He was floating... or at least that's how he felt. Like he was floating high above the earth and he was weightless and free from the agony and the feelings of hopelessness and despair that shrouded his friends. He could no longer feel any pain. He only felt numb. Numbness... and a cool breeze... and the air here was fresh and he felt like he was lying on a blanket of clouds and that made sense to him because he was pretty certain that he was floating way up above the clouds, up high in the Heavens, far away from the pain and the agony... and the earth. And he was pretty sure now that he must be dead... because wouldn't this be what dying felt like?

If this was Heaven though, he thought to himself... it was awfully dark... and very quiet. Only a steady hum of noise and nothing else. Except what was that beep? And wasn't that a voice? And now... come to think of it, he wasn't quite so numb... and the pain... oh God the pain. And he tried to scream, but he couldn't release a sound and he tried to breathe but there was something there stopping him and his throat hurt and his head, it hurt too and the worst of the pain was centered in his stomach and he was pretty sure his every muscle would hurt if he could feel his every muscle but some of them still seemed... numb. And he was pretty sure that down here out of those clouds, nothing should feel numb.

And then the darkness faded away and the lights were so bright. Far too bright.

And he felt so alone.

And the struggle began. The struggle to breathe and the struggle to move. The struggle to scream and the struggle to stay alive.

And all at once faces appeared above him and he wanted to say something, anything. To tell them how afraid he was and how much pain he was in but that thing in his throat... that thing that hurt and made it so that he could not breathe, it stopped him and all he could do was open his eyes so wide in horror and hope they could read his mind. And it seemed to work.

"Mr. McLean," he heard the voice before the woman's kind face came into view and he could only nod in response as the tears trickled down his face.

"You're in the hospital... you were in an accident."

And all he could do was nod again even though he couldn't remember and he didn't know and he wondered what the hell kind of accident could make him hurt so damn bad. And he hurt. And the pain was growing worse and the tears were falling faster and yet another face appeared above him.

"We're giving you some medicine to help with the pain."

"Thank you." He said it with his eyes... the only way he knew how.

And he was floating... or at least that's how he felt. Like he was floating high above the earth and he could no longer feel any pain. And he was happy there. And if he had his way he may stay there forever and never come back.