time he was shown his house, from what appeared to be months into the future. Inside the house everything seemed so quiet and lonely. He watched as Missy walked through the house, not knowing what to do with herself. She wrung her hands together before crying out, in pain, Bam's name. Watching this hurt Bam the most. He clenched his eyes tightly closed and held his head in his hands.

"I can't take any more of this!" He cried "Please don't show me any more. Please." Bam uncovered his face and looked at the figure once more "I want to go back."

The figure looked at him and nodded. The figure then reached out, placing both hands upon Bam's shoulders. Bam closed his eyes, once again feeling the calm peace he felt before. A bright, warm light fell upon his face and filled his entire body. The fresh, clean air he had first breathed in when he arrived there once again filled his lungs. A sensation, greater than anything he had ever felt, overcame him as he stood there swimming in the light that surrounded him. He felt warm and at peace, taking in every beam of the light. All he wanted to do right then was stand there, not even opening his eyes, and let this moment last as long as possible.