How I Learned to Live Again

Chapter 3

I wake up with something over my face. A breathing mask. There's a doctor standing over me and I'm in different clothes, and lying on different sheets.

"Jessa? Can you hear me?" I nod weakly like before and listen to what the tall, olive skinned woman has to say.

"Jessa, first of all, I am very sorry about what's happened to you. I'm going to do my best to make sure your quality of life is good and that you can leave this hospital happy. Alright?" I nod again. "My name is Dr. Dascha DeLeon, and I'm going to be taking care of you while you're here. Does that all make sense to you?" She speaks slowly as if to a child. I nod a third time.

"Jessa, if you can, please talk, alright? Just a little bit. It's fine if you can't, but we'd like to know how your voice is doing."
I look at her nervously and speak in a voice that sounds different than my own. "I can talk." She smiles at my parents, who both audibly sigh in relief.

Then Dr. DeLeon looks back at me. "Jessa, you're paralyzed from the neck down. Do you know what that means?" I nod again, sadly. My eyes well up again. How am I going to get through this? "We are going to have you in highly intensive therapy and the like. We don't need to go into detail right now, as I know you've had a hard day. Does that all make sense so far?" I say yes quietly and she starts to walk out of the room. Then she turns back and says, "Oh, and one more thing. Would you mind holding this pen for me?" She takes my hand and places a pen in my palm. I wrap my fingers around it weakly and she nods, satisfied.

"Good. Thank you Jessa, I'll see you later. Rest." She leaves and I go back to sleep almost immediately. I hear the pen drop to the floor and have an urge to pick it up. And then I remember.
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~e