What Happened To Me?
He slowly opened one eye and then the other. Lying on his back, looking up at the sky, he had no idea where he was. He had no idea what was going on. Every bone in his body seemed to ache, but he couldn’t focus on the pain.
Red and blue lights were flashing all around him. He heard voices arguing around him, but he couldn’t make out the words that they were saying. Trying to sit up, he realized that it was impossible. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t even lift his pinky.
What had happened? Something had happened, but he just couldn’t remember what. The last thing he remembered was leaving the bar with Jimmy and Chris, but that had been when the sun was going down. The moon was almost at its peak in the sky, so hours must have passed.
“Can you hear me? Tyrus? If you can hear me, then move your hand”, a man’s deep voice said from somewhere to his right. He tried to move his hand, but instead of moving he just got a shot of pain throughout his body.
He felt himself being lifted by two sets of hands. They placed him on something soft that felt like a bed, but then straps came across his upper torso and above his kneecaps. The world around him seemed to be spinning fast. He had to close his eyes to keep from being dizzy.
He heard a set of doors slam shut, and then he felt everything moving. Opening his eyes, he saw a man and a woman hovering over him. The man was older, he looked middle aged, and his hair was a bright red. The woman looked young, as if she was barely out of high school, and she was petite. Her hair was a bright blonde.
“His heartbeat is sixty-six and dropping rapidly”, the woman said calmly.
Hands began pushing at his chest where his heart was. The pain was so excruciating he wanted to cry out, but his mouth wouldn’t open and no sound would come out.
Suddenly everything came to an abrupt stop and the doors to the ambulance were swung open. The man and woman jumped out and jerked him to the ground. He kept his eyes open long enough to see the sign that said ‘Central Florida Hospital’. Hospital? What had happened to him?
What felt like several miles an hour, he was rushed into the back doors of the hospital. His eyes drifted shut as he heard voices again. “His heartbeat is sixty-eight, but it keeps dropping”, the woman said.
“It’s alright now. We’ll take it from here”, he heard a different man’s voice from somewhere above him. “Get him into OR two”, and that was the last thing he heard before he lost all consciousness.

Opening his eyes, he saw a nurse checking his IV. Her skin was the color of coffee, and her hair was dark as night and pulled back.
“What’s going on? Where am I?” he asked her, surprised that his voice actually worked.
Obviously startled by his questions, she turned to face him. She placed a hand over her heart. “You scared me. The doctors expected you not to be awake for another couple days”, she told him.
“So I’m at a hospital?”
“Yes. You were brought in a few nights ago. Don’t you remember?”
He shook his head. “No, the last thing I remember was leaving a bar with some buddies. Then I faintly remember red and blue lights, and a man and woman”
“I don’t know if I should be the one telling you this”
He wanted some answers. “Just tell me. What happened to me?”
“You were in a bad car accident. Your friend James Carson and your brother Christopher Hayes were killed. James was killed instantly, but like you Christopher made it to the hospital. However, he didn’t make it through surgery”
Her words took a second to register. Jimmy and Chris were dead. How could that be? He felt tears stinging his eyes, but he couldn’t summon up the strength to wipe them away.
“Let me just get the doctor”, the nurse said and hastily left the room.
Less than two minutes later a doctor, followed by two law enforcers entered the room. “Mr. Hayes you’re awake. We weren’t expecting to see you conscious for another few days”, the doctor told him.
He looked the doctor in the eye. “What happened to my brother? Why didn’t you save him?” he angrily asked the doctor.
“I’m sorry to say that your brother had too many complications to be saved. We knew that he couldn’t be saved, but you could. So we focused on you, and saved your life”, he said calmly as if he had no feelings.
The law enforcer behind him stepped around him with a notepad in his hand. “Sir, we need to ask you some questions. Was it you that was driving the car?” he asked.
Tyson shut his eyes, trying to remember. “Yes, I was the one driving”
The officer took note. “Was it your idea to drive?”
“No, my sister, James’s wife, called and told us that she wanted us home. So I just grabbed the keys”
“How many drinks had you had before you got into the vehicle?”
His heart sunk to his feet. Had he caused the accident? “I don’t remember, but I had quite a few”, he told them truthfully. “Was it me? Did I cause the accident?”
The officer’s piercing stare met his. “You were under the influence of alcohol. I’m sorry to say that you ran a red light, and collided with a blue SUV with a family inside. The only survivors of the accident are you and the little girl that was inside the SUV, but she’s paralyzed from the waist down”, the officer said regrettably.
The officers’ words dawned on him. He should have never driven home after drinking. If he’d never gotten into that car after drinking, many people, including his brother, would still be alive.