Coma Ch. 02

Coma: The Sequel

At the end of my story 'Coma' there was a twist thrown in. I will begin the sequel from that point. If you haven't read 'Coma' you might want to read it first to better understand the story. A big 'Thank You' to Linda62953 for editing my stories.

****

I woke up and suddenly realized I had no idea where I was. I looked around the room and it looked like a hospital room. What was I doing here? Was I dreaming? I tried to sit up and fell back down due to being dizzy. I quickly found the nurses buzzer and pressed it at least a half dozen times. A nurse came running into my room, "You're awake! Oh my God!" she looked nervous as she grabbed her phone and called in the doctor before I could even say anything.

"Where am I? What's happened to me? How did I get here, I can't remember anything!" I screamed out.

"Just stay calm Mr. Wright, the doctor is on his way. He'll explain everything to you. You were in an accident," she seemed nervous, but I didn't know why.

"Where is Annie? Someone please find Annie!" I screamed out.

The doctor came in and I heard the nurse ask him why I was asking for Annie? How did I know Annie was my caregiver?

Was this real or was I dreaming or having a nightmare again? I had no idea what was going on. Was it all a premonition of what was to happen to me?

I looked up and there stood Annie, just like I had dreamed about. She was so beautiful and said, "Hi Justin, I heard you woke up and got here as fast as I could. Everything will be all right now."

I was lost for words. I remembered my dream like it had just happened. I didn't know what to say. If I mentioned my dream to the doctor or Annie, would it change the outcome? I fell in love with Annie in my dream and we ended up getting married. Would it change if I talked about it? Did everything in my dream really happen? What about Julie? Did she cheat on me or was that just part of my dream?

I decided it would probably be best not to tell much of my dream to anyone. I needed to find out if it was a premonition or just a dream.

Annie said she'd be back after the doctor examined me. He told me to calm down and said he'd answer my questions as soon as he ran a few tests. He squeezed my hands and asked me if I could feel it. He then pricked my feet and toes. I pulled back saying, "Ouch!" It made the doctor smile. I had to wonder if he was a sadist or something, smiling that he'd caused me pain.

It was still very similar to my dream. Damn! I wished I would have paid closer attention to everything I'd dreamed. I was hoping for a future with Annie and didn't want to mess things up.

"Mr. Wright, you were in a car accident and have been in a coma. I have a few questions to ask you. What do you think the date is today?"

I told him that I wasn't sure but I believed it was December 23 and asked why he was asking me this?"

"I'll explain it to you in a few minutes but I need to ask you a few more questions. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Now this was a problem. Should I tell him about my dream or what I remembered about my accident? The truth and my dream were getting mixed up in my mind.

"I'm not sure what you mean. I remember being in my office and I think I got in my car last night, but I can't remember why." I decided to ask him about my wife. "Where's my wife Julie? I think I remember her singing and she kissed me goodnight. Wait, that might have been a dream. Damn! I can't remember. Get my wife please; maybe she can help me out here."

The doctor said, "Mr. Wright, the date is March 29, 2014. You've been in a coma since Dec. 22, 2013. You were in a terrible motor vehicle accident and have been in a coma since you arrived."

So far it was somewhat like I remembered. Then he asked me about Annie. He said that the nurse had said I'd asked about Annie. Shit, I didn't want to tell him about the dream so I told him I believed I'd heard someone singing to me while I was in the coma and I heard the name Annie.

"Did you recognize Annie when she came in here?" asked the doctor.

"I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at her. Who is she?" I asked, wondering if he would tell me she was my caregiver, just like I'd dreamed.

"She's a registered nurse. A nurse is assigned to coma patients to take care of their needs, whatever they need. Annie volunteered to be your caregiver."

I asked again about my wife, Julie and the doctor told me that Annie would talk to me about the accident and call whomever I wanted her to contact. He did tell me that she had been my caregiver ever since the day of the accident.

The doctor left and Annie came back in. She pretty much repeated what she'd told me in my dream. "Hi Justin, I came in the moment I heard you'd woke up."

