• "I am dead, I've just gotta be..." Daniel said to himself as took in his surroundings. Rubbing his head he stares up into a bright sun, wondering how he got here and why there was seemingly nothing wrong with him, or any of this. No one is around, except for the strange bat-like birds twitting above. Realizing that he seems to be on some sort of peninsula high above the water He runs over to the edge to see the awesome view. Whether it be a lake, a sea he could not tell. But he believed it to be the most brilliant sight he had ever seen. With the sun's rays washing over all the flowers, grass, water, and himself, he didn't care or realize he was standing stark naked nor did he even think why he came to be here. Feeling the sun shine on him he finally felt free. Free with no worries or problems. Then reality came crashing down again.

    He snapped out of this beautiful new world into one of screaming and beeps and people in scrubs and lights. His mother was walking beside the cart holding tight to his left hand, crying while grasping a tissue in the other hand. With no feeling in his left hand from his mother tight grip he knew something had to be terribly wrong. He moves his free hand to grasp a hold of something real and feels the softness of his hospital night gown. Now really confused, Daniel tries to utter the words, where am I? Or what happened?, but alas he has no strength to do so. Now staring up watching ceiling tiles blur together. He glances over as the cart passes his grandparents, holding each other close Daniel's grandmother couldn't handle it she buries her head into his grandfather's chest. "Don't worry Danny I am here, I'll always be here no matter what," Daniel's mother's words drift off as she turns away unable to bare the sight of her son like this. Everything begins to fade, the lights, the people, the family, everything, as a tear falls out of his eye. For he was not crying, no not the man of the family, not the one his mother depended on to take care of them. Daniel would never admit to crying or showing any real weakness to his family.

    Awakening to the serine landscape Daniel feels reinvigorated. Jumping to his feet, he noticed a strange material that had some sort of writing on it. He made out the words to something called HarcoHospital, it was printed on a paper flap attached to the gown. Briefly a memory of pain comes back. He falls to his knees writhing in pain. Rolling around holding his head and begins to feel little pricks. Pain starting first in his head, then foot, then spreading throughout his whole body, as if something dark and twisted was clawing its way through him searching for an escape. A rain storm had rolled in and began to pelt Daniel (which only added to the pain he was already in). He begins to run to a nearby tree for cover. Tripping and falling into muddy perfect grass he gathers his thoughts for a moment. Knowing well that hiding under a tree during a storm not be the brightest idea, he searches for an alternative. There is either stay out in the open, or get back into the pool of water that had transported him. Deciding on the tree he carries on by rising to his feet and running. The tree seems to get farther and farther away he begins to panic. The storm now angered by his panic lashes out with hail and winds that nearly knock him over. "Someone please help," feeling foolish after asking for help when no one can save him. He just continues to run. Clinging onto the grassy ground for all dear life he claws his way closer and closer. As he begins to lose his grip and it seems he will fly into the water. "STOP!!!" The hail and wind subside. Gasping for air he searches for an answer as to the mystery of the voice. And where the sudden storm had come from and what caused it to suddenly disappear. "O man," rubbing his head, he stammers "o man, o man what have I gotten myself into?"

    "Daniel WAKE UP!" "Come on Daniel I am tried of this! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" It was Daniel's mother that had yelled stop. Stop to the dying son lying in front of her, stop to the doctors that couldn't heal him, stop to it all. She had hit rock bottom. Weeping, with snot and tears colliding into an awful concoction that had been imprinted onto her haggard face she begins to speak again. "Daniel, I am going to count to 10 and you need to wake up. Now retrieving her composure she takes a deep breath and looks to him. She begins to count, one, two, thhrreee (tears begin to flood from eyelids), fourrr, ffive." "Damn it Daniel, wake up!" Collapsing onto the truly empty body that she dearly wanted to wake up and say “mom, I am here, don’t worry.” The son that was currently off in his mind, in a world of his own design and rule could not yet fathom his fate and how his life hung in the balance. A coma, the doctors said, that could last for a few weeks, months, or years, they weren't entirely sure.