Chapter 3 – Dreams, Reality, and a Thin Line
Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or any characters from the shows.
"… And then we went to bed. He told me he loved me. I think he might have been sleeping when he did but it still made me feel so good. I told him I loved him back and then I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I'm in a hospital."
Zack stole a glance at his mother. She was leaning into Kurt's shoulder crying her eyes out. Even Kurt himself had a few tears on the verge of falling. Zack's retelling of the past four – almost five – years of his life was more than touching.
Nobody in the room had realized over an hour had passed. Zack's tale had been engrossing. Doctor Carlson had found it interesting how Zack had been able to effortlessly recall every small detail of every memory. In some instances he was able to describe the exact smell of the room he had been in.
Carey was crying for far different reasons. Her tears weren't tears of joy. She knew they should have been. Her son had been in a coma for eleven months. When he had been brought in he had hardly been given a chance at survival. From his condition it would have seemed like he would have woken up with severe brain damage. It appeared as if he had nothing more than memory loss. That was what was making her cry. Her only son, her most treasured thing, didn't remember anything of what he was. He didn't remember who she was, he couldn't tell anybody the names of his closest friends, and, worst of all, he didn't know who he was. From what she was hearing this boy in front of her was a flirtatious ladies' man who excelled in any sport he tried but lacked the brainpower to perform well in school. That didn't sound like Zack Martin at all.
Kurt had his own reasons to be pushed to the brink of tears. He had never liked it when his wife cried. It made him sad, it made him feel helpless, like he couldn't do anything to comfort her. But also, he knew the boy in front of him wasn't his kid. It was, physically, but mentally, this wasn't Zack Martin. It was a fact that neither parent would ever say out-loud, but they'd think it every day from this day on.
"I think maybe I should give you all some family time. I'm afraid I got a little side-tracked by that history. You all come find me if you need anything."
Carey nodded through her tears so Kurt took it upon himself to answer for the both of them. "Thank you, Kent. Thanks for everything. Thanks for saving our son's life."
There it was. Our son. He should have said "Thanks for saving our son's body, but I'll be damned if that kid's got my son's brain and personality." The grimness of his sarcastic thinking was wafting off him and directly into the environment like a plague.
Kent Carlson nodded curtly, "No problem at all, Mr. Martin. It was my pleasure." He exited the room without another word.
Zack was absorbing his father's sarcastic mood, "Family time, huh?"
The Martins, Zack's parents, or maybe they were just the two adults in the room, relocated onto Zack's bed.
"Zacky, I realize this is a lot to take in?"
"Oh you mean finding out your entire fucking life was fake? No I do this every day."
Carey was thrown into a fresh fit of tears.
"Now, that kind of language isn't okay, Zack. You're under a lot of stress but that's not the way to vent."
Zack gave his father the most intimidating look he could. Is this guy a shrink or something? He had no idea he was exactly right.
"You want me to vent? How's this? My mom and dad are divorced! My mom's not some sobbing, crying mess, she's a lounge singer at the nicest hotel in Boston. My dad's not a shrink; he's a rock star. He's supposed to be touring the world and hooking up with babes every night! You're not my parents."
"A rock star, huh?"
"Yeah. A leather-jacket-wearing, foul-mouthed, worthless dad rock star! Not some glasses-wearing, argyle-socks shrink!"
Kurt laughed, "I don't own a pair of argyle socks. And I was in a band in college."
"Shut up! I just want Cody here!" Zack broke down in tears. "I need Cody here. I need him. I've always been there for him and it's like I need to be there for him. And he's always been there to keep me out of trouble, or at least try. Who's going to do my homework? Who's going to be the sister I never wanted? Who's going to be the little brother I protect from bullies?"
"You're scared. You feel lost, like this isn't your world."
Zack didn't answer. He didn't know how or when he had walked into that trap, but it would seem like his dad was a psychiatrist. A really, really good one. Somehow Kurt had made Zack open up and reveal his true feelings, if only a fraction of them, without Zack even realizing it. "How did you do that? You made me talk about it without knowing it."
Kurt winked, "I'm a," he made clawing movements with his first two fingers to emphasize the last word, "shrink."
Zack scowled to himself. He wasn't satisfied with this. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want these two people for parents. The worst part was that he didn't even know if he'd want himself. Was the "real-world" Zack Martin dumb? Was the "real-world" Zack Martin a nerd? Zack knew he could wait to find out.
It didn't take long after his awakening to be deemed stable enough for discharge. Actually, Zack surprised the majority of the doctors by making almost a full recovery. It was a miracle if you believed in miracles. How many comatose patients go from probably being brain dead to being completely fine? Not many.
The walk down to the lobby was silent. The walk to the car was silent.
As the family got into the car, Carey became bothered by the lack of noise. She was also conscious of the fact that she hadn't spoken more than a few words. "Zack, your friends will be so happy to see you."
Zack snapped, "You think you know me? Huh? You have no idea who I am! I don't even know who I am! My only friends are Woody, Marcus, Bailey, and London. I'm not who you think I am!"
The car ride was silent too.
I'd hate to do it... I'd really hate to do it. I don't want to ask for reviews, but please! With this new story, especially in the start, I'd like to know what people think of it. If you think it needs improvement by all means tell me!