She heard a beeping in the distance. Slowly at first, it seemed like the beeping came closer and got a bit louder. She laid there and kept listening, for how long - she had no idea. Then she heard someone saying "Miss....Miss.....Can you hear me?" "If you can, please try to open your eyes." She had to think about it, nope - she wasn't ready to open her eyes. As a matter of fact she wanted to go back to sleep. She was tired and her body hurt. The beeping started to move away slowly and eventually was gone again. She slept. She didn't realize it, but she slept (Coma) for 6 months.
The beeping was back. At first low and distant, but this time she could tell it was moving closer to her and it had gotten loud. She also noticed she didn't feel like sleeping anymore. She laid there and listened and felt like looking to see what the beeping was, so she opened her eyes. Her body was very stiff, like she had not moved in a long time. There was a young red-headed women standing next to her and that is when she realized something. She was in a hospital and the beeping was equipment that was all around her and hooked up to her arms. Why was she here? She had no idea.
"Miss?....Miss? I'm Andrea Cole (the red-headed women), your Nurse. Can you tell me your name?"
She thought about it, she did know her name, it was Kimberly Larsen. She said "Kim" but it came out as a dry whisper. "I'm so thirsty," said Kim.
Nurse red-head said "Okay, relax and I’ll get you some ice chips in a moment, but first we have to move your bed into a sitting position." Andrea moved the bed so Kim was sitting up, it felt good to sit up- she wondered how long she had been laying there. Nurse Andrea went and got the ice chips and the Doctor.
Dr. Miles walked in with the ice chips, smiling. "Welcome back Kim!!" he said in a very upbeat voice.
Kim found his smile and attitude annoying. Kim also couldn't stand the red-headed, whatever her name was nurse. She didn't care. Kim was suddenly very mad, not just at the Doctor and the red-head, but at everyone and everything. "How did I get here and when can I leave?"
The Doctor said, "You don't remember?"
She let out a laugh and said, "I am awake enough to realize that if I remembered I WOULDN'T HAVE JUST ASKED YOU!!!" she was yelling.
Dr. Miles simply said, "You sustained a head injury, when you are healed, you can go." and he walked to the door and whispered some instructions.
He started to walk out and Kim said "Doctor, I’m sorry, I don't know why I got so angry just now."
He laughed, "Not the first time and I’ll bet not the last. Don't worry Kim, it's the injury, and we'll get you fixed up."
A week and many yelling tantrums later, a lady walked into her room. Kim didn't even look at her and said, "GET OUT".
The lady said "Nope. and...yelling at me is going to get you nowhere, but what it WILL get you is more time with me" and she smiled.
Kim said again, "GET OUT" and the lady ignored her and said, "I'm Lucy. I am a psychiatrist and I’m going to help you remember what happened and help you with your obvious anger issues." Kim ignored her. Lucy said "tell me about how you got here."
"I don't know, I don't remember", Kim said.
Lucy said "Do me a favor," as she sat on the side of Kim's bed and put her hand over Kim's eyes. “Close your eyes and breathe deep, in and out. Repeat after me, ‘I will be thankful’".
Kim repeated it. Lucy made her repeat the line ten times. "I will be thankful"....
Then Lucy took both of Kim's hands and said, "Family, tell me what you know". Kim was hypnotized and didn't even realize it.
Kim said, "I've been married to Keith for 20 years. I also have 3 kids -2 of them are twins." I will be thankful all my life for my family. I will be forever thankful for having such a wonderful husband and forever thankful for my wonderful kids. They are everything to me.
The red-headed Nurse Andrea and Dr. Miles came in quietly. Lucy said, "Kim, rest for a moment".
Kim closed her eyes and slept just as Lucy had commanded. Nurse Andrea, Dr. Miles and Lucy secured Kim's arms and legs at Lucy's request so Kim couldn't hurt herself during the part of the hypnosis where Kim would remember everything. Tears ran down Nurse Andrea's face. Lucy almost cried as well. She really disliked, no...hated this part of the job. Kim was going to be devastated.
"Kim, it’s Lucy - Remember the accident," she said and Kim let out a scream and cried. "The car flipped over and over and over because we hit some water.” She opened her eyes, screamed again and began to try to pull at the equipment in her arms. "My family, my whole family, they are all over. The kids were thrown out of the car and my husband was under the car. Everyone is dead," she cried and again started screaming. Doctor Miles gave her a shot and put her unconscious immediately before she hurt herself. But, even unconscious, the tears trickled down slowly from her eyes.
Years later, Andrea and Dr. Miles met in the parking lot of the mental hospital. They had both brought a dozen flowers for Kim. After the accident, Dr. Miles and Andrea went every year to visit Kim and every year she was the same; completely non-responsive, staring out the window, crying- except for when she would say to Dr. Miles and the now Dr. Andrea Cole, "I will be thankful always for my family".