Not Just Another String On His Guitar

Chapter 9- The Pursuit Of Happiness

Chapter Nine:

Delilah’s POV

                “We’ll make things right, we’ll feel it all tonight,” a distant voice sang in a quiet hum, the words of ‘Tonight, Tonight’ by The Smashing Pumpkins flooding my ears, “We’ll find a way to offer up the night, tonight. The indescribable moments of your life, tonight.”

                The voice was muffled—like I was standing on a cliff and the person singing was far below me. Actually, I was standing on a cliff; and a black ocean roared beneath me, the speckled white stars above reflecting off the crashing waves. Walking to the edge, I looked down at the person standing on the sand, their features unclear. I didn’t know who it was; all I could feel was a strong urge to run into their arms, a passionate urge. To be with them. To love them. I thought I saw a flicker of short blond hair, but then it turned brown, and blond again, ever changing.  Their voice was soothing even though I could hardly hear it,

                “The impossible is possible, tonight, tonight. Believe in me, as I believe in you…tonight.”

But it suddenly stopped when the song ended. I peered down again and the person was gone, leaving two sunken footprints in the sand where their feet had been. A feeling of emptiness and longing settled in my gut, and without thinking I ambled off the edge of the cliff, floating softly to the bottom.

                Once I hit the ground, my eyes shot open and I sat upright, taking in my room around me. Had it been a dream? I guess so. I didn’t know it was possible to hear a song in a dream.

                I rubbed my sleepy eyes and glanced around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. Thick rays of moonlight swirled through the window and illuminated the pale turquoise walls, and the clock beside my bed read ‘Thursday, 8 p.m.’  

                Thursday? What happened to Wednesday? Wasn’t it just Tuesday yesterday? Oh god, the talent show would be this Sunday, and I’ve hardly practiced. And I’ve missed so much school. Wait…what even happened last night? After inhaling a deep breath, I looked at the chair beside my bed; I could’ve sworn that wasn’t there before. I swung my legs over the side of the bed to get up, but suddenly, my hand darted up to my head when I felt a sharp pain.

                My fingers traced over a large, soft bandage just above my right eyebrow. I reflexively began to take it off before I caught my reflection in a mirror. A gasp filled my lungs and my skin prickled with goose-bumps as I stared at my face. My hair was matted, a purple bruise covered my cheekbone, and the bandage covered a big bump on my forehead. There was a slightly swollen look to my eyes like I’d been asleep for days without waking. My muscles ached a little as I stood and took wobbly steps toward the door. What the hell happened to me?

                Turning the doorknob, I stumbled into the hallway and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the light. Feeling like a shower would bring back my memory, I went into the bathroom. After brushing my hair and changing, I went back into the hallway. It was silent for a while as I stood there, until I heard voices from the kitchen downstairs.

                “She’s been out for forty-eight hours, Jake, and hasn’t woken up once. Don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous the doctors told us she would be fine at home? Shouldn’t they have kept her at the hospital until she woke up?” my mother’s voice rattled nervously as I could hear her pacing around the kitchen. Wow, my mom nervous about me? That’s probably the first.    

                “She’s fine, Alice. The doctors said she didn’t have a coma, she just needed some rest. I don’t know why she’s been asleep for so long. If she doesn’t wake up within the next few hours, we’ll take her back to the hospital,” my dad’s voice replied reassuringly. Dad. He’s actually here. It must have been a few weeks since I actually had a conversation with him.