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Persistent vegetative state.

For eight years.

No one expected me to wake up. The odds of anyone waking up after a year were slim to none. I often wondered why Charles and Liam never pulled the plug. God knows my parents couldn’t have cared less. They only visited three times since I woke up, and Mom acted like I was hospitalized for a brief stint, not someone who woke up after a life-altering accident.

But the fog has lifted. I’m no longer pursuing their approval. Life is too short to care about people who don’t feel the same way.

Tay squeezes my hand. “You were asleep for so long. Look how much you’ve achieved since you woke up. You can walk now. You’re writing with your left hand. You can eat solid foods. And you shit just fine.”

She snickers and I chuckle. She’s grown up to be snarky with a dry sense of humor.

“I swear, I love this no bullshit side of you, but I still find it hard to imagine you were the sweet Lil’ Tay Tay from back then.”

Taylor stills, a strange flash of darkness appearing over her features.

The hairs prickle on my forearms.

“Is everything okay? I’ve asked this before, but did something happen while I was in a coma?”

“You’re overthinking.” She strains a smile. “No one can stay an innocent little kid forever. We all have to grow up. Shit happens.”

“Tay, I—”

“Just drop it, okay? I’m fine. More than fine, I swear. Let’s leave the past in the past.”

The steely edge in her voice stops me from asking more. She’s undergone something painful, and I don’t want to push her to tell me until she wants to.

Perhaps I have no right to know about her experiences, but I don’t want to leave the past in the past. Almost a decade of my life got stolen from me, and if you include the four years of memories before the accident, that’s twelve years.

Almost half of my life.

I want to know what happened to me in those four years—they weremine.

“So, your schedule today—physical therapy, then swim lessons?”

“Water therapy, not swim lessons. Even though I’ll be signing up for those as soon as I get out of here.”

The thought of going back into the water sends my heart racing. The same nightmares I’ve had since I was a kid fill my nights—me in the water, my lungs burning, but I can’t move.

But this time, the dreams are more vivid. Intense. Real.

The pain charring my nose as I gulp down water instead of oxygen.

The darkness surrounding me—so dark I can’t tell which way is up or down.

Fear. Bloodcurdling fear. Just like the random visions I have.

I shake myself to dispel the thoughts.

I won’t be helpless. Maybe if I knew how to swim all those years ago, I would’ve gotten out of the car myself.

Taylor gnaws her lip. “Shit, I forgot to tell you. I have practice and can’t stay with you today. Charles is swinging by to pick me up.”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t need you to babysit me.”

Taylor rolls her eyes. “Who said I was babysitting you? I just missed you and am reclaiming my lost time.”

My lips curve into a grin. There’s a closeness and comfort I feel with her I can’t explain.