I woke up to my dad’s voice telling me it was time to get up. The thought of the cold hardwood floor on my feet made me shiver. I rolled out of bed and trudged to the living room where my clothes were neatly folded for me. I wearily sank into the couch. As i pulled on my clothes, the only sound i could hear was the sizzling and crackling of the fireplace. My dad stepped into the living room along with my brother signaling me to get up. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. The bitter wind hit me when i stepped outside. I quickly scuttled to the warmth of the car. My dad and brother followed me, closing the car doors. I buckled my seatbelt and slowly dozed off p the sound of the crunching gravel under the wheels.

My eyes slowly opened. I was confused, everything was upside down. I saw my father cutting my seatbelt. I fell from my seat. My dad told me to crawl to the door. As I crawled I started to smell oil. When I stepped out of the car i saw ambulances and vehicles lined up down the road. I wondered where I was. I looked back and saw the car laying upside down on the side of the road. I saw my mom talking to a paramedic. My brother was sitting on the side of the road. I went over to sit by him. A paramedic walked up to me, my mom followed behind him, and told me he was going to put a neck brace on me. He wrapped the brace around my neck. After he put the brace on, two more paramedics came up to me with a stretcher. My mom helped me lay down on the stretcher. The paramedic carried me to the ambulance and laid me down on a bed. My mom followed the paramedic into the ambulance and shut the door. I was still confused by what had happened. I asked the paramedic and he said I had been in an accident, but everything would be okay.

Three paramedics carried me into the hospital. As they walked through the lobby al of the receptionist stopped what the were doing and stared at me. After a few seconds they went back to their work. I was put onto a hospital bed. The neck brace was uncomfortable and the stiff, firm stretcher didn’t make it better. I layed there staring at the ceiling. My mom came into the room with a nurse. She said she was going to remove my neck brace and put some medicine on a small cut on y neck. I wanted to see the cut. My dad handed me his phone after i asked to see it. I looked at the “small cut” on my neck. To my surprise there was a large burn running across the front and side of my neck. As she put the medicine on my neck, tears rolled down my face. After she was done she put the neck brace back on my neck and left the room.

I was so tired. All i wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn’t. I was I started to daydream about what I would be doing at school. I might be surrounded by all of my friends. Maybe i would be reading The Lightening Thief in reading class. I might be working on my multiples in math class. Anything would be better than lying in this hospital bed.

The nurse walked in and told my mom something, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Mom walked over to my beside and told me I needed an MRI. At that time i didn’t know what an MRI was. They wheeled my bed into a large room with a machine it it. They put my stretcher in the machine and slid me back into a tube. Everyone left the room. It was so quiet. The only thing I could hear was heavy breathing. A voice came on the intercom saying, “During an MRI, it is very important to lay still.” Those word flooded through my mind. I was so scared to move or to even breathe. I layed there tense for what seemed like forever. The nurse walked into the room and helped me off the stretcher. I was sore, so it hurt to walk but she helped me keep my balance. She guided me back to my room. I told her I wanted to see my brother and my dad. She nodded and continued to walk. We walked to the room where my dad and brother were. My dad was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. I noticed a large boot on his leg. My brother was laying in a hospital bed. I couldn’t tell is he was sleeping or if he passed out. As I walked in, my mom guided me to his bed. I admired his bruised slightly bloody face. He was pale and he seemed dreary. My mom approached me and I was told that my brother was going to be taken to the UK hospital. She told me that he had a bruise on his brain. Fear filled my mind. My mom lead me to the hallway, where my nana and papaw were waiting on me. They told me I would  be going to stay with them until my dad got back from the hospital with my brother. The nurse removed my neck brace and we left the hospital. The sun’s heat made my neck sting. As we drove down the interstate, I prayed that my brother would be okay. When we got home, I collapsed onto the couch and drifted to sleep.

I woke up and it was dark outside. The only light on was the kitchen light. I slowly stomped to the kitchen. My eyes squinted because of the bright light. My nana and papaw were making grilled cheese and french fries. My mouth watered as i stared at the food. My nana asked how I was feeling. I told her that I was sore. She gave me a look of sympathy as she handed me a glass of water. I walked to the living room and she followed me. She sat the plate on the coffee table and sat down in the recliner. While I was eating, the phone rang. My nana picked up the phone, “Hello.” She turned to me, ”It’s for you.” I put the phone to my ear and said hello. My best friend Gabriella answered, “Hey. I have a question.” I could tell that she was starting to cry. I replied saying , “What is it?” She said, “Can you walk?”. I was confused. I answered saying, “Yes. Can you?” She laughed and we began to talk as if nothing had happened. After about 20 minutes, we said goodbye and hung up the phone. My dad finally got back at around 9:00 P.M. He was driving a new truck that i had never seen before. As he helped me in i asked him where it came from.  He told me that his work let him borrow it. We drove home and I again, dozed to sleep.

The next morning, my dad woke me up and asked if I wanted to go to school. Although I was sore and tired, I still wanted to go. I got up, got ready, and hurried to the truck. After about 5 minutes of driving I asked my dad how my brother was. He said he was doing okay and that he would be home tomorrow. I was so relieved to hear that he was okay. When we got to school I told my dad goodbye and went to the front office. Everyone asked me how I was feeling. I told them I felt sore, but I was okay. I walked through the empty hallway to my class. I opened to door and went to my seat. Everyone got quiet and stared at me. I felt uncomfortable. When I sat down beside Gabriella, she smiled and began talking about what she was doing and how her morning had been.. After that everyone returned to their work and conversations. The day continued as if nothing had ever happened.