Back then, I thought I had it all. A good career, a happy family life, plenty of friends, and of course, a gorgeous fiancée. Life in general was relatively easy. High school and college had been a breeze and good grades came to me without much trouble. After graduation I snagged a gig job at my uncle’s firm, working for a salary most guys my age could only dream of. Then, just one year after that I met Katie, the one and only love of my life. After about another year and a half we got engaged, and my family threw a huge party downtown in the city. Lots of friends and coworkers came, making me feel like I had obtained any and everything a man could ever want.

Little did I know, life was so much more fragile than that. Or rather, humans were more fragile than I realized. Not emotionally, but literally, physically even. When you’re facing off against your fellow peers you feel like an equal. When you’re facing off against someone weaker you feel superior. But, when you’re facing off against a car that weighs who knows how much, driving at speeds beyond the limit, you realize just how very foolish you were to ever think yourself invincible.

******

“Hello?”

Hm…

“Hello? Can you hear me Zane?”

Zane? That’s my name, right?

“Look, he’s waking up!”

My eyes open slowly. Everything is blurry, like I’m looking through a pair of strong lenses.

“Hey, can you hear me Zane? Can you hear what I’m saying?” A voice asks.

I try to nod, but everything feels so numb that I can’t tell whether I’ve moved or not. I try to answer with a simple yes next, but that too fails me.

What’s going on? Why won’t anything work?

“It’s okay Zane, don’t panic. Your body may be numb for a while until the medication wears off.”

Medication? For what!?

After a few moments, my vision starts to focus. I quickly scan my surroundings, surprised to see that they resemble a hospital room of sorts. I see two doctors, both female, one young and one older. There are a few bunches of flowers on the table nearby, all with cards and stuffed animals sitting at their side. And obviously, there’s plenty of medical equipment to fill any nightmare.

Why am I in the hospital?

One of the doctors suddenly appears. She’s the younger one. She’s pretty, with long auburn hair and bright green eyes. She leans down to shine a small light into my eyes. I flinch, unable to stand the brightness.

“Your retinas’ are reacting to stimulation. Good.”

You mean, reacting to being blinded? Who’s don’t?

“Wh…where…” I mumble.

What’s going on? Why can’t I speak?

“Please, calm down Zane. Remember what I said, the medicine needs time to wear off.”

I cast her a glare. What medicine? I don’t remember any prescriptions!

The doctor sees my face and smiles. “I know this must be a little confusion for you, Mr. Fola. But please, bear with us for just a little longer. I want you to be able to speak up and ask any questions when I explain what’s happened. So, as soon as you’re feeling better, we can talk.”

Explain what’s happened? What does that mean!?

The woman laughs a little. “Relax Zane. You’re alive, you’re safe, and for now, you need to focus on recovery. I’ll be back in about an hour with your parents.”

Wait, my parents? Why do they need to come? I’m almost twenty-seven!

I roll my eyes. Well, at least those still work.