I love late night drives more than anything else in my rather monotone life. The feeling of solitude and peace while playing soft music with nothing but the road in front of you is simply irreplaceable. I have discovered my passion for it almost fourteen years ago and god knows how much money I've spent on gas during all those years. And you know what? I don't regret a dime. Night drives are more than just pleasure. They are therapy when you feel down, a celebration when you are happy and even a frustration relief when you are burning with anger. I have been married for ten years now and we have two beautiful daughters. And yet I remember the time when I lost my brother when not my wife or my daughters could make me feel better, but a five hour-long night drive was what it took to calm my nerves and soothe my pain. I drive a 69' Dodge charger and even though it's really old I don't have the heart to part with it. Besides my family of course that car is my favorite thing in the world.
Years went by and I never had a single incident on the road. My car never broke down, never had a flat tire not even a roadkill, believe it or not. All up until one night when things didn't go as smoothly as usual. I got into a fight with my wife about something incredibly stupid and stormed out of the house mad as a hornet slamming the door behind me. I inserted the key and started up my car. I could still see my wife screaming something through the kitchen window but I didn't care about it, I just needed to get out and relax before saying or doing something rash. After thirty minutes or so my nerves were calmed and I was ready to turn the car around, head home and make up with my wife, after all, the fight was indeed silly. The night was darker than usual so the woods around the road looked a lot denser as well. A flash of light in my rear-view mirror suddenly caught my attention. To my misfortune it wasn't just another imbecile with high beams turned on, but something much more frightening. What I saw was a man, sitting calmly in my backseat with only a smile showing. The hood he was wearing covered the rest of his face so it was impossible to distinguish what he looked like and who he was. I stared at him for too long and failed to notice a deer in the middle of the road, now way too close to my speeding car. I swerved to avoid it and crashed into a tree. My head hit the steering wheel with great force and the last thing I heard before drifting away was the car's alarm beeping loudly like a siren.
After spending a lot of time in the darkness, hearing voices and seeing weird things I finally started to regain consciousness and open my eye lids. The room I was in wasn't very bright which made it easier to take a look around without squinting. There were three more beds besides mine, two were occupied by some strangers and one was completely empty without even a mattress. In less than a minute I was accompanied by someone wearing a white robe, most likely a nurse.
"How are you feeling John? You've been out for quite some time now."
Her voice sounded real pleasant and sympathetic.
"Terrible, everything hurts. How long was I asleep?"
I've tried to lift up my head so I can see her better, but it hurt way too much so I just laid back down.
"Fifty days since the incident."
"Fifty days?!"
Memories were slowly starting to come back, my wife, kids, the car crash, the man in the backseat.
"Where is my family, are they alright?"
"Rest assured, they are just fine. You just need to rest for a while now without being disturbed."
"When can I see them?"
"When you start to feel better we'll let them visit you."
"What about the man that was in the car with me?"
"I don't know what you mean. There was nobody in the vehicle with you when the help came."
"Could he have ran away? Could I have been imagining the whole thing?", I was thinking to myself unsure what to say to the nurse.
"You need to get some sleep now. You've been in a coma for so long, your body shouldn't be working too much all at once. We need to go slowly."
While finishing her sentence she gave me two pills and a glass of water to drink. The pain was relieved and I felt really drowsy. My final thoughts were focused on the mysterious man while I was drifting away to sleep again.
The sound of utensils interrupted my sleep and the first thing I saw was the nurse from yesterday sitting at my bedside. She looked the same as the day before, a small smile on her face and a soft voice.
"Here. You need to eat something."
She handed me a tray of food and to my surprise it wasn't some horrid meal like they serve in most hospitals, but a nice steak with a side of peas and salad. I couldn't help but think how much my wife paid for a service like this. I've only been to a hospital once before and it wasn't eve for the entire night, but I don't think it was this one.
