Cursed To Hold My Breath

Looking Back

Morning light poured in through my window, and I momentarily believed I was warm in my bed in my own room, expecting Sadie to come and lick my hand, but then I opened my eyes, and found myself in my hospital room. Reality finally hit me, and my heart sunk, as I turned my head, and found somebody sitting in a chair nearby, and it wasn't Alex.

"Todd?" I said aloud.

He looked up and smiled at me. "Oh, good morning." His arm was in a sling, and I looked at it questioningly, but decided not to ask about it.

"Uh, morning." I gave him a puzzled look. "Where's Alex?" I scanned the room, but he wasn't there.

"He's...out at the moment." He said. "But I wanted to see how you were doing, and maybe talk for a bit?"

"Sure I guess." I shrugged as he brought the chair closer.

"You look good." He commented, and when I gave him a look, he corrected himself. "Well, better than you were before."

"Thanks." I said nonchalantly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine, I only lost everything, no big deal." I said sarcastically.

Todd studied me for a moment, then asked, "Have you looked at the bright side yet?"

"There is no bright side, it's all a gray area." I said bitterly.

"How about the fact that you're alive?" He offered, "That seems like a good thing."

I scoffed, "It doesn't feel like it."

"Look, I understand what you're going through, but you've gotta stay positive or it's only going to get worse." He said.

I rolled my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "How can I?" I asked. "I lost my family, my house, my best friend, and now I'm going to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, I really don't see any reason to stay positive."

"Be glad that you're alive and well, and you've still got those who cared about you. I mean we were all worried about you, Alex especially." Todd said. "Lillie, well let's just say she didn't take the news very well."

I was silent, yea, I was alive, I'll give him that. "Oh...I never got the chance to say thank you." I said quietly.

"What?" His brow furrowed at me.

"You saved my life back there, so I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." I smiled thinly at him.

Todd looked down sheepishly. "Well, I mean, just be lucky someone knew what was going on. If I weren't with Alex, he'd have no idea, and you wouldn't have survived if the bleeding wasn't stopped."

I stared down at the bandages on my arms as he continued, "I wasn't sure what your intentions were, but I know it was a dark time, and I knew you went too deep because of how much there was, you seriously scared both me and Alex that night."

"I know...I realize that now." I said quietly. After a long moment, I looked up at him. "Todd?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened...once you guys left the house?" I asked.

I saw his jaw tighten, and he stared out distantly for a long moment. "It seems all foggy to me, but it was a living nightmare." He whispered. "We saw your house be completely blown away...before we got caught in it."

I gasped as he continued. "It picked us up, and Haley was torn away from me. I was then vulnerable as I was getting hit by debris in every direction, and at that moment I had no idea what happened to Alex. Then the tornado dropped me hard on the ground, and everything went black.