Under the Same Sky [BOYXBOY]

Chapter 89

The brain is a fascinating thing. Even with the scope of humanity's technological advancement, scientists have barely yet to scratch the surface of revealing its complex mysteries.

In times of great distress, it is able to take over and completely override all other systems in the human body. Suppressing years of knowledge and experience, it appears to be a completely different entity from the person residing within watching everything unfold from behind a protective fog of memory.

They can hear themselves speak but have no recollection of ever forming the words or moving their mouth. They can feel themselves move but have never initiated any movement. They see, they hear, but do not feel.

They become a prisoner in their own bodies, completely detached from the world.

Who is the person; the brain or the soul? Are we truly in control or is what we have merely an illusion?

These are questions Jayden would no doubt have pondered over if he had the presence of mind to do so. But alas, dear readers, he did not. For he was currently existing in that same detached reality the brain creates to shield us from ourselves.

He had stumbled into the hospital in a static haze of confusion, the world bathed in blurry hues of grey and white.  People moved around him, but their voices filtered through his ears as if coming from a great distance.

Somewhere near him, he could faintly hear his mother's voice speaking to the nurse at the station. A few minutes later, there was a gentle hand on his arm, and he could sense his body moving as the hand guided him into an elevator, then through hallways drenched in harsh fluorescent lighting.

The smell of antiseptics and cleaning agents were so strong that they were able to cut through the foggy haze that clouded his brain, causing his mind to become a little bit clearer. The linoleum floor seemed to stretch on endlessly beneath his feet, the polished surface reflecting the artificial lighting above.

They finally stepped into a waiting room and Jayden barely had time to recognize the woman sobbing loudly in a chair when his eyes met a familiar pair of hazel orbs.

He blinked once. Twice. Another blink then blurriness slowly disappeared as the images moved and shifted into focus.

Cissy.

The word drifted through his mind as the face that looked so much like Samuel's came closer.

'Samuel...' he breathed out, then he felt his mouth take over as another pair of hands forced him into a chair. 'Where is he? Is he alright? I have to go to him?'

'He is still in surgery. We don't know anything else.'

He suddenly noticed the redness surrounding the brown irises, a chink in the otherwise calm armour, and his eyes sharpened. 'Tell me.'

Cissy paused but something in his eyes made her continue. 'He... the damage... it's pretty severe. They are not sure he would make it.'

He nodded. He expected as much. After all, tormenting him was the universe's favourite pastime.

Cissy grabbed his hands forcefully. 'Don't do that. You can't give up. Not now, not when he is still alive.' She took a shaky breath. 'He is currently on that operating table fighting for his life and you have to keep fighting with him.'

Her words tore through his brain like a sudden gale, clearing the foggy haze that had clouded it since he first heard the news. The colours and sounds descended on him like a furious wave as he was pulled sharply back into his body and his mind felt ten times clearer.

His cheeks suddenly grew wet as the emotions he had kept at bay whirled through him.

'Do you really think he would be alright?' he asked in a shaky voice.