Day 239

[from A Thousand Miles to San Francisco]

Samantha took a moment to compose herself, then sat down at Dawn's bedside. For a short while, she was unable to think of anything to say, and so she simply sat there in silence, listening to the gentle beeping of the heart monitor. Finally, she said, “I'm glad you're okay. Well… mostly okay, I guess...”

“It's okay,” Dawn reassured her. “It could've been a lot worse.”

Samantha nodded. “I heard that, like, twelve people died...”

“Was it twelve?” asked Dawn. “I heard it was only ten. Damn… and that's not counting all the people who were injured. There's probably dozens like me.”

Samantha buried her head in her hands. It was almost too much to bear. “I can't believe something like this would ever happen,” she said.

“Me neither,” said Dawn. “Shooting up a theatre full of people who aren't doing anything wrong, just sitting and watching a movie in peace… it's pretty messed up, isn't it?”

“It's not just that,” said Samantha. “You invited me to go with you, remember? If I'd gone, I… I might have ended up getting hurt too… or perhaps I could have-”

“Don't do this to yourself, Samantha,” said Dawn, shaking her head. “Don't think about what might have happened if you'd gone with me. I don't wanna think about it either. But… I went and you didn't. We can't change that now.”

Samantha sighed, looking back up at Dawn. “I guess not,” she said.

“You have a point, though,” admitted Dawn. “It still seems kinda surreal that this actually happened… I know it did, but it's still not sinking in properly, you know?”

“No, not really,” said Samantha. “So… what actually happened? Did this guy just walk in and start shooting people for no reason?”

“I don't know,” said Dawn. “It all happened so fast. It started during this one action scene – I think it did, anyway - so at first I just thought it was part of the film. I think everyone thought that at first, but then people started realizing what was going on and they started to panic. People were running and screaming and trying to protect their loves ones… I just sat there for a moment, confused and wondering what the hell was going on, when I saw someone in the aisle in front of me go down. I don't know who it was, or whether they survived, but I know they got shot: I saw the blood. I panicked, I got up to run out of the theatre, and… that's when this happened.” Dawn glanced at her bandaged shoulder.

“You know, I don't actually remember the bullet hitting me,” she continued. “I remember getting up out of my seat, and then suddenly I'm on the floor, and there's this almighty pain in my shoulder. All I could smell was blood and smoke, and with the pain and everything, I couldn't help thinking, 'This is it, I'm going to die'. But I didn't. The shooting stopped, and the guy left. Maybe he ran outta ammo, or just got bored or something, but he just stopped and left all of a sudden. Not too long after, someone comes up to me and asks if I can walk; they helped me up, tore off part of their own shirt to tie around the wound and help stop the bleeding, and then when the ambulances came, they helped me outside and… here I am.”

Samantha found herself lost for words as Dawn concluded her story. She really wasn't sure what she could say in response to such a harrowing tale. Dawn seemed to sense her friend's unease. “I know, it's not really the happiest of tales, is it?” she said. “But you asked what happened, and… yeah.”

Samantha nodded. “You know, you, uhh… you seem to be coping rather well with all this,” she said. “You know, considering what happened...”

“Well, like I said, I don't think it's really sunk in yet,” said Dawn. “When I remember it, it's like I'm still watching the film. It's like I'm watching something that's happening to someone else, and not me. Maybe I'll come to terms with it… or maybe this is my way of coming to terms with it. I don't know. I all just feels so unreal.”

At the mention of the film, Samantha decided to ask something to try and lighten the mood. “So… how was the film?” she asked.

Dawn let out a quiet chuckle. “I don't know,” she admitted. “I only saw the first, like… half-an-hour or so? Not much had really happened. It seemed like it was gonna be pretty good, though. I guess once I'm out of the hospital, we'll have to see it together like we'd planned to.”

Samantha smiled. The idea gave her hope that things would eventually go back to normal. “That'd be nice,” she said. “Just… let's go to a different theatre next time, okay?”

Dawn shook her head. “Oh, no, we're going to that same one,” she said. “I mean, think about it. What are the chances of that same theatre being shot up twice?”

Samantha had to admit that this made a surprising amount of sense. “Yeah, I guess you're right,” said Samantha. “Are you sure you'll be okay with it, though?”

“I don't know,” said Dawn. “I hope so. But I guess we'll find out when we go there.” After a moment's thought, Dawn said, “You know what? I've realized something out of all this. Life's short. It's precious, it's fleeting. We oughta spend it doing the things that we wanna do, rather then spending it behind an office desk. You know what I mean?”

“I suppose,” said Samantha.

“Let's make a deal,” said Dawn. “What's the one thing you've always wanted to do, more than anything else?”

Samantha thought for a few moments, but only one thing came to mind. “Well… my grandmother came from San Francisco,” she said. “She always used to tell me how nice it was there, how beautiful the Pacific looked, and the Golden Gate Bridge and everything. I've always wanted to go there, and see it all for myself, but… I never have.”

“Then go do it,” said Dawn. “Take some time off work, catch a plane to San Francisco, and go see the ocean. Then, once I get outta here and my shoulder is all better, I'm gonna fly over to Florida and swim with dolphins, like I've wanted to since I was a kid. Then we'll have both done the things we've always wanted to.” Dawn reached out with her good arm for a handshake. “Deal?”

Staring down at Dawn lying in her hospital bed, Samantha couldn't help feeling that her friend was right. Life was too short for her to be spending it all working, and never seeing the wider world. She'd lived her whole life without ever leaving the confines of Denver, and she didn't want to die having never been outside the city. Without hesitation, she took her friend's hand and shook it firmly. “Deal,” she said.