This time when I opened my eyes to the overwhelming brightness and beeping, I quickly shut my eyes back, refusing to look any further. I didn't want to know this life, or what was waiting for me. I squeezed my eyes shut and rolled over onto my side on the flat hospital bed. I was still slightly groggy so I just lay there with my eyes shut, remembering. Good-bye Shaylee, I said inside my head, and felt a stabbing feeling in my heart, good-bye world.
I lay there thinking of all the Hell my now non-existent family and I had been through in the past years. I thought of how happy my family used to be, but that seemed impossible. The times when we were happy seemed a million miles away, or like a distant dream. How could such a once happy family turn out like this?
I was torn from my thoughts when I heard the door slowly open, but I didn't bother to turn and see who it was. I kept my eyes fixated on a purple plush chair sitting by my bedside, until I saw James' strong body fall into it. I quickly closed my eyes, feeling like I was intruding somehow.
"Kris, I know you're awake," his soothing voice echoed, and I felt like none of this is real.
"No, I'm not."
"Then how did you just say that?"
"I didn't."
"Kris..."
I didn't reply, I just rolled over on my other side, my back facing James. I felt anger bubbling in my stomach, but I wasn't sure why.
"I just want you to know...I couldn't have done anything..."
"And why the hell not? I think it is thoroughly screwed up that an angel, a guardian angel for me, to make me happy, could not save the one ray of sun shine still hanging on in my life?" I snapped at him, but kept my face turned away, buried into a white fluffy pillow.
"Kris," his voice sounded like it was getting closer now. "You know the deal with being an angel, and until I figure out how, there are still limits. When my friend called, I asked him about it, and he didn't know either. But...there may still be a way. We can find it together. Okay?" His breath was pushing onto my cheek and I realized he was right behind me. I resisted the urge to pull away and forced myself to relax. I watched as he sunk away, returning to his chair. He couldn’t even comfort me the way I needed him to.
We sat there in awkward silence until a nurse came in to check up on how I was emotionally. Like this was some mental hospital.
The annoyingly bubbly nurse asked me about anti- depressants, how I was feeling, if I needed anything else, and other questions I had blotted out of my mind. Luckily, barely an hour later, James and I were leaving with a prescription for anti-depressants.
Apparently I had been in there a day, and on the car ride home James filled me in on what I had missed. Ty had gone through a great first day of school, and he was still and always excited to go back. He was asleep at home right now, and everything seemed to be fine.
Except the fact that my life was ruined and Shaylee was gone.
James also informed me that he was trying to find out more about how guardian angels came to be, and if there's any way to find out things about his powers...or whatever you want to call them. He was also looking into trying to figure out if there's a group of people, like creators.
I nodded along, listening and soaking the information in. I thought it was great, but I had no idea what else to say. I guessed a whole new world of adventures was about to unfold. This time, it'd be between James, Ty, and me. I hoped this time the adventure would end well, unlike all of the ones from my past.