Can you image this? One minute, chatting with your flatmate and the next... she's calling your mum thanks to a muffin who didn't pay attention. Well, that happened to me. Geri had to grab the nearest mobile she could find as my body was just lying there. It remained me of that Public Information Film that had a lass with her eyes open, just doing nothing. Well, what did you think would happened? I don't know what he was on, but who cares? Now, I have to deal with that day at the football pitch.
However, it's not why I have explained. It's was during this stage of Astral Plane while my body was pretty much out of service and finally returning. I grew up in a Catholic family, but this was something I wasn't expecting... unless I was dead. Yet, I somehow had some kind of life, but it caused a split between my body and soul. How else I would be talking about it? All, I was able to see while in the astral form was sirens, people scream like my flatmate and good friend, and the driver crying. Yes, men do cry. I wasn't sure was going on at that moment. The ringing of the blast of a bolt of electric energy was still flowing. It reminded me about a case in Congo, where a whole football team was just stuck down, yet the other team was just fine. I later found out it was thanks to a light poll being hit, and the wires making contact to the mostly wet ground thanks to the rainy night before.
Suddenly, it went pitch-black... to be fair, it something I excepted what death looked like before being taken to heaven. Yet, I was told, it wasn't my time. Still, it was rather nice to see a priest give my body last rites... well, you have to have a backup plan. I looked around the scene, knowing I wasn't likely going to have interacted while like this.
I found a spot to sit down for a moment and looked at the others. I noticed Jewel being checked out, while Alanis was coughing up blood. I mean, one minute, we were playing a friendly game of football. Then, out of the blue, some car was heading in our direction. I might have pushed both Geri and Brandy out of the way, just before impact and the other two were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next, I heard Celine screaming for others to lift the car that landed on us three. I took most of the damage, I guess. Brandy took the least but returned to get both me and Geri out. Brandy was suffering from an arm injury but she fought through. I was able to hear one of the women scream out, likely Geri.
When I finally got back to the light, it was a hospital... the A&E to be exact. I noticed a team of doctors working on my body. I was able to see a lot of blood coming out of mouth and ears, not to mention how my neck was broken. It was almost like botch hanging. My eyes were still viewable, and one of them had seemed to pop out. A cover was placed to protect it. I could tell my left arm was badly twisted, similar to a board I was able to break with my hand. My mum, a karate teacher, taught me that.
Speaking of which, I had to find Geri, but I didn't want to leave my body all alone with a group of people, who was pretty much to pull off something straight from a mad-science film. Along with a sharp scream, Geri had suffered a broken right leg and some burns. I didn't have much of a choice... I had to leave it up to chance. I tried to see if the others were all right, as many were also hit by that bolt. Suddenly, I had a strange feeling, then it went black again. All, I could do was hear all the voices, hoping no one was... until I heard her. My mum was informed, she had to the hospital... distressed. I never have seen or heard her do that over anything like this. I wanted to make sure that she was okay, but I wasn't able to do so. I found out that moment I was able to pass through one of the walls. I was starting to get scared but had to move forward. The last thing I saw of my body before another black-out was seeing it wheeled away to the operating suite. I wasn't able to process that one.
A few days had passed, I was sitting bedside of my body. It was kind of a scared of seeing how the damages it took. I still kept thinking of my mum seeing her only daughter in just condition, with her ex-husband, my dad, wanting to take action. I had a distant relationship with my dad. I checked out my charts to see how serious this was. It wasn't good, just lucky to even be alive. A broken neck, broken left arm, my entire back messed up... leading fears of paralysis thanks to the electric shock, four rib fractures... pretty much half of my rib cage was totaled, burns on my hands... ones I was able to see since there were more where skin was on, and a pulmonary laceration were listed... and that was what could be explained as my legs were covered up thanks to the burns combo. It looked like a splash of boiling water from Yellowstone despite the bone damaged being minor. The broken neck was mostly concerning thanks to how it happened, resulted in the Halo Brace, which was the addition to the Minerva body cast.
As I heard explained, it looked like a hanging gone wrong. My eyes were finally closed, but they had to be wrapped up... like a blindfold. I was also hooked up to a feeding tube, as I wasn't going to eat for a while. In case anyone is asking, yes I'm speaking about what noticed while in a coma and partially returned to my own. Deal with it. [Intro to "California Love" plays in a distant] Some things never get old.
It was during that time, I was trying to figure out how my soul and body got separated. By the bedside, there was a machine keeping my body alive. It didn't take long for Geri, after being treated for minor burns, to show up, still shaken up. Geri thought it was her fault I ended up this... it wasn't. My mum was by her side, both of them had a hard time holding back tears, despite understanding why they would be broken. I overheard a voice saying something about Snow White, only for my mum to scold him. I knew my brother, Paul, would try to find a way to cheer our family up. I gotta admit I got a laugh out the Snow White joke. In fact, I had to leave for a moment to bust out laughing.
