For the first 2 months, I ate and slept at the hospital. After that, I realized I had to get back to work. Spent 6 hours or so in the studio, then 8 hours at Nikki's bedside. Since I wasn't doing much outside of the booth I decided to get a haircut and trimmed away the bread. I also kinda let myself go a bit.
After several months of vigil, Nikki finally managed to stir out of her sleep.
I remember waking up to these bright white lights and someone playing "Closer to the Heart", very badly. My first words were "you're in the wrong key" at which point I've got this big guy crying and hugging me.
Rehabilitation was slow for the accident victim. Her brother was strict about what medication she would receive as he didn't want a relapse. But the biggest shock was during that first few days.
She didn't recognize me. Granted, I had bulked up a bit, got a shave and a haircut but after talking with her, she knew it was me. The biggest shock was when she ran out of the bathroom screaming.
I freaked out because the person staring back at me in the mirror wasn't me. No pink hair and the face was completely different. It was weird though. As much crap as I did, I never blacked out. Sure my memory might be a little fuzzy but there weren't any holes, till now. And it was scary, to lose the better part of a year like that. It still took me another 7 months before I could play again.
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| Nikki, after rehab |
