Chapter 10

"I fainted, or more accurately, I went into a mentally self-induced coma. Becoming flooded with all the emotions, my mind just could not cope ... it shut down. As I solely became aware of my surroundings, I discovered I was floating outside my body. I could see I was still breathing. I could tell that Hope and my mom were afraid and almost hysterical.

I tried and tried to return to my body with no success. The ambulance came, and I was taken to the hospital. Strangely, I could hear nothing being said. I found out later from my mom that the doctors had no idea what was wrong with me. I was still unable to find my way back into my body. It was as if I was tethered to it somehow and could go no more then a few feet from it.

Stuck here outside my body I was afraid I would be trapped in the ether like this forever.

Then behind me I heard a faint whisper. I turned and was surprised to be looking at my self. I spoke; surprised words came out since a spirit doesn't need to breath. I asked 'myself' what I said.

The other me replied ' I said you won't be here forever, Brother! you have..." I interrupted him... "Lee? But how? Why ... where are we ... why can't I get back in ... how are you here ... you died... ' I know I tend to ramble ... but wouldn't you if someone who died was talking to you. Lee scolded me, telling me to calm down and be quiet, he didn't have much time and I was wasting what little he had.

Lee told me that he was sent to watch over me, until I learned to control the gift I was chosen for. He said it was time for me to learn some control before the gift killed me. ' You see bro, a living humans mind is only meant to take in so much. You are receiving more input from every spirit around you and it has overloaded your mind effectively placing you in the comatose state you are in now. The only way back is to learn to filter the extra thoughts and emotions that will always be around you so you're not always bombarded with them.'

I agreed to learn what Lee had to teach me so I could go back and live my life. Lee taught me the controls and said with practice it would become second nature. I dreaded saying goodbye and losing Lee again but he replied 'I'm not going anywhere bro. I will always be watching over you'. As a calmness washed over me I gradually became one with my sleeping self.

Was it all a dream? When I awoke, I was exactly where I dreamed I had seen my self in the hospital. The emotions I had been receiving were now toned down, just like hitting the volume button on a TV remote. Mom was at the nurse's station talking with the doctors, dad was asleep in a chair near my bed. How long had I been out? I didn't feel much different, maybe a little stiff. I'm thirsty. I tried to open my mouth to ask someone for some water. All that came out was a hoarse croak. My dad awoke from the sound; he looked over, jumped out of his chair, pressed the call button for the nurse and got a big grin on his face.

The nurse came into the room, I don't know what she was expecting, but when she saw I was awake, threw the chart on my bed and ran for the doctor. The next thing I knew there was a parade of people in my room; several doctors, my mom and dad, and Hope's mom. The nurse was spoon feeding me ice chips to help the dryness and hoarseness in my throat. It seems they hadn't expected me to recover from the coma this soon, considering I didn't have a single REM state of sleep while I was out.

For those that don't know; REM is rapid eye movement, a state of sleep that is at the deepest for about 15 minutes out of every 30 minutes of sleep. REM stage is the time you dream and the time you mind begins to processes everything you have learned. When some coma patients are getting closer to coming out of their coma, they experience some REM stage activity. I had not had a single REM, and the different machines hooked to me showed very little brain activity right up to the point I opened my eyes. Well, I guess that explains that it must not have been a dream after all.

Once I could finally speak, everyone had a lot of questions for me. I did not want to answer any of them, so I turned to Hope's mother and the only thing I said was 'Hope ... where is my Hope?'"