I decided for now, to go along with what I remembered in my dream. "I know you! We went to the same college, didn't we? Your name is Annette. How come I can remember you, but not what I last did? Can you tell me what happened and contact my wife Julie and my parents?"

"I'll tell you all that I know. First of all, I contacted your parents already and they'll be here first thing in the morning. I called your wife and left her a message on her phone. I'll try to explain what I can to you, but we need to take it slow."

"What can you tell me about Julie? Does she come here regularly to see me?" I was pushing it a little; I needed to know what was real and what wasn't.

"Justin, I prefer not to talk to you about Julie, if you don't mind. Your parents can discuss it with you tomorrow."

"Why? Please, just tell me if she's been here to see me," I asked.

"She came in the afternoon, the day after your accident. She stayed maybe fifteen minutes, argued with your parents and then left. There was an older man she called 'Rob' who waited for her in the visitors lounge. She stopped by a few times the first couple of weeks. She argued about your care with the administrators. After that, she came in maybe once a month looked at you and left. I'm sorry, but I won't lie to you."

"Thank you for being honest with me. Is there any chance I can get something to drink? My mouth and throat are really dry."

She gave me a sip of water and a small glass of ice chips. Later she brought me a can of ginger ale. She told me to take small sips, so my stomach would get used to something being in it again. She explained that I would be on mostly soups and soft foods to start and would be starting some physical therapy that day to help rebuild my muscles.

The doctor came back in and ran a few more tests. He told me everything was looking good and that I was a very lucky man. I sure didn't feel that lucky, laying there in bed. He was interested in my memory and of what I thought were dreams. He said very few coma patients who woke up ever mentioned having or remembering their dreams.

"I don't know Doc, I remember hearing someone singing and reading to me. I assumed it was my wife but it could have been Annie. I have this song in my head that I heard repeatedly. Right now, I can't even remember what it was. Does Annie sing?" I asked. "I know Julie never sang that I know of."

The doctor said, "As a matter of fact, Annie has a great voice and is always singing. I don't know how, but maybe you did hear her."

The doctor left and I must have dozed off when I heard a male voice. It was Tony, I remembered him from my dream. I wanted to see if he followed my premonition.

"Hey there Justin, nice to see you're awake. I'm Tony and I'll help you get those muscles back in shape. For today, you'll be taking it pretty easy. I'm hanging a bar above your head and all you have to do is reach up and hold on to it. Hopefully, you'll be able to pull yourself up into a sitting position. Take your time and pretend you're doing pull ups. Don't overdo it."

Needless to say, I overdid it and my arms ached. Annie came in with a lotion for aches and pains and rubbed it on my arms. She helped me sit up and I was able to eat some soup. I have to admit my arms hurt but I had to play a little macho in front of Annie. I knew she'd seen right through my charade when she shook her head.

I wanted so bad to tell her about my dream, but I knew I had to wait and find out about Julie. She did ask me what made me say her name to the nurse when I woke up and I told her that I did have a dream during my coma and I don't know why but she was in it. It made her smile.

The next morning Tony was back with a wheelchair and told me Annie had said I overdid it yesterday, just like in my dream. Next, he was supposed to tell me about our plans today and that's what he did.

"Well, we're going to get you to stand today," he said to me. "Hopefully you can help hold yourself up. That's why I wanted you to exercise your arms yesterday." He helped me into the wheelchair and we went down to the therapy room.

He helped me stand up and I wrapped my arms around the two bars. Wow, it hurt like hell trying to hold myself up. It hurt even more than it did in my dream. After about a minute, I had to sit back down. Tony would let me rest for a couple of minutes and then I would have to stand again. This went on for about a good hour. It was becoming easier and I even smiled. As I exercised, Tony and I talked.

"How well do you know Annie?" I asked.

"She's been here about two years. She has to be the nicest woman alive. Everyone loves her," Tony replied.

He told me they never dated even though he'd asked her out. It was odd asking him questions that I already knew the answers to. He did say that they'd went out in a group before to a lounge and that Annie could really sing.

