“That’s fine,” I tell her, knowing I don’t have a doctor’s appointment or anything else going on. “Have a wonderful day, Nathaniel,” she says, handing me a card with my appointment information on it.
Taking the elevator down, the same numbness sticks around. It’s been there since I last saw Arion. A sickening, empty, feeling of…nothingness. I wish I had her to turn to right now. She’s all I’ve ever depended on. On the drive home, I think back to how good things were before I ever left. Going back to that time on the beach with her and seeing her face reminded me of how things used to be. I know I will never have what I had with Arion with anyone else. But maybe there is a chance that her feelings will change and maybe we could come back together. You never know what the future holds and believe me, that’s all I want. Right now, I know her heart is with Bain. It’s not with me and I might have to learn to accept that. But nothing is set in stone.
“Is this normal?” Arion asks.
“It can be, yes, and considering how much blood he lost during surgery, I’m not surprised. Just give his body a little more time. He’ll come around.” I’m groggy. Everything is foggy and my entire body hurts. The man’s voice I don’t recognize, but Arion’s I know loud and clear. Wait, surgery…what’s going on? I realize that I can’t open my eyes. I can’t see anything. Darkness surrounds me and then I try to move, but nothing happens.
Fuck! This is the scariest feeling ever. “Talk to him. Remember how important that is to bringing him out of this.”
“I have been, for days, and nothing’s happened,” Arion says.
She has? What? I don’t remember any of it. What in the hell happened to me? I fight with all of my might, to give her some sort of a sign that I am here and I can hear her. Trying to force myself awake while jogging my memory at the same time…then it hits me. She’s here. She is here with me and I don’t hear Nate’s voice.
“Thank you, doctor,” she says. I can feel her hand wrapped around mine; it is as tight as I’ve ever felt.
There is silence between us, but it doesn’t last long, small sobs reel out of her. Although she is trying to keep quiet, I can hear her clear as a bell. Dammit, why can’t I move? Then I feel something heavy on my stomach and I realize that it’s her head. She cries on top of me and it pains me to the point of breaking. Why can I feel and hear her, but I can’t do anything?
Frustrated, I am lost and confused at what’s going on. Then all at once it happens. My eyes open, and before me is a bright ceiling, lights shining down on us. The brightness hurts and it forces me to close them. I slowly move my stiff neck to my left, and try again. There is a machine, with cords and lines feeding in and out of it, and then I look down. There she is, my Arion.
“Please come back to me, Bain,” she sobs into me.
I will my arm to move and thankfully it does. Reaching for her hurts like hell, but I weave my fingers into her blonde hair. It’s messy and untamed, just the way I like it. Once I’m rewarded with her softness, I show no restraint gripping her hair and right away she looks up at me, blinking a few times and then grabs my face looking deep into my eyes. “Oh, baby,” she says in an uneasy tone.
I grunt from the impact of her body as she hugs me, but holding her washes the pain away. “Sssshhhh,” I respond in an attempt to calm her. My chest burns, God does it ever. I am weak, but simply holding on to her is the best feeling ever.
Together we just cling to each other, then she pulls away and looks me deep in the eyes. The pain inside of me becomes almost unbearable and Arion begins to panic as she reads it on my face. Reaching over me, she presses the nurse call button.
“It’s okay, baby. Just calm down, they’ll give you something for the pain.”
I nod my head, keeping my eyes focused only on hers, as a nurse comes into the room. She starts to ask Arion what happened, and I do my best to keep my eyes on hers but…
“What happened?” I ask her.
“You passed out from the pain.”
“Well, that part I gathered. But, how did I end up in here? I can’t remember anything after leaving the house, when I went for a run.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Jesus, Bain. That’s scary. You were running and you got hit by a car.”
“What?” I snap, completely confused and shocked that I cannot remember any of it.
“Yeah, you didn’t stop at an intersection. That’s when a car hit you.”
“It was the pills,” I say ashamed, but knowing that I need to be completely honest with her.
“I know, I saw the house, but none of that matters. You’re okay now.”
“I am, since you’re here. Are my injuries bad?”
“Kinda. Thankfully, the car wasn’t going very fast, but you hit your head, which is what knocked you out, and the impact ruptured your spleen.”
“Fuck, I can’t believe I don’t remember any of it,” I look down at my body, but it is underneath a blanket, so nothing is visible to me.
“Oh, baby. I’m so, so sorry, but you’re alive and you’ll be okay.