The Boy at My Window

Chapter Twelve: Scared of Death

"Shaina..." I heard a soft voice. "Shaina, come on. It's time to wake up." Someone rubbed my arm.

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. Everything was blurry. I blinked a couple more times and saw my parents looking down on me smiling. I turned my head and saw Matthew to my right.

"Welcome back, Sweet Pea." he said grinning.

I smiled back groggily but my eye lids felt heavy. I closed them and fell back asleep.

Once I came to again, the room was in darkness. I couldn't see anything but I could hear breathing beside me and pressure on my hand.

I squeezed the hand in mine. The person sat up and rubbed their eyes. "Hey, Sweet Pea." Matthew said lazily. He clicked on the lamp beside the bed bathing the room in light. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good." I yawned.

"Well the surgery went well and the doctor said you're healthy and should heal pretty quickly. You'll be released from the hospital sometime tomorrow probably but you won't be able to go back to school till next week."

"So the surgery went well? Nothing... bad, happened?" I asked scared for a moment.

Matthew shook his head. "No," he said slowly, "Why?"

I bit my lip battling with myself on whether I wanted to tell him or not.

"Shaina?" he pressed.

I sighed. "I almost died."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"When I was thirteen I loved to sit on the roof outside my house, like you did. I was out there one day and my best friend, who moved away after it happened, came to see me. I was just standing up when she stuck her head out the window and yelled at me. It scared me. I lost my footing and fell off my roof. I hit my head. My parents rushed me to the hospital. I fractured my skull. I had bone fragments in my brain. The doctors decided I needed emergency surgery. They gave me anesthetics and during the surgery I was slowly becoming unresponsive and then I flat lined..." I sucked in a breath. "They didn't think I was going to make it. I was in a coma for a week. I damaged a portion of my brain which causes me to have trouble learning. That's why it takes me longer to understand things. That's why I'm always studying. I have to constantly study to learn it. I got to therapy to help too. Anyway, when I woke up they didn't think I was ever going to be the same. But here I am. Pretty much same old Shaina." I finished. My hands were shaking.

Matthew sat there stunned. "That's why you're afraid. Of heights and anesthetics."

I nodded. I tried to take a breath but it came out hollow.

Matthew stood up startled. "Shaina? Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Panic attack." I said shakily.

"What can I do?" Matthew asked urgently.

"Sit with me." I rasped.

Matthew climbed into bed beside me and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I snuggled into his chest and clung to him.

I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. In slowly. Out slowly.

Soon I was relaxed again. "I have, what I like to call, calmers. It's things or people that can calm me down when I have panic attacks."

"What are they?"

"Uh the only ones I have discovered are my mom and Chad."

"So why did you ask me to comfort you? I could've called Chad and had him come here."

"Well you see," I began to explain, "The action depends on the person. My mom, to comfort me, holds me tightly like you did. And Chad just has to talk to me and it calms me. You, it was just a hope that you holding me would help and it did. You may become one of my calmers."

He smiled. "I'd be honored."

I giggled.

He kissed the top of my head. "Get some rest, Shaina." he said softly.

I nodded and snuggled into his arms.

Yay new update!

Okay so I think I'm gonna do a random chapter that's like a "Christmas special." So it has nothing to do with the story. it's just a cute little chapter. I'll probably do it for all the holidays that happen during this book. But what do you guys think of that? Would y'all want something like that? Yes? No? Just comment letting me know!

Avery