When I asked if she dated, he told me she'd dated a couple of interns but it didn't last. She was hung up on an old boyfriend from college who dumped her for another girl. If my dream was holding true, I was that guy. I asked Tony if he ever met my wife and he said he hadn't but word was, she was a looker. I just smiled and shook my head. She sure had the body and dressed like a slut looking back and thinking about her.

If she hadn't gotten pregnant, I doubt I would have married her. All I wanted was to do right by her, seeing as I got her pregnant. So far, I found out she didn't show up the day of my accident. Guess I'll have that talk with my parents and see if she's the slut I was told about in my dreams.

****

Tony took me back to my room. Annie came in and asked how things went. Tony said that I did great and would be on my feet in no time. Shortly after I was settled in, my parents came in to see me. They smiled at Annie as she left to do her rounds and both of them came over and hugged me.

Mom was crying and even Dad had tears in his eyes. The last time I talked to Dad, we'd argued. It my dream, it seemed like it was yesterday but now it seemed like months ago.

We did the how are you; and them saying they were happy to see me wake up. I asked about Julie and my dad got mad almost instantly. I must have hit a nerve because my dad got mad and told me Julie was a cheating wife and took me for everything I had and she wanted me dead. My mom had to calm him down.

"What do you mean she took me for everything I had? We're still married aren't we?"

"In name only," my dad said. "I'll do my best to explain it all to you. Are you sure you're up to it? It's a really messed up situation."

I had a good idea what dad was going to say and he explained it pretty much like in my dream. I let them know that Annie explained my condition after the accident and was told Julie rarely came in to see me.

"Son," said Dad. "When we saw you after the accident you were in a coma. You were pretty messed up. Annie said you were on life support to keep your heart beating and to help your lungs receive air."

"The next day Julie arrived with some guy as old as me and said she wanted you taken off life support. She said you'd always said you never wanted a machine to keep you alive."

Dad explained that Julie got a lawyer and fought with the hospital over my being on life support. I now knew that the things about Julie in my dreams were true. She was a conniving slut that took me for everything that I owned.

I knew my next talk with Annie would be to find out if Julie had the abortion and about her nude day vacations. Over the next few days, a lot of things happened. I was trying to remember what all happened in the days before my accident and in my dream. It was hard trying to remember what I'd said to everyone in the dream.

Tony worked with me and I was now walking with crutches but taking it slow. We talked and I must have said a few things differently because Tony told me more about his personal life with the women. Like me, he was a player. He'd have sex with anything that moved. I sure was glad that Annie didn't date him. I didn't want to bring up Kelly until Annie brought her up.

My parents came in everyday and told me more things about Julie; none of it was good. Most of it I remembered from my dreams. They told me my job was still there waiting for me and that my secretary Cindy was handling it quite well but didn't want the responsibility of management.

****

Back to Annie, she was there every day to see me. I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed when she removed my catheter. She smiled at me and said it wasn't the first time she'd saw my private areas. She gave me sponge baths regularly. I thanked her time and time again for all she had done for me. How do you thank someone for saving your life?

Annie would stop by after her shift everyday and talk with me. We talked about my life with Julie and why we got married. I told Annie that I knew everyone considered me a player. My parents were wealthy and I got most everything I wanted. I explained about my parents not trusting Julie and all the things they told me. When I mentioned Julie's miscarriage, Annie just stared at me. That wasn't like her so I asked her what was the matter.

"Justin, Julie wasn't the honorable woman you thought she was. I'm sorry but you deserve to know the truth. I don't know if you remember when Julie and her girlfriends went to Myrtle Beach for a few days."

"Yes, I remember, they went two years in a row just to get away from the class work. She asked me to go but I had to work at the dealership and couldn't go," I replied.

"She didn't want you to go and knew you had to work. Why do you think she went with three of her girlfriends? They went to party. It was the nude day party at a private beach."

"How do you know this?" I asked. It looked like Annie was to tell me about the nude day party just like in my dream. I wasn't sure if I was sad or happy that it was true. I would be a cuckold but also free to pursue Annie.

