In an Instant

"Travis, how many times have you almost died?" I ask my fearless partner curiously. He had mentioned he was here a lot. I can't help but want to learn more about him, to discover the reason other than a shitty past as to why he had done drugs and threw his life away. He glances over at me from the spinning chair he is sitting in, his legs up on another chair. At first I thought I was going to get an incredibly sassy response from him but instead he just sighs and thought in his mind for a moment. Counting on each of his fingers of his near death experiences.

"More than I even realized." He said spinning around in the chair he sat in. Stopping for a moment when he realized just how dizzy he was getting.

"What school did you even go to?" I ask him, wondering why I have never heard about him or seen him around before.

"What's with all the questions suddenly?" He asks, a sense of annoyance plaguing his voice.

"Oh, sorry if I'm being invasive. I am just trying to figure you out."

"There's not much to figure out, I dropped out of school when I was in grade 5. Been in and out of juvenile prisons for drug charges. Almost died more time's than I can count, for some strange ass reason I haven't yet."

"Maybe you have more potential than you even realize." I tell him softly, and I reach up on my neck to toy around with the necklace but I remember it is no longer there, death took it back and in it's place rewarded me with a new much more interesting job to be doing. I am to be helping the souls that are in the brink communicate with their families since I am the only one able to communicate with the other side.

"Where is death, he said he'd be back in ten minutes to show you to your new job." Travis groans impatiently kicking his feet together on the ground. "How long does it take to bring somebody to the other side."

"What's with the grumpy mood change all of a sudden?" I ask him, wondering why he had gone from really upbeat one moment to super grumpy the next, I curse myself in my mind realizing was probably the amount of questions I asked him.

He shrugs not realizing that his mood showed out loud, then smiles to himself. "How long have you been with your boyfriend?"

"That took a sudden turn." I snicker at him.

"You got personal, so now it's my turn." He laughs.

"Going on three years in December, we met in grade 11 when he was a new kid.... Wait a second, did you live on Umberdale St when you were younger?" I ask him suddenly coming to a realization that had been stuck inside my brain.

"Yeah...I did, why do you ask?"

"Oh... just wondering. You just seem... familiar that's all." Just then death enters the room and hands me a piece of paper, my eyes scan it and it has a list of names and room numbers.

"Here's a list of those you will be helping, come see me when you're finished." He tells me and I nod at him taking the list and leaving down the hallway with Travis trying to find the first room number.

We finally reach room 105 and see a young girl watching herself on the bed with her family in the room, tears pouring down their faces.

"Can you really communicate with the other side?" The girl asks excitedly as we enter the room, taking my hand and sitting on the bed.

"I've only done it a few times so I'm not all that good at it quite yet...but I can do my best."

"Oh would you please! Just do anything, turn the lights off, scream, make the door slam shut, just to let them know that I am here and that I'll be okay." I nod to her and close my eyes and concentrate as hard as I can on making something happen for her, to make anything happen for her.

I'm not sure what I want to make happen, but next thing I know the door slams shut. A loud echo ringing from the power I made. I open my eyes and all of her family members are standing around looking at the door, they have the look of horror planted on their face.

"Is that a sign?" The grandmother of the girl asks, still watching the door wondering if something else would happen.

"I believe so, oh wake up my dear!" Her mother says squeezing her hand as tight as she can. "It was only supposed to be a simple surgery, I just can't understand why everything went so wrong."

I turn to the girl and watch her wipe a single tear that slides down her cheek, she looks so fearful.

"What happened, if you don't mind my asking." Travis asks her.

"I went for a surgery to have my tonsils removed, but everything went wrong. They hit a bad spot and the bleeding didn't stop. Other things happened too, and now here I am. In the brink, watching my family worry about me."

My sight falls toward the wall and I spot a chalk board and walk up to it, I couldn't for the life of me pick up the chalk with my hands. So I concentrate on it and it levitates up into the air, the girls mother nudges the grandmother towards the chalkboard.

"Look!"

With my mind concentrating, I am able to write 'I'M OKAY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!' on the chalkboard.

"Now that's just taking things to a whole new level of FUCKING AWESOME!" I hear deaths familiar voice from the door frame.

"Death, watch your language. There's a child here." I laugh placing the chalk down on the ledge of the board and we leave the room, leaving the girl alone with her family.

"Oops, my bad." He says his hand flying up to his mouth. "But for real though, it's one thing for you to be able to slam doors but to be able to pick up an object from the other side is really, something I thought I'd NEVER see."

I bow in a dramatic way, both Death and Travis clap excitedly and I grin from ear to ear at the positive response I am getting.

"Let's see what else you can do!"

***

The next few hours are just like that, we go from room to room. Reconnecting those in the brink with family members, letting their loved ones know that they are going to be okay and not too worry too much about the.

After sometime of this, I find myself enjoying my new position in the brink, discovering things about myself that I never knew before. Everyone was more than grateful for what I was able to do for them, not only could I write on chalkboards but I was able to write personal notes for family members. Travis and Death are both so impressed with what I am able to accomplish.

Finally I get down my list and decide to go and check on my own family, and probably give them a note of my own to let them know I am okay here. To let my little brother know that he doesn't have to be scared of me, that I am the same sister he always knew. Just with the tube's in my nose and the help of the machines keeping me alive.

As I enter my room I look up in shock and seen someone who I thought I would never see at my side again, arguing with my mother like always.

I just can't believe what I am looking at, and blinked my eyes almost hoping that the sight in front of me can disappear.

It is my deadbeat of shitty 'Father'.