From the other side , A young man

I lay there in my bed. Once more having come though another surgery. I could see through the large window the Lights glitter and stretch out to the west. where I knew the rangers rose unseen in the night so far from my sight. Yet knowing they were there, the fond child hood memories of them were a strange yet reassuring comfort. All was quite, well as quite as it gets in the ward at around 11 p.m.. The last of the night duty nurses were just starting their shifts having gone over each patents charts and notes from the day. They would soon be making their rounds checking each person in the room, taking their Op's ensuring to the best of their ability that each of us remained in a stable condition were not in to much pain or discomfort. I was in the HD room and not for the first time in the last year. The High Dependancy room was closest to the nurses station a transition from critical care to the normal rooms of the ward. The steady sound of machines that helped myself, and those around me breath, among other things, were now just a hum in the background of my hearing. a constant steady noise, that you half block out. It is a strange sort of peace and quite that settles over the wards this time of the evening. Then the peace and relative quite is broken. Across from me in the bed opposite. I could hear a voice, by the sound of the timber it was a young man no older than 22 I would say at a guess. At first he was rather quite, loud enough to hear in the stillness yet not so loud as to be disturbing. Then a sudden half shout. weak from lack of energy NO. Then a sense of panic could be heard as he called out seeking his friends, asking each of them by name if they were alright, I could hear an increased panic slip into his voice as no reply came. It was easy to pick up he was wondering where his friends were. What had happened to them. I heard two nurses quickly enter the room their torch lights danced on the other side of the curtain from me, as they made a quick bee line straight to the young man, turning on his over head light so they could see better. Its soft glow filtering through the room, yet not so bright as to wake the other patients. One of the Nurses spoke her voice calming " Its all right, your safe, can you remember where you are ? " A muffled answer, A reassuring soothing tone in the nurses voice once more ,as she replied to his answer " Its alright your safe, your in Hospital. your safe now go back to sleep its alright " A slight muffle of half meant protest. then the sound of the nurses leaving knowing he had once more drifted off to sleep. every twenty Minutes he would wake. The same pattern was repeated though out the night. As he relived the last minute's before the car crash. The crash that took the life of his friends. left him alive but only through medical intervention. The young man had, had to have limbs amputated. Two days later he left the HD room. He was moved over to the rehabilitation unit where he would for the first time learn, the fate of his friends. Would begin the long slow rehabilitation process. Would have to re learn all the things we so often take for granted. he would also have months of intense therapy. both physical, mental and emotional. I couldn't help think of the family members who had lost their child their brother, sister. the pain and lose they were suffering. even now three months later Perhaps they may have wished the young man who was driving and lived had died instead, that no punishment could ever be enough. Yet I knew and will always know, That this one young man would end up reliving the last minute's of share terror and horror. a sentence no one could hand down to him as punishment, for no sentance could be greater than the one he gave to himself. I wonder how many could live with, if it were they that were this young man. I have not forgotten him and wonder still now these years later what became of him. I never saw him or talked to him all I know is a group of young men and woman who were friends drove out looking forward to a fun time, never thinking that in a few short hours three of them would be dead, and the fourth a wreak a shell of what he was a day before. Before you think it will never happen o me or my mates, stop and think again, never say never. I have left out names and the name of the hospital that I was witness this to. however all other facts are true.