The Isaac Effect., chapter 12
A few weeks after my father's death, Grace fell ill. I remember rushing to the hospital without thinking to breath. All that went threw my mind was that if she died I would be alone again. I couldn't let that happen, she was just a kid. She was to young to die. The doctor hadn't told me much over the phone; but he had said it could be fatal. My heart had never beaten that fast since my adoptive mother's death.
It was a stormy night when it happened, so dark that you could barely see your own hand if it wasn't for the dim street lights. The wind brushed against my face as I dashed for my car and speed off to the hospital. I parked my car down the road from the hospital and ran across the road with out looking. The last thing I remember was two white lights speeding uncontrollably towards me, and the echoing sound of a car horn.
After that my memory is black.
The next thing I remember was waking up two weeks later, lying hopelessly in a hospital bed. Unable to move my legs. I lay confused in a daze for a while. My vision blurred, my thoughts mixed.
At first I thought nothing of it, then after a few minutes fear took over me. I couldn't move my legs waist down. I yelled, I screamed until a nurse came rushing in through the door.
"Mr. Ocean, Please! Calm down!" she hushed coming to my side.
"What's wrong with me? My legs!" I panicked.
"Sir, calm down. You have just undergone some VERY serous surgery you have to remain calm. We had to paralyze your legs to take away the pain," She explained.
"What!? Will I get them back!?" I shouted.
"Yes, calm down. You will get them back... but... " she began.
"But??? But what?" I demanded.
"This is hard for me to say, but you may never use your right leg again," She explained.
My heart dropped past the floor. I lay there, too shocked to terrified to use words. That moment will stay in my head until the day I die.
"Wh... what?" I managed to stumble out.
"You were in a serous car accident and well, you're lucky we don't have to take your leg. We saved your leg, but you will have to use a walking stick for the rest of your life. Sir, I'm sorry," She explained.
I didn't speak another word. I sat in my hospital bed silently.
Days went by. My legs gained their feeling again, that was when the trouble started. The pain was unbearable. My right leg felt constantly as if some one was hacking away at it with a knife. I would wake in the middle of the night screaming in pain.
The days seemed to stand still. I couldn't do anything myself. I was almost completely dependent on the nurse. I felt so helpless so embarrassed in a way.
I heard news from my sister, she had recovered. It turns out it was all a false alarm. A false alarm was the one and only reason I lay in that bed.
I was forced to stay in hospital for three months before they let me home again. But when I got home nothing was the same. I had to take a year of work, after that I had trouble going back. I was 24, in a job with children, hobbling around with a stick all day. They gave me pain killers, they didn't help that much. I was in constant pain. Some days I would have trouble talking myself into getting up in the mornings.
I lost nearly all my patience. I couldn't stand working with the children any more.
I was transferred to a near by high school. Where I taught the 9th and 10th grades. It was better then the elementary school. But it was still hard.
Grace was there for me. So was Mat. But after that night I couldn't get attached to anyone. I lived in constant fear, I would lay awake at night thinking who would be next to go? Would it be me? I had come so close to death that night. I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.
I was depressed.
After a while, I didn't want to be around anyone anymore. I spent most of my time alone in my room. Until one day, Mat came barging in after work. A smile from ear to ear.
He had two plane tickets. He had was going to take to two of us to Hawaii for a year, at first I refused. Then he forced me into it.
And that was what changed me. It gave me time to relax, and recover. After that things didn't seem so bad. We spent most of our days swimming in the beach. Or wondering the streets. Once again I found a reason to smile, a reason to laugh.
But there was a change in plans, we ended up spending six months in Hawaii then we went over to Fiji for the rest of the year. Where the two of us did volunteer work for the village.
Seeing those children who had nothing, still smiling from ear to ear changed me a lot. I no longer saw any reason to drown myself in self petty. It wasn't that bad.
Me and Matt opened up a school where the two of us taught some adults who were to poor to support their families, to read and write, so that eventually they would teach their children and so on. So they could work for themselves.
Those six months seemed to fly by.
On the flight back home again, in 2005 me and Mat were split up we didn't get seats next to each other that's when he met a girl named Jo.
It was funny in a way. As if fate had placed him there. The two of them became very close and ended up getting married six months later.
I was the best man at the wedding. I hobbled down the isle with my walking stick and watched the two of them declare their love for each other.
After that the two of them settled into married life I began to wonder about Jade again. Then I remembered my promise to her. I would let her do what she had to do alone.
I went back to work at the high school.
Only working four day weeks, the extra day I had to rest.
After I adjusted to my leg I found ways to do things, using my leg as an advantage.
Then my life changed once again. I remember. It was the 17th of December 2005. I got a letter.
It was from Jade.
