Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Leo slowly woke up to the sound of the machine, opening his eyes to total darkness. He was in what felt like a bed, but the sheets felt wrong against his skin. Stiff, unfamiliar. His throat was sandpaper. The air tasted sterile. Antiseptic and something else… something stale.
He tried to move, but his body didn't respond. He felt heavy, stuck, disconnected from his own body.
He tried to call for help, but his voice wasn't working either.
He didn't know how he got here. All he could remember was…
Memories crashed into him. The funeral. The car. His parents…
He tried to call again. And again. Fear and confusion consuming him with every failed try.
Where am I? Why is my body not working? Mom? Dad? His thoughts spiralled.
He tried to move his fingers. Maybe if he focused everything on them, they would move.
Nothing.
Beep-beep. Beep-beep.
His heartbeat quickened; his breathing shallowed. Panic clawed at the corners of his mind, but even his tears were gone. Then, someone entered the room; a nurse. Leo glanced at her from the corner of his eye; the only part still functioning in this alien body. She was holding a pen and clipboard.
"Alright," she sighed. "Let's check your vitals."
Leo tried to make her notice him, but he was locked, as if he was wearing someone else's skin.
The nurse leaned in close to inspect his pupils — a routine health check — when she froze. Her eyes locked with his. Her tiny flashlight clattered to the floor. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she stumbled backward, breath catching in her throat. She turned and rushed out, leaving the door swinging.
Leo was left alone with the sound of his bones. He wasn't sure if they were his anymore.
…
After a while, a doctor came in, with the same nurse just behind him. The doctor began examining him, checking his neural responses. "Leo," the doctor called. "Leo, can you hear me? If you can, blink twice." Leo did, ever so weakly, but it confirmed to them that he's back. The nurse injected something into Leo's IV line. Warmth spread through his veins, slow at first, then flooding. Sensation crept back into his limbs, sharp and overwhelming.
He could curl his finger, even a tiny bit. He could move his mouth, even if his throat felt like sandpaper.
"You have been asleep for seven years, Leo." The doctor dropped it like brick on Leo's head.
"S… Sev…" The word wouldn't form.
"I know it may be difficult to process," the doctor said gently. "You have been in a coma, Leo."
Seven years…
Nonsense. This was nonsense.
In no universe could this happen, he was just a normal eight-year-old kid. Things like that don't happen to normal kids.
Seven years? Impossible.
Leo tried to deny, but only hisses came out. His body was obvious evidence, but how could you convince a child that he lost his childhood in a deep sleep. The doctor held up a small mirror for Leo to see himself, and it wasn't him.
It wasn't the cute, cheerful boy he was. It wasn't the playful boy who was loved by everyone. Instead, he saw a shell, a placeholder, a nobody.
"…Inform the family…"
"…we don't know…"
"…Leo? Can you hear me?"
Voices and voices clashed in his head. He was drowning.
If I was gone for seven years… who am I now?
Time lost all meaning. Maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance he might be dreaming. But everything was too real, too much for a kid to handle. What if he couldn't fit in? What if his family didn't recognize him? What if—
A sound cut through his thoughts. Weeping.
He looked up. An old lady stood in the doorway, hands covering her mouth, eyes brimming with tears.
It was his mother.
But she wasn't the sweet woman he once knew. Her face was hollow from the years she'd waited for him. Her eyes had lost their spark, and her hair was streaked with white strands as if time was punishing her. She immediately jumped to Leo's side, clutching his hand, sobbing. Words tumbled out between gasps, broken. "Leo… my baby… I'm sorry… so sorry…"
Behind her came an old man; his father. He looked older, greyer. Lines carved deep into his face. But his shoulders sagged, as if something inside him had collapsed. He didn't look Leo in the eyes. The only word he said was: "Hi, son…" and then stood by the window. There were two little kids in the doorway; a little girl and a little boy. They stood there awkwardly, until the mother told them to get in and meet their big brother.
Big brother?! Leo's head was already heavy enough from everything before, but now he became a big brother? All he could remember before his sleep was his newborn sister, Yuki. He looked at the girl; he couldn't believe that she was Yuki.
"H- Hey…" He cleared his throat. "Hey… are you… Yuki?"
For an instant, her face lit up — he knows my name — but just as quickly, she buried her face in her hands and nodded.
"She's just shy." His mother said, still couldn't stop the tears.
"And… you…" Leo said, looking at the boy.
"You are not my big brother!" the boy shouted.
"Alex!" His mother's voice cracked. "Don't…" She couldn't finish. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
So his name is Alex, huh? It stung a little hearing it from his little brother whom he'd never known, but he was at least hoping they could get along nicely. Leo always wanted a brother; someone whom he could teach how to ride a bike, how to play football, race together.
Silence swallowed the room for a moment. Nobody dared to break it. The father was standing beside the window, not even trying to look at Leo. The mother crying the whole time. Yuki buried in her hands, and Alex hid behind his mom, peeking out with wide, untrusting eyes.
Nobody dared to speak. And Leo lay there, a stranger in his own family.
His mother was the last to let go of his hand. She squeezed it once, gentle, desperate, before the nurse quietly ushered them out.
The door clicked shut.
Leo was alone again.
The doctor entered afterwards, holding a clipboard in his arm.
"I've spoken with your family," the doctor said, pulling up a chair. "There's a long road ahead. Physical therapy, speech therapy; we'll take it one step at a time. But Leo…" He paused. "You will walk again. You will get your voice back. I promise you that."
Leo wanted to ask a thousand questions. Why did this happen? What's wrong with me? Will I ever be normal again?
"You don't need to say anything, Leo. Just know, we are all here to help you." The doctor stood, gave him a small nod, and left.
The door closed softly behind him.
Leo lay there, weak, still unable to process everything clearly. Yet, deep down, he felt a faint spark in his chest, pulling him towards something he couldn't yet understand.