Bruised Life

         I blinked my eyes open, blinded by all the whiteness. I tried to move but there was a shooting pain all throughout my body, I looked down and saw bruises all over my arms. I heard the sound of a door opening and in walked an unfamiliar tall man in a white coat. “Oh Andrew. You’re awake.” He said to me. I looked at him, confused. “Where am I?” I asked. “Right, I wouldn’t expect you to remember after the accident.”
         “Accident? What accident?” I asked. “Well…” he began, but he got cut off by my parents running into the room. “Oh Andrew! I’m so glad you’re okay!” My mother exclaimed holding my hand with tears in her eyes. “You gave us quite a scare, son.” My unemotional father said. “I think we’d better let Andrew get some rest.” The man in the white coat said to my parents. He turned to me, “I’m Doctor Anders by the way.” Then he turned and walked out with my parents behind him.
         Accident? I thought to myself. I didn’t remember any kind of accident. I looked down at my arms again, black and blue, and knew I must have been in some kind of accident. Accident. A car accident? Yes… yes, it’s all coming back to me now.
         It happened after one of our school’s football games. The game was against Valley High, our school’s rival. After the game, me and some of the other guys from theteam went out. Yes, I’m on the football team, starting linebacker even though I’m only a sophomore.
         Jeff, barely sixteen and a half, was driving the five-passenger car filled with seven high school football players. We weren’t going far, just to the plaza where all the teenagers hang out. There’s no way any of us could have known what was going to happen or we never would have gotten in the car.
         I remember it very clearly now, a lot of bright lights and screaming. A left turn on a red light. Jeff didn’t notice it had changed due to all the commotion in the car. As soon as he had made the turn we all realized the light was red. The split second before impact seemed to take forever, we all knew what was coming but there was nothing anyone could do about it. The headlights were the brightest I’ve ever seen, shining directly into our car. The screeching of the cars trying to stop, but it was too late for anything to do be done, it was just a desperate attempt to stop what we all knew was coming. Then the crashing sound. I will never forget that noise for the rest of my life. Not just the sound but the moment of impact. There aren’t even any words I can use to describe this moment. I remember all the red and blue flashing lights and sounds of the sirens but they weren’t nearly as distinct as the moment of impact.
         My whole life had flashed before my eyes. When I was seven my pet hamster died. When I was eight I started playing football. When I was eleven I had my first girlfriend. When I was ten I won my town spelling bee and my parents were so proud. They have always been so supportive of everything I’ve done and have been there for me through football and baseball, school, and anything I’ve ever done. I never ceased to make them proud.


         Andrew looked up for the first time since he started the story. He looked quite uncomfortable.
         “Is that all of your story?” Dr. Cline asked Andrew, sincerity in her voice.
         “Um…Yes.” Andrew answered, uncertainty in his. Dr. Cline just stared waiting to see if he would say anymore.
         After he didn’t say anything, Dr. Cline said, “Okay, now when you’re ready, do you want to tell me what really happened?” Andrew looked taken aback by what Dr. Cline had said. “That is what really happened.” He said, defensively. Dr. Cline nodded slowly. “Can I leave now?” Andrew asked. Dr. Cline continued to nod. Andrew got up and left without another word.


         “Hi Kevin.” Dr. Cline said to the young boy that walked into the room. “Please have a seat.” She said, ushering him to the couch. The boy sat down, looking very uncomfortable. He looked around the room, looking everywhere but at Dr. Cline. She was patient, waiting for him to say something first. After three awkward minutes Kevin finally spoke. “So, everything I tell you in here you’ll like… keep a secret?” Dr. Cline nodded, “Yep, everything you say will just be between you and I. It won’t leave this room.” She said, looking directly at him. Finally, he looked up and made eye contact. After a couple more seconds he was finally ready. “Okay,” he said. “Where should I start?”
         “That’s up to you. Tell it however you want.”
         “Alright. Well, I guess it all started when I was seven. My mom died, just like that. One day she was there, and the next she’s gone forever. I guess she had been sick for a while, but no one bothered to tell us that. After mom died…” His story-telling slowed down quite a bit and Dr. Cline noticed him nervously pulling his sweatshirt sleeves further down than they already were. “…Dad wasn’t really the same.” He paused. “He started drinking and got kind of… violent… towards me and my brother.” He stopped to swallow. “Well, I always had my friends to turn to when things got rough, but my brother, he’s two years younger than I am, so his first year in school is when it all started. He always had a harder time than I did. He never really made any friends. He grew up alone. I tried to spend as little time as I could at home, but he didn’t have anywhere else to escape to.” He looked up, just to see if Dr. Cline was still listening. “He took pills. Two months ago. He tried to kill himself. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he had succeeded. I would feel totally alone. I do feel totally alone. Andrew’s so different now.”