"Thank you.", I responded before starting my feast. The meal was absolutely delicious and it really helped me feel a lot better. I mean my entire body still hurt but it was easier to withstand the pain with a full stomach. The nurse collected the utensils and handed me one more pill to take before she walked out with the tray. I wasn't sure what the pill was for, but hey, as long as it soothes the pain it doesn't really matter. So I chugged it down with a big sip of water and took some time to take a look around the room and the other people in it. The first man I noticed was on the bed next to mine. He looked young, but he was still unconscious and there were many tubes attached to his body. There was a huge cut across his chest that was stitched up, but his heart rate seemed to be fine. The other man was lying in a bed opposite of mine and he was much older, maybe eighty years or so. He was being hand fed at the moment by another nurse and you could see he was struggling to even chew his food. Since none of my "roommates" were in a condition to talk I turned my look to the TV in the top corner. It was playing my favorite comedy show. I was overwhelmed, at least I have something to kill my time with while being pinned to this bed. The day went by slowly and all I did was watch the TV and eat. It was finally night time and time for sleep. I was getting anxious to see my family, but still very tired. So I decided to leave that matter for tomorrow to talk with the nurse, after all they would've let them see me if they could.
I spent a lot of time dreaming about my night rides that night and I felt great upon waking up. I completely forgot about the crash and the man in the car and my priority now was to see my family. The nurse walked into the room carrying another tray of delicious food with the same, kind smile as usual. I started showing my mouth with it and between the bites I asked: "Will I be able to see my family today?"
The nurse changed her facial expression to a somewhat sad looking face and said: "I'm sorry, that'll have to wait a couple of days more, you still need to rest a lot and conserve energy until your body gets stronger."
I was getting slightly annoyed by that answer, but it was for the best I guess. After finishing my meal, the nurse asked me if I wanted to take a little stroll with her to see how well I'm doing. The idea thrilled me and of course I agreed. We went for a walk around the hallways and I just couldn't stop asking questions. What hospital I was in, did my family used to come and visit while I was in a coma, how long until they let me out and every one of my questions got a satisfying answer. She brought me back to my bed and left me to rest again. The rest of the day didn't differ much from the previous one, in fact it seemed just the same. The meals were brought in at the same time, the curtains haven't been moved and the same TV show was going one episode after the other. It didn't bother me too much at the time, I mean, isn't it like that in every hospital?
Over the next few days, things were starting to get worse. My family still wasn't allowed to see me, all my questions got the same answer and every day looked exactly the same. The only difference was I was feeling physically better each day, whatever they were giving me was very helpful. But that didn't take my mind of the unbearable monotony that was occurring. In time I got so frustrated with hearing the same thing over and over that I snapped. I didn't mean to be that rude, but enough was enough.
"When will I be able to see my goddamn family?!"
The nurse's face turned very sad. My first thought was that it was because of the yelling and I started to apologize but she interrupted me.
"I'm sorry, there is no easy way to explain this, but your family isn't here."
"What do you mean isn't here?"
I don’t know if I was more puzzled of frustrated by the answer, so I just sat there looking at her with visible confusion on my face, expecting an explanation.
"You see, you died in that car crash.”
“Died? But what…”
She interrupted me: “Yes, you are dead. The man you saw behind you, was an image of death that shows itself to people in their final moments. After the transition it's normal to feel weak, have a feeling you've been in a coma and so on. Everything depends on the cause of death, how fragile you will feel and how long will it take to recover."
I was completely baffled by the answer, something was definitely off about this entire place, but this was not what I expect to hear. There was a minute of silence while I was putting the pieces together and the nurse just sat there looking at me.
"But what is this place then? No heaven or hell? Is this how I'm supposed to spend my afterlife strapped to a bed? And what about my family, will I see them again?"
I had so much more I needed to know, but those were the first few that crossed my mind.
"This is what it looks like, a hospital of sorts. We are here to nurse you back to health, help you get back on your feet and prepare you for what's to come. That's why the curtains are always on the windows, so you don't see the outside. That's why we tell you about a coma and keep you in the dark, to avoid the shock so you can recover slowly. I'm sorry about the lies, but they were necessary in order for you to feel better. And as for your family, you'll see them yes, one day. When they die as well of course."
The answers I got did make me feel a little better, but there was so much more I needed to know. What happens after they let me out of here would be nice to know for example, and just as I was about to ask the nurse spoke again: "You'll find out everything in time. There has been much improvement in your health and it is time for you to get out of the bed. After all there is someone here to see you."
She finished with a huge smile on face as a familiar figure walked through the door.
"Jacob?", I asked with tears running down my cheek.
"It's been way too long little brother. There is so much we need to talk about. Come let me show you around to your new home."
After a long awkward hug we walked out into the unknown.