Tommy’s voice pulled me from a deep sleep. I tried to open my eyes, but it was like trying to force a door open underwater. I could feel them give, but it took real effort to get them open. I saw him first through the tiniest slit of my lids, sitting in my vanity chair, dirty sneakers propped on the end of my bed. The sight was so familiar, exactly as I remembered from two years ago, complete with a half-empty Doritos bag in his hand. He popped one of the reddish triangle chips into his mouth and wiped his fingers on the thigh of his dingy jeans. “Tommy?” He gave me a sideways look and a half nod. “I’ve missed these, you know?” He chomped another chip. “Am I dead? I mean, I thought I was dying.” My hand went to my chest, remembering the gaping hole where my heart had been. “You’re alive. You were dead. That is, you did die. It didn’t stick.” “I’m healed.”