She explained in her letter that she needed to see me. She had arranged for us to met at a restaurant a few hours drive from where I was living. She said we HAD to met on the 3rd of January. Because after that she was going away for a very long time.
At first I didn't know what to think.
I had to meet her, I had no other choice.
It was a stormy night when it happened, so dark that you could barely see your own hand if it wasn't for the dim street lights. The wind brushed against my face as I dashed for my car and speed off to the hospital. I parked my car down the road from the hospital and ran across the road with out looking. The last thing I remember was two white lights speeding uncontrollably towards me, and the echoing sound of a car horn.
After that my memory is black.
The next thing I remember was waking up two weeks later, lying hopelessly in a hospital bed. Unable to move my legs. I lay confused in a daze for a while. My vision blurred, my thoughts mixed.
At first I thought nothing of it, then after a few minutes fear took over me. I couldn't move my legs waist down. I yelled, I screamed until a nurse came rushing in through the door.
"Mr. Ocean, Please! Calm down!" she hushed coming to my side.
"What's wrong with me? My legs!" I panicked.
"Sir, calm down. You have just undergone some VERY serous surgery you have to remain calm. We had to paralyze your legs to take away the pain," She explained.
"What!? Will I get them back!?" I shouted.
"Yes, calm down. You will get them back... but... " she began.
"But??? But what?" I demanded.
"This is hard for me to say, but you may never use your right leg again," She explained.
My heart dropped past the floor. I lay there, too shocked to terrified to use words. That moment will stay in my head until the day I die.
"Wh... what?" I managed to stumble out.
"You were in a serous car accident and well, you're lucky we don't have to take your leg. We saved your leg, but you will have to use a walking stick for the rest of your life. Sir, I'm sorry," She explained.
I didn't speak another word. I sat in my hospital bed silently.
Days went by. My legs gained their feeling again, that was when the trouble started. The pain was unbearable. My right leg felt constantly as if some one was hacking away at it with a knife. I would wake in the middle of the night screaming in pain.
The days seemed to stand still. I couldn't do anything myself. I was almost completely dependent on the nurse. I felt so helpless so embarrassed in a way.
I heard news from my sister, she had recovered. It turns out it was all a false alarm. A false alarm was the one and only reason I lay in that bed.
I was forced to stay in hospital for three months before they let me home again. But when I got home nothing was the same. I had to take a year of work, after that I had trouble going back. I was 24, in a job with children, hobbling around with a stick all day. They gave me pain killers, they didn't help that much. I was in constant pain. Some days I would have trouble talking myself into getting up in the mornings.
I lost nearly all my patience. I couldn't stand working with the children any more.
I was transferred to a near by high school. Where I taught the 9th and 10th grades. It was better then the elementary school. But it was still hard.
Grace was there for me. So was Mat. But after that night I couldn't get attached to anyone. I lived in constant fear, I would lay awake at night thinking who would be next to go? Would it be me? I had come so close to death that night. I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue.
I was depressed.
After a while, I didn't want to be around anyone anymore. I spent most of my time alone in my room. Until one day, Mat came barging in after work. A smile from ear to ear.
He had two plane tickets. He had was going to take to two of us to Hawaii for a year, at first I refused. Then he forced me into it.
And that was what changed me. It gave me time to relax, and recover. After that things didn't seem so bad. We spent most of our days swimming in the beach. Or wondering the streets. Once again I found a reason to smile, a reason to laugh.
But there was a change in plans, we ended up spending six months in Hawaii then we went over to Fiji for the rest of the year. Where the two of us did volunteer work for the village.
Seeing those children who had nothing, still smiling from ear to ear changed me a lot. I no longer saw any reason to drown myself in self petty. It wasn't that bad.
Me and Matt opened up a school where the two of us taught some adults who were to poor to support their families, to read and write, so that eventually they would teach their children and so on. So they could work for themselves.
Those six months seemed to fly by.
On the flight back home again, in 2005 me and Mat were split up we didn't get seats next to each other that's when he met a girl named Jo.
It was funny in a way. As if fate had placed him there. The two of them became very close and ended up getting married six months later.
I was the best man at the wedding. I hobbled down the isle with my walking stick and watched the two of them declare their love for each other.
After that the two of them settled into married life I began to wonder about Jade again. Then I remembered my promise to her. I would let her do what she had to do alone.
I went back to work at the high school.
Only working four day weeks, the extra day I had to rest.
After I adjusted to my leg I found ways to do things, using my leg as an advantage.
Then my life changed once again. I remember. It was the 17th of December 2005. I got a letter.
It was from Jade.
She explained in her letter that she needed to see me. She had arranged for us to met at a restaurant a few hours drive from where I was living. She said we HAD to met on the 3rd of January. Because after that she was going away for a very long time.
At first I didn't know what to think.
I had to meet her, I had no other choice.
