I'm Still Here

Ch. 7

The next few days were so similar to each other that they started to blur together. My parents came to sit with me throughout parts of the day, the doctors and nurses checked on me, I was wheeled around for tests, and my hospital room was a rotating door of other visitors. The doctors told my parents that there was no change in my state, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. We just have to be patient.

I have become pretty lazy and spend a lot of time napping in my body. I figured Seraphina would be fine with that since she didn't seem like the type of person - er angel - that wanted to keep busy with me and have to do things with me. But, I guess even she was getting bored because she asked me when I was going to get off my butt and learn to move around more.

"I kind of figured I'd be awake by now and wouldn't have to learn how to leave this room or change the channels on the tv." It was true. I didn't think I'd get to day 4 and still be stuck here.

"Well you're still here so can we work on, ya know, leaving this room. There's only so much of this depressing hospital room I can take."

"Can't you go wherever you want?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not. I'm tethered to you so we're basically stuck together until you move on. I can't ever be very far from you so I could step just outside the door of this godforsaken room, but that's barely going anywhere. So if you don't leave this room, I don't leave this room. Maybe you're fine with sitting here day in and day out but if I have to hear the beeping of your machines for another minute or your mom humming relentlessly for another night, I'm going to go crazy."

I stifled a laugh. I knew exactly how she was feeling because I used to snap at my mom when I was in a bad mood and she wouldn't stop humming.

"Alright, teach me how to leave the room," I stood up from the foot of the bed and waved my arm across the entry way, ready for Sera to impart whatever wisdom she had.

"Finally. Okay, so you've managed to learn to walk a few steps. You're going to do the same thing, you just need to concentrate more in order to gather your strength to travel further. You're going to feel some resistance. That's normal."

I focused on my legs and moved a few steps. It felt like a barrier stopping me from moving further. I could slowly move my legs another two steps but there was a lot of resistance like Sera said there would be. I felt like I was going in slow motion or through mud.

"Concentrate," Sera advised.

"I am," I replied through gritted teeth.

"Okay, well you don't need to look like you're constipated."

I broke my concentration for a second to flash Sera a dirty look.

"It might feel like you can't go further. Like you're not allowed to go past a certain boundary. You need to get past that. Once you pass through that barrier you'll be able to move freely.

"What is the barrier for?" I asked as I kept pushing through.

"It's to keep your spirit safe and keep unwanted forces out."

"Don't worry," she assured me when she saw the worried look on my face. "You're allowed out of the bubble. It's just difficult for newbies like yourself. Once you get the hang of it you'll be able to come and go with no issues. It'll feel like there's no barrier at all."

I moved again and my right foot felt freer. "I think my foot is out," I said excitedly.

"Keep going!" she encouraged me.

I kept pushing through and put my arms out like I was pulling myself through an invisible doorway. I felt a rush of air and a lightness in my limbs. I was out. I imagined a popping sound as I stepped through like I was shot out of a tube.