Page 104 of The Legend
Timedidn’t seem to exist any longer. It was just images and lights, loud beepingand ringing. Cold and burning agony took its turn.
At somepoint the darker images seemed to stay away. I didn’t see my dad anymore, I sawSway.
She wasthere again, sitting beside me. I could hear her light breathing andwhimpering.
I tried tomove but it didn’t feel like anything happened.
Was Iparalyzed?
That mightexplain the pain.
The lightappeared once again, the fading seemed to lesson and I was able to focus.
The placewasn’t as bright as the white blinding lights I had been seeing, dimmer maybe.
Thinkinghurt, breathing hurt, so I knew movement would. I tried to speak but I don’tknow if the words came out. Maybe I was screaming but no one would respond andlook at me. I heard them but they were talking amongst each other. “So we putthe funeral off until he wakes up. That’s the only option.”
Whatfuneral?I thought but couldn’tfocus again.
Was Idead?
The darkreturned but I don’t know for how long.
When thelight returned it was the dimmer more pleasant light with Sway beside me. Iliked this light. There was no ringing or screaming, just dim light and mySway. I wanted to stay in that place.
She washolding my hand, I think. It appeared that way through the fog.
Responsescame back to me in pieces.
The demandand the action to move were slow but working. I wanted to move my hand, show mywife I was there with her in this darkness.
Shestartled and squeezed. “Jameson?”
Oh god, her voice. It was agony to hear the pain init. I could stand the physical pain. I didn’t want her to be feeling this. No.I would rather die than have to see the hurt in her eyes.
I couldn’tmove my hand so I tried my voice again.“S...w...a...y?”
The soundof my voice was strange and hurt. It was an excruciating pain that I felt in myhead all the way to my toes. The fire in my throat burned as the light gotbrighter again and then dimmed when I told myself I wouldn’t let it control meany longer.
“Jameson,”she was sobbing now. “Please...baby, comeback to me...please...”
She wasbegging and I wastrying.
I wantedto come back. I didn’t want to feel this pain any longer.
“...hon...”I wanted to comfort her but the light returned again, the searing fireenveloped me. Stabbing...tearing...dragging from my eyes around the back of myhead settling in my ears. I gave back into the pain. I couldn’t take it.
Ringing, loud ringing.The images returned to haunt me, shaking my soul to the very core. Ifelt alone. I felt nothing. I felt pain.
Timepassed again. I think. I kept hoping if I held out long enough, something,anything would relieve me of the pain. Nothing did.
The imagesappeared. This time there were people I didn’t know surrounding me and thenloudrompof a sprint car when you shut of the gas and it runs rich asthe fuel runs out.
Romprompromp.
I sawflashes and mirages of my career. Trophies handed to me, time spent at thetrack, my entire life. Sway was by my side again, holding me, weeping over me.Her tears burned when they would hit my face like acid again.
I thoughtthat maybe I had died at that point. Would this be what is was like?
