“What do I do?”
He pursed his lips. “You should hear him out, let him explain. That way you can make a decision based on all the facts.”
“You know, then.” A statement, not a question.
“Yes. I made a call to an old friend in the D.A.’s office. You need to hear what he has to say. I don’t like what he did to you, but I have a better understanding of why he felt he needed to do it and…” he trailed off and sighed. “I can’t hate him for that.”
He took my right hand, my good hand, in his. His long fingers dwarfed mine as they always had. “We’ll all be in to see you at some point in the morning. We all love you and want you to get better.” He paused, his expression torn. “That includes him, you know.”
I nodded, and he squeezed my fingers before turning and walking to the door. “Hey Drew?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get some rest. I know you haven’t been unconscious enough today,” he said with a wink and a wave goodbye as he disappeared.
It was quiet then, the beeping of the machines and the aching pain the meds didn’t dull down my only company.
I stared at the ceiling and contemplated Nathan’s request to hear him out and wondered if I could. I didn’t have anything else left to lose; he’d taken what little there was of me. So what harm would it be? Maybe then I could understand and begin getting over him. I still didn’t believe he wanted me. He felt guilty, was all.
Doubt crept into my mind as I replayed his frantic pleas in my head and the three words he had spoken most vehemently.
“I love you.”
The words swirled around in my head, and I didn’t even notice the nurse when she entered to take my vitals. I did, however, notice the new meds she slipped into the IV, because my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted back into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER 2
It was a fun-filled morning in the driest sense.
I awoke in pain—something I knew was going to be my constant companion for the months to come. As soon as the nurses knew I was awake, they pumped me full of more pain meds. The drugs helped, but made me a little on the loopy side.
Not what I needed to be when my first guests of the day arrived: police officers. They’d come to take my statement in regards to the accident, and unfortunately I was unable to recall anything. The last thing I remembered was running out to my car in the rain and then waking to Nathan calling my name in the hospital halls.
They asked me where I was headed, did I see the van, was it still raining, what color was the light? Standard questions, but I was getting more and more annoyed with their attempts to get some answers out of me other than the only one I had: I don’t remember anything. They weren’t going to jog my memory.
Got in the car, woke in the hospital. End of story.
It surprised me when the officers questioned me about the call I had made to Nathan before the paramedics arrived. I had no recollection of it at all, but I remembered Caroline mentioning the previous night I had done so.
After a few minutes, they grew frustrated with my non answers and left, stating they would be in touch. I knew they would, but I still didn’t have any answers on how I ended up here besides what I’d been told.
An hour after the police left there was a light rapping at my door, and I looked up to find the older woman with the gray-streaked brown hair standing in the doorway.
“Good morning, Lila. Might I join you?”
I blinked up at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Sarah Thorne, Nathan’s mother,” she said.
I was a little hesitant, but she had a sweet, infectious smile. My head tilted as I looked at her, taking her in before speaking. “It’s nice to meet you. I take it you already know who I am?”
She nodded. “And I must say, after George told me about you, I dreamed of meeting you. However, I never envisioned our first meetings to be with you in a hospital bed.”
“You dreamed about meeting me?” I asked in wonder.
“Of course! We’ve all been waiting for Nathan to return, and when I heard he was in a relationship, I couldn’t contain myself.” Her smile faded. “Though I never thought our first meeting would be while you were in a self-induced coma because of my son.”
I scrunched my brow and thought back to that time. There was a faint memory of an unknown voice. My eyes widened. “Oh! That was you?”
She blinked at me. “You remember me?”
“I remember a voice that spoke to me in a different emotion than the other unknowns."
“Well, when I heard you had no one and Nathan was there all of the time –”
I interrupted her. “Wait. What about Nathan?”
“You didn’t know?” she asked, genuine surprise in her expression.
“Know what?”
“He spent every free moment they would allow outside your hospital door.”
I was in shock from her revelation. Not only that, I was pissed. I had suspected he was there, and she had just confirmed it all.
“I know you’re upset with him, it’s written all over your face, but I want you to know and realize he didn’t abandon you,” she said, her tone urging and pleading with me. “Let him explain, let him tell his story. I hope when you hear all he has to say you’ll try to forgive him.”
“I can’t promise you anything.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m imploring you to hear him out, before you write him off for good. He cares so much for you.”
“Okay.” I hoped she was right, but I had my doubts. Nathan walked away, not me. Was I supposed to act like he hadn’t kicked me to the curb like garbage?
I felt confused. I wanted to believe her so much – every fiber of my being begged for it – but my heart was still bleeding out over his rejection. Letting him talk to me might be tantamount to ripping the bandages back off my gushing, wounded heart. How would I survive?
I was already a step away from being completely obliterated by him the first time he ended things with me. Wasn’t being in the hospital proof enough for them? Yet, his mother sat in front of me, begging me to hear him out.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my fraying soul.
