Tara looked around for a moment at all the other people milling around the stadium before taking Cara by the hand and standing up. She then led her sister back down the ramp and back out into the parking lot. Cara wondered where Tara was leading her. She wondered where they were going, but she didn't ask. Once they were back in the parking lot, Tara stopped and turned back to Cara, before explaining, "I could try to explain it to you. But I think that the easiest way for you to understand will be if I show you instead. Some things are better seen than heard. I have to warn you, though, you may not like some of what you will see. But it's the only way for you to understand why I am here now. Why I chose this existence." Cara nodded back to her and Tara turned, leading Cara into a hospital surgery room. There on the table laid their unresponsive mother. Medical staff ran here and there while a doctor barked orders and performed surgery. There was blood everywhere. It was very shocking t
Cara, turned and looked at her family home. She had mastered control of her ability to travel wherever she wanted. She merely had to think of a location and it would manifest there in front of her. Standing there in the street memories of everything that she had endured in her family's home since that Monday, came flooding back to her. Cara stood there with memory after memory coming to her. The memories caused her to relive a host of emotions. At the verge of feeling overwhelmed, Cara noticed that the wind had picked up. It began blowing harder and harder, whipping her red hair all around. It almost looked like a wild fire raging on her head. All around her it got steadily darker and darker. Thunder began to rumble up above her head. Lightning began cracking off as well. Causing the house in front of her to light up like a strobe light hung above it. Large rain drops started to fall on her as she started walking up the front steps. Cara stopped on the porch and looked all around th
Cara considered what her father had asked of her. She focused on his hand holding her own. She was able to flex her fingers and close them around his hand twice. It wasn't quite strong enough to call it a squeeze. But she had done her best. Apparently, it was good enough, though. Because she heard the excitement in her father's voice as he told her mother what she had done. Cara laid there and listened to her parents celebrating. They were so happy to see Cara trying to communicate with them. She wanted to do more. She wanted to wake up and hug them both. She wanted to tell them just how much she loved them and how grateful she was for them. But that was easier said than done. Because, try as she might, she just couldn't wake up. Her body simply refused to do as she asked. It was infuriating to her to be so close, yet so far away from her loved ones. Cara wished she knew what to do. She wished that she could just tell them she loved them. She had missed them for what felt like foreve
The sun was warm on her face as she sat there on the grass looking out across the pond. There was a small flock of Canadian geese swimming along, honking at each other as they seemed to glide across the mirrored water. Here and there a fish occasionally broke the surface of the water. The reflection of the trees creating the illusion of a twin upside-down forest, their fall colors were amazing. Over on the far bank a few muscovy ducks napped or preened their feathers. Near the ducks was the old dock. Usually there were people fishing or feeding the ducks from there. Today it stood empty. Other than the honks of the geese and occasional quack of the ducks it was completely silent. There was no one else in sight. Cara had always loved to come here. She had been here many times with Mrs. Davies throughout her childhood. They had come to feed the water fowl and to have picnics. As Cara sat there looking around, she wondered if there actually were people here. She wondered if it was like at
Cara blinked her eyes over and over as they tried to adjust to the brilliant white light all around her. Eventually as she squinted she could make out a white room all around her. Walls, floor, ceiling, it was all blindingly white. It was also deafeningly silent. Cara could hear her heart beating. The sound echoing in her ears. She looked all around but there was nothing but the vast white, silent room. Cara took a few steps and the sounds of her shoes on the floor echoed all around her. She was confused. She had attempted to enter the hospital room the same as she had before. But this place was definitely not her room. Her mother was not here. There was no hospital bed. No beeping monitor. Nothing was here. She didn't have any idea where she was. It struck her as strange that dispite not knowing where she was she wasn't afraid at all. In fact she felt no anxiety over the matter at all. She thought it was a little odd that she found this place to be strangely comforting. She couldn't e
"Hello Cara. I'm Dr. Frankston. I'm very glad to see that you are awake." The handsome older man smiled down at her. He looked over at a pretty blonde nurse and nodded his head. She smiled down at Cara before writing something down on the chart she held in her hands. The nurse looked over at the bedside monitor before turning and whispering something to a male nurse beside her. They both shared a knowing look before turning back to the doctor. They obviously were waiting for further instruction. The doctor smiled down at Cara and then turned to the male nurse, "Mike, if you would please, go let them know. And bring them back down here please." Mike nodded and then smiled down at Cara one last time before leaving the room. "Cara, you've been through quite an ordeal young lady. We are all very happy to have you back with us. Do you know where you are?" The doctor looked expectantly down at her as he awaited her answer. Cara furrowed her brow as she looked first at the doctor
Cara laid there in the dark, listening to the sound of her mother's rhythmic breathing from across the room as she slept on the cot that the hospital staff had brought in for her. The only light in the room was the soft illumination provided by the monitor by her bed. It was silent now. Finally. The nurse was considerate and had muted it when she had made her last rounds so that the two of them could rest. Cara was grateful for this. She had come to find the the incessant beeping more than a little maddening. The sound had haunted her for however long she had been in her coma. She wondered how long she had been asleep. She figured that it must have been at least a week, maybe even two. She would have to ask her mother in the morning. For now she wanted let her mother rest. She watched her mom sleeping peacefully in the soft glow cast by the monitor. Her mother had fallen asleep very quickly. She was out almost before her head hit the pillow. Cara guessed that her mom had spent severa
(Mike) Dad's POV His sleep had been horrible all night long. Mike tossed and turned. When he managed to sleep it wasn't restful at all. He had been plagued by a terrible nightmare. All night when he slept he was transported back to Kaylee's viewing and funeral. Each time it was the same. He would peer into the coffin but instead of seeing his daughter's best friend laying there it was always Cara. Each time he would wake up, heart racing, barely able to breathe. Then he would toss and turn over and over again until sleep took him again and it would repeat. He was certain that it would drive him mad if he continued to lay there. Looking at his bedside clock he saw that it was almost a quarter to four. Sighing loudly he rubbed his hand over his face in exasperation and made the decision to get up and go make coffee. Then he slung the blanket off of himself and sat up on the side of the bed. He slid his feet into his slippers and sat for a moment rubbing his face. He sighed again as he