Hollow Eyes

“Jim? Jim? Can you hear me? It’s April. I love you.”

“Wha…what happened? Where am I? Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Jim, calm down I’ll get the nurse. Nurse! Nurse, he’s awake, help me!”

“Nurse? Nurse…I’m in a hospital?”

“Are you Ok Jim? You scared me there a minute ago…I thought your heart had stopped…”

“No, don’t you come any closer! Stay where you are! Don’t move!”

“Jim, honey, what is the matter?”

“Stop calling me that! Who is that anyway?”

“Jim that is your name, Dr. Jim Weathers, that’s you. This is Linda, a nurse here at St. Marks. She is here to help.”

“You’re looking pretty good today Dr. Weathers. You could hardly tell you were in a coma for the past 5 years.”

“5 years? Coma? I’ve…I’ve been asleep? What happened to me? Why am I here?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Remember? Does it look like I remember?”

“Ok, calm down Dr. Weathers.”

“What are you doing with that needle?”

“This will only hurt for a second.”

“No, keep that thing away from me! Don’t come any closer…I’ve got a…a…a pillow!”

“Um…Mrs. Weathers, I think the best approach here is to just let the good doctor be for now.”

“Thanks Linda. I’ll call if I need you.”

“Mrs. Weathers?”

“Yes Jim, I’m your wife.”

“My wife? My wife? I’m…I’m married?”

“Ha...you always did have a way with words. I’ve missed you Jim. The day that they called me about the accident…I thought the worst; but when I got to the ER and you were lying there sleeping…in your coma…that’s when my heart sank. I tried to wake you up, but…oh Jim!”

“Oh no don’t cry! Don’t cry because of me…I’m…I’m awake now. Please…A-April, don’t cry.”

“W-What did y-you say?”

“April, please don’t cry.”

“April, you said my name. You know my name!”

“I remembered your name because you told me it before I opened my eyes.”

“So…so you still don’t remember me?”

“I wish I could say yes to that question, but the truth is no. No, I don’t remember who you are, or who I am for that matter. That name you keep calling me means nothing to me, that story you just told holds no weight for me. I don’t think I can even feel anything right now.”

“No, no Jim! Don’t say that! Don’t tell me that you can’t remember my name or my face…or my touch.”

“You’re hands are warm…”

“I know you’re in there somewhere Jim. Look at me, look at me!”

“You have green eyes…they are very nice.”

“Oh my god…you…your eyes…I can’t see myself in your eyes.”

“You can’t? Is that a bad thing?”

“I could always see myself in Jim’s eyes…he would…he would let me see him through his eyes. Every time he said ‘I love you’ he would look into my eyes and I would know that he truly did love me.”

“I don’t have those eyes, do I?”

“No, you don’t. My Jim is gone.”