Once Upon A December

-Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember. And a song someone sang, once upon a December.-

My eyes opened fairly slowly, ending a familiar song that I’ve been hearing over and over. The sound of my hoarse breathing surrounded the room. Beep-Beep. The high tone beeps were the only accompany I had. I sat up cautiously as my back ached; it felt as if I haven’t moved in a really long time. My legs were sore, my head dizzy, and my fingers could hardly move. I glanced around the room. Empty. Cold. Lonely. On top of me was a blanket as white as a dove. I heard a couple of cracking noises in my noises as I turned my head. I spotted a monitor with green lines going up and down following the rhythm of my heartbeat; wires were attached to my hand. I felt a chill run down my spin. A hospital, why am I here? Just then, a door creaked open and a nurse stood with her widened eyes gleaming at me.

”Oh thank the lord you’re awake!” She ran towards me, clip clapping her white boots. “Jamie! Don’t you understand how great this is? You’ve been in a coma for nearly 3 years!”
My face felt paralyzed since I haven’t been able to move it for 3 years.

My eyes just pondered back and forth, wondering around the room. The place was completely white, including the nurse; it felt I was already dead. I managed to move my feet and settle them onto the freezing cold floor. My legs shivered as I almost fell, but I regained my balance. Goosebumps popped up as a cold breeze blew in from the outside. There was only one window that was on the other side of the room. I made my way across to the window and noticed white puffs falling outside. Snow. The nurse said she was going to call a “familiar face” and closed the door shut behind me.

My eyes squinted as I watched the beautiful yet lonely scenery outside. The ground was carpeted with a snow quilt. The window fogged up as I exhaled gently and began to hum that familiar song again. The melody was sweet, calming, and soothing. I picked myself higher with the tip of my toes, swung my arms in the air, and closed my eyes. As I hummed, I twirled around the room in circles imagining my feet were buried in snow. But it wasn’t freezing at all; it was just soft and a wonderful feeling below my feet. The sky cried ice crystals that melted on my palms. I heard from somewhere or someone that snow…would never last. No matter how beautiful things are in life, one day, it may just fade away.

I snapped out of my thoughts as my feet lost balance again and I collapsed onto the freezing hard floor next to a white desk. As I picked myself up with my hands, they trembled furiously; I still wasn’t used to using my arms yet. When I looked up, I spotted a box that labeled “Jamie’s Stuff.” My feet weakly rose up as my hands crawled through all the junk that were buried in the box. A photo stopped me from traveling through everything else and I grabbed it. It was a picture of me in the arms of another man. But who was it? My head seemed to throb as I thought about it and I let out a gasping shriek as the pain hit me.

I put the photo back into the box and the door slammed open against the wall fiercely which gave me a jump. I turned to see a girl who seemed utterly shocked and out of her mind.
”Jamie! You’re alive!” She walked towards me quickly with her fur jacket swooshing in the air. I took a step back.
”Who are you?” My voiced croaked. The girl stopped walking and glared at me with disbelief. She held out her hands, waiting for a hug from me, but I think she saw the fear in my eyes that made her frown. The nurse then bumped in telling the girl that maybe I suffer a little of memory loss and might only take me a couple hours or more to remember everything. The girl looked back at me with hurt in her eyes after the nurse left the room, but she managed to send a sweet smile.

”I’m still glad I can see your hazel eyes again. But I hope I can also see your cherry lips smile once again; Friend forever.” She blew a couple kisses to me and held up a couple bags. “My name is Lizzy and I brought some stuff so I can accompany you for a couple days here in the hospital!” She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bed. “Come on, get into bed! Wouldn’t want you to get sick now would you? Anyways, here’s the latest style clothing I got for you. I guess I can say a lot has changed with fashion over these 3 years. And this is the new Elle magazine, a new perfume, the newest pop albums, the newest jewelry from Tiffany’s…”
Lizzy just kept pulling out things from the bags like magic; I was amazed at how much stuff she could store inside her bags.

After she finished her chatters, she saw that I wasn’t anywhere near happy. She stopped piling things on top of me and said,
”Ok then, I’ll just go get us some hot chocolate. If you need anything else, tell me, or best of all, if you remember anything.”
Just as she was about to leave, I stopped her.
”Actually, I need your help.” I looked at her coffee eyes that seemed to lighten up a little. “Do you know this song?”
-Someone hold me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory.-
”How do you remember that song?” She asked me.
”When I was in the coma, I dreamed over and over about that song. Why is that?”
”It’s called ‘Once upon a December’ by…your boyfriend.”
”Boyfriend?” Just then I thought about that photo I had picked up, the room seemed to get warmer at that second as I remember a portion of my past. There was an image of a guy that held my hand and placed it on his heart. He said his heart would always beat for me, not even death would stop his heart from beating that rhythm.
“What’s his name?” I questioned Lizzy.
”Henry Baletti.”

-Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember, things my heart used to know, thing that yearn to remember. And a song, someone sings, once upon a December.-
His name was Henry Baletti and we met in a coffee shop because I was clumsy enough to spill all over his shirt. He took off his sunglasses and let out a sigh with a shake of his head. I was captured by his green eyes and silky black hair. I remember he was a guy that wanted to become famous in the singing industry. Our times together were filled with laughter and joy.

A stroll in the park where there were sakuras and as petals fell; they danced in the air slowly so we can gaze at each of their beauty. Sunsets on the beaches and the rush of the ocean rushing onto the shore filled our heads as we slowly glided our feet through the grain sand. On special occasions, he’d surprise me with a bunch of flowers and chocolates with a heart warming smile that stretched across his face a hundred miles. The scent of peaches on his skin and the soft gentle hands of his always held mine. The swans gather at a glassy lake and the sunshine slant just enough to make the flowers gleam.

Henry had composed a song and dedicated it to me, the next thing I knew, and he was the next pop singer in the sensation. His favorite song was “Once Upon a December” and he’d always sing it to me every morning on the piano. In the winter time, he’d wrap my neck with his scarf and breathe into my hands. The crystals fall and blanket the ground; we leave footprints behind and make snow angels. He held up a triangle ice with a white rose frozen in the center of it and placed it onto my palms. It was freezing but it was such a beautiful and magnificent imagery. But fate had its way…one terrible day; I was told I had to do surgery. They gave me a shot to put me into a sleep, it turns out I had a terrible allergic reaction to the medication that put me into a coma and suffer a little of memory loss.

”Where is Henry nowadays?” I asked Lizzy with hope as I held my hands together, trying to warm myself up in the cold room.
”Henry…well…actually…I’m not all that certain where he is. I haven’t heard from him since.”
I dropped my head down and could almost feel a tear draw down, how come Henry wasn’t the first to come and see me? Did he move on? Did he forget me?
At that moment I heard the door slam open again; I rolled my eyes thinking it was another crazy stranger I didn’t remember. But I saw a red face guy, green eyes, black silky hair, huffing and puffing like he just ran a thousand miles. He whispered breathlessly
”Jamie.”