Just listen to her, Lila. She seems like a nice woman, and she’s a mother. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt you…
He pursed his lips. “You should hear him out, let him explain. That way you can make a decision based on all the facts.”
“You know, then.” A statement, not a question.
“Yes. I made a call to an old friend in the D.A.’s office. You need to hear what he has to say. I don’t like what he did to you, but I have a better understanding of why he felt he needed to do it and…” he trailed off and sighed. “I can’t hate him for that.”
He took my right hand, my good hand, in his. His long fingers dwarfed mine as they always had. “We’ll all be in to see you at some point in the morning. We all love you and want you to get better.” He paused, his expression torn. “That includes him, you know.”
I nodded, and he squeezed my fingers before turning and walking to the door. “Hey Drew?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get some rest. I know you haven’t been unconscious enough today,” he said with a wink and a wave goodbye as he disappeared.
It was quiet then, the beeping of the machines and the aching pain the meds didn’t dull down my only company.
I stared at the ceiling and contemplated Nathan’s request to hear him out and wondered if I could. I didn’t have anything else left to lose; he’d taken what little there was of me. So what harm would it be? Maybe then I could understand and begin getting over him. I still didn’t believe he wanted me. He felt guilty, was all.
Doubt crept into my mind as I replayed his frantic pleas in my head and the three words he had spoken most vehemently.
“I love you.”
The words swirled around in my head, and I didn’t even notice the nurse when she entered to take my vitals. I did, however, notice the new meds she slipped into the IV, because my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted back into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER 2
It was a fun-filled morning in the driest sense.
I awoke in pain—something I knew was going to be my constant companion for the months to come. As soon as the nurses knew I was awake, they pumped me full of more pain meds. The drugs helped, but made me a little on the loopy side.
Not what I needed to be when my first guests of the day arrived: police officers. They’d come to take my statement in regards to the accident, and unfortunately I was unable to recall anything. The last thing I remembered was running out to my car in the rain and then waking to Nathan calling my name in the hospital halls.
They asked me where I was headed, did I see the van, was it still raining, what color was the light? Standard questions, but I was getting more and more annoyed with their attempts to get some answers out of me other than the only one I had: I don’t remember anything. They weren’t going to jog my memory.
Got in the car, woke in the hospital. End of story.
It surprised me when the officers questioned me about the call I had made to Nathan before the paramedics arrived. I had no recollection of it at all, but I remembered Caroline mentioning the previous night I had done so.
After a few minutes, they grew frustrated with my non answers and left, stating they would be in touch. I knew they would, but I still didn’t have any answers on how I ended up here besides what I’d been told.
An hour after the police left there was a light rapping at my door, and I looked up to find the older woman with the gray-streaked brown hair standing in the doorway.
“Good morning, Lila. Might I join you?”
I blinked up at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Sarah Thorne, Nathan’s mother,” she said.
I was a little hesitant, but she had a sweet, infectious smile. My head tilted as I looked at her, taking her in before speaking. “It’s nice to meet you. I take it you already know who I am?”
She nodded. “And I must say, after George told me about you, I dreamed of meeting you. However, I never envisioned our first meetings to be with you in a hospital bed.”
“You dreamed about meeting me?” I asked in wonder.
“Of course! We’ve all been waiting for Nathan to return, and when I heard he was in a relationship, I couldn’t contain myself.” Her smile faded. “Though I never thought our first meeting would be while you were in a self-induced coma because of my son.”
I scrunched my brow and thought back to that time. There was a faint memory of an unknown voice. My eyes widened. “Oh! That was you?”
She blinked at me. “You remember me?”
“I remember a voice that spoke to me in a different emotion than the other unknowns."
“Well, when I heard you had no one and Nathan was there all of the time –”
I interrupted her. “Wait. What about Nathan?”
“You didn’t know?” she asked, genuine surprise in her expression.
“Know what?”
“He spent every free moment they would allow outside your hospital door.”
I was in shock from her revelation. Not only that, I was pissed. I had suspected he was there, and she had just confirmed it all.
“I know you’re upset with him, it’s written all over your face, but I want you to know and realize he didn’t abandon you,” she said, her tone urging and pleading with me. “Let him explain, let him tell his story. I hope when you hear all he has to say you’ll try to forgive him.”
“I can’t promise you anything.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m imploring you to hear him out, before you write him off for good. He cares so much for you.”
“Okay.” I hoped she was right, but I had my doubts. Nathan walked away, not me. Was I supposed to act like he hadn’t kicked me to the curb like garbage?
I felt confused. I wanted to believe her so much – every fiber of my being begged for it – but my heart was still bleeding out over his rejection. Letting him talk to me might be tantamount to ripping the bandages back off my gushing, wounded heart. How would I survive?
I was already a step away from being completely obliterated by him the first time he ended things with me. Wasn’t being in the hospital proof enough for them? Yet, his mother sat in front of me, begging me to hear him out.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my fraying soul.
Just listen to her, Lila. She seems like a nice woman, and she’s a mother. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt you…
