Chapter Six: Awaken

Izzy wakes up and sees Tom.

I fell asleep again. In my dream I had a vision. I was sitting in a coma, like Izzy was now. There was a girl, about ten years old, holding my hand and crying while she slept. "Don't die... Please..." She begged. I startled awake. Was that a real vision?A premonition of the future? I asked myself. I decided it was just stress. Yet another sign of my mental degradation. Izzy had become less pale, and her heart beat was steady. Before my eyes, I saw her awaken from her coma. I held her hand, and smiled at her.

"T-Tom?" She asked, still coming to. I threw my arms around her.

"Yes." I reply through tears. "I'm alive, Izzy. I'll never leave you alone again, or let you get hurt..." I felt tears on my shoulder; hers.

"Tom..." She sighed, wrapping her arms weakly around me and giving into her tears.

I smiled and gently stroked her hair. "I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried... I thought I lost you..."

She smiled. "I won't leave you that easily." Then, she looked confused. "Wait... I'm dead, aren't I?" She asked sadly.

"No." I replied, confused. "Why would you say that?"

"Y-you died...." She said, choking back tears."Alex went back a-and found your body.."

"I know this must be hard for you, but... I'll explain everything to you when she's here..." I told her, squeezing her hand gently. She nodded and buried he face into my chest. I held her comfortably while we waited.

About an hour later, Alex came back with lunch for the three of us. Upon seeing Izzy okay, she smiled. "Hey there, sleepy head. You were out for a good three days. Tom never left your side. I had to basically force-feed him to get him to eat." I laughed, giving everyone their food. Izzy eyed her burger hungrily before biting down. I started to explain everything that happened since I died. When I was done, I gave the girls a minute to let it sink in.

"Bull-f*****g-s**t." Was the first response I got. It was spoken by, of course, Alex.

"It's true, I swear!" I pleaded. "You saw my body."

"But... It just can't be true! You must have been hiding your pulse, or.. or I messed up or something.... That's just f*****g insane!" Alex said, yelling in the hospital mess hall. Luckily the place was next to deserted and no one cared.

Izzy shook her head. "I believe you, Tom. I don't think Alex could be wrong on something so important, so how else would you be back?"

I squeezed Izzy's hand. "Thank you." I smiled. I turned to Alex. "Do you believe me yet?"

Alex nodded grimly. Jack was her friend as well as mine, the three of us, along with Will, used to tear the town to shreds when we were in middle school. Looking back, I missed those days. It was all so peaceful. "So, Jack is really dead?" She asked shakily. I took her hand as well.

"It's... What he wanted... He was only human, in the end...." I don’t know why that phrase came up, but it made sense. I shook my head slightly to keep it from invading my mind.

I smiled and looked first at Alex, then at Izzy. "You two are all I have left in this world...." I said, solemnly. "I'm not going to leave you alone in it."

The girls both smiled appreciatively at me. I let go of Alex's hand, but still clung to my love, as if she were something fragile that would fall and break if I dropped her. Izzy smiled at me. Alex left us to be alone, and we returned to the room. Izzy laid her head on the pillow, lacing her fingers with mine. "I love you, Tom." She said happily, drifting into sleep.I kissed her cheek. 

"I love you too, Izzy." At that point, she fell asleep on the hospital bed. Alex knocked on the door.

"Um...We need you out here..." Alex said a little urgently. I sighed, carefully unlacing my fingers from Izzy's. A phrase went through my mind. You are alive, once again. I pushed it away. At least that was obvious. I am back from the dead. Still, it bothered me. Why am I hearing these voices now? And that vision... I pushed the thought away once more, shuddering.

Walking out the door, I saw a man with a shaved head angrily storming around the waiting room, dressed in a cut-off vest and jeans. He called out, demanding to see the 'Man who came in here with that filthy brunette w***e!' I did not take kindly to that, as I knew he was referring to Izzy. "Excuse me," I said, approaching the man with a smile. "The man you're looking for stepped outside for air. I can take you to him, if you'd like."

He turned angrily towards me. "Well, then what are you waiting for? Are you retarded?" He snorted. I put on a cool, calm smile as I walked out the door with him behind me, and Alex behind him. I lead him away from the hospital, into a nearby alley.

"Well, where is he?" the thug demanded. I turned around.

"First off, That would be me." I said, smiling wickedly. "Second, my Izzy is not a w***e. And third, you should really choose your next words carefully." I smiled wickedly at him some more.

"Oh, I'm gonna f*****g kill you!" He said, cracking his knuckles. I looked over at Alex, the same wicked smile on my face.

"Oh, you are so Tom." She said, laughing, as I curled my fists into balls and surged forward.

There was a gut-wrenching scream that could be heard be heard from the alleyway. I walked back through the hospital doors, my black trench coat was now red in quite a few places. I looked back out the door towards the alley and pointed with my thumb, speaking to the receptionist. "You uh... Might wanna have someone deal with..." I searched for words before giving up and motioning in the general direction of the alley. "That."