Now, one would expect the rest of the girls coming over. I said... oh never mind. Well, it was around that time I was about to get a look on what has been going on with Geri and Melanie. It was common not to allow visitors, apart from family members, for the first few days. It was due to health reasons. Don't ask how Geri got over to my body's bedside, pass security, while limping. Geri also had to be admitted as well. Yet, word was reaching to Mel and Victoria, as pretty sure Brandy and Mariah had told them. They were there, at the scene. They were shaken up. Brandy even pointed out where I was hurt. I thanked her that, she saved my life moments after saving hers. Still, I wasn't ready for I had to see next.
As a soul, I walked down the corridor, checking on other patients, trying to find out what was happening to me. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Suddenly, I learned I can enters the dreams of others in orders to find out what's going on with me. I needed to find someone who is trained on handling something like this. Soon, I noticed a familiar face just in the psychiatric ward of the building. It was Victoria. I couldn't believe what I was seeing... I mean, I know she was talking about having symptoms of an illness but this. I was left asking myself questions about what going on her. I thought to wondered... had she been sectioned?
For those who have no idea what that means, it's a way of saying involuntary commitment though they had cases of those who entered at their own will. It was due to the sections of the Mental Health Law, where that term came from.
I wanted to just find a place to sit down because I was justifiably upset to see one of my dear friends in such a place. What I mean by that, I hadn't seen any mental health problems with Victoria. Sure, I have noticed something was wrong with Geri and Melanie, but Victoria... why! I wanted to know if her boyfriend, David, had something to do with this, only to find out that he was just as distressed. I waited until Victoria was sleeping, likely due to the medicines since I could interact with people at this stage in their dreams. I wanted to talk to her.
When I did enter, the scene was soon what looked like the den in her flat. David had found her on the ground. Panicked, David had called for help. It was when the whole scene just froze except for me, or so I thought. I looked around in the area, trying to make sense of what was going on. Suddenly, I heard a voice calling out for my name.
"What are you doing here?" Victoria asked.
I turned around, it was Victoria.
"I should be asking you, why to have to been sectioned?" I asked.
Victoria just looked at me, as I looked on the ground then her again.
"Victoria, what did you do yourself? You're body in the psychiatric ward while mine is at the critical care unit." I told her.
Victoria just looked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"It's all right. I checked myself in. I haven't put on a section. I ask for help after having a heart attack. I was having issues with eating for a long time. News about what happened to you was the tipping point. I didn't want to interrupt." Victoria said.
"How did you know when I just told you?" I asked.
I was clearly confused since I was still unsure about how I been comatose.
"Mel told me what happened over the phone. She appeared to be upset to tell me in person. I fainted afterward. David found me. He saved my life. I guess it was fulfilled of a life debt after saving him from a speeding car." Victoria said.
"It still doesn't explain being in a psychiatric ward." I said.
"It was while I was in the coronary wing is where they found out. They noticed I was suffering malnutrition as I copied both Geri and Melanie despite my own struggles. They kept the company. It becomes too much. Unlike them, I knew I had to take action. It was also partially to blame from coming down with meningitis. " Victoria said.
"Why didn't just ask me or Mel for help? We have noticed you three weren't looking right despite eating plant-based meals." I said.
"It wasn't just that. I still not sure, how they got like that? I just wanted to keep company once they were out, it just got to me." Victoria said.
"Victoria... you three could've died." I said.
"I know. I'm glad David came by." Victoria said.
"I should've..." I said.
"It's all right. You were trying to take action." Victoria said.
"Still..." I said.
"They also find out what I was taking as a substitute and over... I thought it would free me from..." Victoria said.
"You didn't try, did you?" I ask, looking on her bandaged wrist.
I didn't know she was considering...
"You were trying..." I wanted to said. I nearly had a look at she had done in the flashback, with a razor blade she found. I could tell it had to be a long way, given the amount of blood on the ground and the paleness in her skin.
"It's what you're thinking. It was into pain. I wanted to end it, but was..." Victoria said.
I wanted to calm Victoria down, but she stopped me halfway. Victoria understood it was just instinct kicking in that I was following. While I was speaking, it started to fade into darkness. I was trying to make sense of what was going on. I was able to tell Victoria had woken up as I back in the hospital, with her. There was a visitor for Victoria, her general practitioner, so she was worried about her health. Yet, she understood Victoria's decision to check herself in for help. I was still trying to locate mines, but there was a conference he had to attend. I wasn't if it was about me, but at that point... I didn't want to know something I already figure.
It was twilight when I returned where my body was. It was still hooked up to mechanical ventilators to help with my breathing, though the tracheotomy I was given just gives me the creeps. I know it was to help my breathing, but I wasn't sure about the long-term effect. I later learned why I had to done and maintenance that was needed to ensure I could breathe all right afterward. It was my neck injury that was troubling, lucky just to survive it. I was still wondering about what was happening to Victoria, and if I something to do with it.
Then, I suddenly thought about Geri and Melanie as they were struggling with similar conditions as Victoria was suffering from. I had thought about staging an intervention before on them, get them the help they need. I still remember Geri being at my side following the accident, and I heard that her health is starting to go downhill. At that point, I wanted to just wake up, go find her, and try to get her help. However, I was completely incapacitated, meaning... there wasn't a thing I could do as there wasn't much what can be done. I had to accept the help of my own body if I was ever going to get out of the situation I was in.