“______? Are you there, hon?”

I opened my eyes but a blinding flash of light ruined my sight. I tried to blink fast to adjust my vision. The entire room was all white. I’m in the hospital.

“______? Honey?” I felt a warm hand touch my arm. It was my Auntie Connie. She looked tired as if she haven’t slept in days. Her eyes are bloodshot and I can sense that she’s been crying the whole time.

I held her hand and squeezed it tight. “Oh honey…We almost lost you there…You were asleep for days. We thought you’d never come back to us.”  She started sobbing. I tilted my head in confusion? What? Lost? Me?

“______...” She trailed off. I gazed into her eyes and encouraged her to continue. “______...Your…Mom…and Dad…” She sobbed even more.

I opened my mouth. I tried to say something. But nothing came out. Something’s wrong with me. But I feel like I want to stay that way. I sobbed with her.

Auntie Connie said that she was the one who identified my parents’ bodies. She lamented over the fact that she can hardly recognize which one was my Mom and which one was my Dad. They didn’t have a choice but to use Mom and Dad’s dental records to identify which is which. She started sobbing again. I just looked at her in shock as she shook her head from all the disappointment.

“I’m really sorry, ______. I really am sorry.” She cried.

I just kept my gaze steady as warm tears started to flow again. She can only hear my hiccups and sobs, but not a sin