"My friend Kelly was one of the three girls that went with her the second year. Kelly started working here and we became friends, and she told me all about it. I didn't know anything about what happened until you were brought in, due to the accident. Do you really want to know what went on? I'm not really comfortable with telling you." I wanted to know.

She told me the story about Kelly at the nude day party and I asked her what she knew about Julie. She told me pretty much what I remembered in my dream.

"Kelly said it was Julie's idea to go the second year since she enjoyed the first one so much. Kelly took photos of Julie with her cell phone. Believe me; you don't want to see them. Julie was so out of it that she didn't even know Kelly took the pictures. She was with as many as three guys at once. Julie is a very sexy woman. Every guy wanted a piece of her, and Kelly said, they got it. When they were done with her, she didn't look so sexy. According to Kelly, she looked like a drunken whore who had just gotten gangbanged."

"Did you see the pictures?" I asked.

"Yes," said Annie. I was probably looking dejected as Annie said, "Maybe, I shouldn't have told you about Julie, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm glad you did. I needed someone to tell me the truth, but now there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it Justin? You look awfully pale all of a sudden."

"What I'm about to tell you could possibly change my life and yours forever. Do you believe in premonitions or dreams?"

"I don't know what you mean," she looked concerned.

"I had a dream, a premonition of what would happen when I woke up. Everything that you have told me and everything that my parents have told me, I've already heard. I really care for you and I couldn't keep it from you. The only problem is by telling you, I might have changed the outcome."

Annie looked nervous, "Are you telling me you think you lived through this already, kind of like the movie, "Groundhog Day?"

"Yes and no. I only lived through it once, but by telling you, I may have changed a few things and it could change the path of my dream."

"In your dream, what was I going to tell you next?" asked Annie.

"That you didn't say that Julie was a slut, even though she was and that you don't think she had a miscarriage either, but can't prove it. You think she had an abortion."

"You said she'd gone to a Family Planning clinic and during the procedure she had complications and was brought to the hospital and they finished with the 'miscarriage'."

"Oh my God! That's scary, Justin. How far in the future does your dream go?"

"I can't tell you. I don't want the future to change. The more I say about my dream the more changes it might make."

"But when I talk to you, you know what I'm going to say. It's as if you are reading my mind and knowing my thoughts. Justin, I have to think about this. I'll talk to you later."

As she was leaving, I asked her to please not tell anyone about my dream. She looked at me and left the room. I had to wonder if I'd made a big mistake. I didn't want to change the future of Annie and me being together but I to be honest with her as well.

****

After Annie left, I started looking through my calendar book that Cindy had dropped off for last December. I noticed two calls from a Norma Wilson, both in late December. I notice the last one was on December 22, the day of my accident. I decided to call her and maybe she could shed some light on the twenty-second.

I called Norma and our conversation went the same as it was in my dream. I was going to the motel and catch Julie and Rob having their affair when I'd had my accident. I did find out that Rob was a wealthy man but was going to lose half of his wealth to Norma.

I guess Julie was in it for the money. I wondered if she would stay with Rob or take him for what she could and then leave him, too. I figured that was her plan for me.

I wasn't sure where I was going from here, but I followed my dream and called my lawyer and started divorce proceedings. I wanted out of this marriage as soon as possible. Ken, my lawyer came to see me the next day. I explained the entire situation to him and he said he would get right on it.

Annie came back in to see me and I explained everything I had found out from Norma. She smiled when I told her I had talked to my lawyer and had already started getting a divorce. She told me she had some news for me but that I probably already knew it from my dream. I was doing better than expected on my rehabilitation and would be released from the hospital in a couple of days.

"Annie, I told you about the dream because I care for you. I don't remember every little detail of my dream. I need you to trust me; you're the best thing in my life."

After my discharge, I would still have to come in for an hour or so each day and work out with Tony. I could also start eating most anything now, but not to overdo it. Now I had a new problem. Where was I going to live on such short notice? I couldn't move back to Cleveland with my parents. I was hoping to get back to work within a couple of weeks.