Ariana
I woke up feeling totally numb. All the parts of my body felt totally heavy. I could hardly open my eyes. When I had a clear look around me, I realized I am in a hospital. Then I remember all that happened when I was on my way from the interview. The driver was trying to avoid a truck and we ran into a tree. I remember everything until I passed out. I don’t know when I got here or how I got here.
Mother walks into the room and her eyes dart to me.
“Oh, sweetie. You are finally awake,” I big smile forms on her face as she walks to me.
“She is,” dad’s voice sounds from beside me and I realize that he has been sleeping in the chair beside the bed. He looks so tired and his hair is messed up.
“Aria, I am glad you are finally awake,” mom says while holding my face in her hands.
“How long have I been here?” I ask, reading the time on the clock which shows Seven o’clock.
“Today is the second day,” she responds. Oh, that long?
“Don’t stress about it honey. Let me go and get the doctor,” mom says and then walks out of the room.
“How are you feeling?” dad asks me while sitting upright. He starts folding the blanket he was using to cover himself.
“I don’t know exactly. I feel numb. Really numb; I feel like I can’t move a muscle,” I reply.
” Well, that is because you haven’t been able to move for two days, and all the medicine. Do you feel any pain?”
“My right arm doesn’t feel right,” I try to lift it. “Aww!”
“Easy on that. Sprained your elbow but it is not fractured. It will heal,” he tells me.
Mom comes back with a middle aged man whose look is comforting enough. He is the doctor.
“It’s good that you are finally awake. I am going to do some few check ups on you,” he says while approaching me.
After almost fifteen minutes of check up, the doctor finally tells us that I am good to go, but I need two full weeks of rest and I have to do some exercise in the second week to recover my muscles. Otherwise, I am good to go tomorrow morning.
“Aria, you should live at our place for those two weeks so that we can take care of you. Mr Hendricks said he wouldn’t mind as long as you take care of your health first,” dad says.
“Yes, sweetie. I think it is for the best. You can’t take care of yourself when you are alone in that apartment of yours,” mom tells me.
Julie and Heather walk into the room and they are excited that I am finally awake. Mom and dad excuse themselves, saying they are going to find something to eat. Julie tells me that Liza was here all afternoon.
“Your rich boyfriend was here too,” Julie says.
“Liam was here?”
“Yes. He is the one who took care of everything; this big room, the doctor, the bills, everything,” Heather replies. Why would he he do that? I really appreciate his generosity, but he didn’t have to. My parents could have taken care of it.
“He came by this morning and afternoon. You didn’t see the look on his face when we came late after hearing about the news of your accident. He was here like hours before we made it. He had already changed the room for you and he could have stayed the night if it wasn’t for your parents insisting that he goes home,” Julie says.
Now I miss Liam. I can imagine him running here after hearing about my accident. It was. Wednesday so he probably had some work to take care of, but be came here to looked after me and even wanted to stay overnight, taking care of me. I wish I could see him right now and hug him.
The door clicks open and Liam appears on the door way. His eyes grow wide when they meet mind. A sma smile forms on his face. He walks towards me and leans down to touch my face. I lean into his touch, relishing the feeling of his skin on mine. I look into his eyes. They look tired, yes, but what I see is love filled in them. Love for me. I bask into the warmth of his love and the way my body awakens at his touch.
“The doctor called and told me that you are awake, so I rushed here as fast as I could,” he tells me. My friends, reading the situation, excuse themselves out of the room with a lame excuse of taking a tour around the hospital, but I know they just want to give us space.
“How are you?” I ask, making him chuckle.
“Are you kidding me? I am the one supposed to be asking you that. You are the patient,” he says.
“I know, but I am just worried about you I have been told about how you have been up and down because of me. Thank you for all you have done for me,” I tell him. He holds my hand in his own. He gives it a gentle kiss and then leans his cheek against it.
“I was doing the best I can, Ariana. You don’t have to thank you. I am the happiest man on earth now, knowing that you have fought hard to win this battle, and you are now awake. You will be okay. You scared the hell out of me. I thought I was going to lose you, seeing you here, unscious, supported by mere machines. It was such a hard time for me, standing the risk of losing you when I had just got you,” he says and tears start pooling involuntarily in my eyes. I can imagine how stressed out he was. I have stressed my friends out, my parents and even my boyfriend. I feel so bad for putting them in such a position.
“I am really sorry for worrying you like this,” I tell him, tears rolling down my cheeks. I just woke up and now Liam is making me cry. Every single day, I realize how this man has such a strong effect on me. That’s why I am so drawn to him, madly in love with him.
“Hush now! Don’t cry,” he rubs the tears off my cheeks using his thumb. I gaze into his eyes wondering how on earth I was able to capture the heart of a man like this.
Wait, if I was brought here on Wednesday and it has been two days ever since… Then today is Friday. Tomorrow is the day for the play party. I was so excited for it, and now I am in no position to attend it. I couldn’t feel any worse about my situation. I was supposed to spend this weekend with Liam, having the best time of my life. Now here I am, in a hospital bed, as helpless as I can be.
“Liam…” I murmur. I don’t know how he is going to take the information I am about to give him, but I am so nervous to tell him.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, his eyes filling with concern. I take in a deep breath.
“The doctor said that I will be discharged tomorrow if I don’t get anymore complications,” I say.
“Well, that is a good thing,” he says.
“He said I could be discharged but I need two weeks of rest. I can take my medicine from home. I am going to be living with mom and dad,” I say. Just like I expected, Liam’s wide eyes bore through mine.
“Why? I mean, that’s not necessary. You can move in with me and I can take care of you,” he says.
“No, Liam. That would be do unreasonable of me if I accepted that. You have already done so much for me. I will go live with mom and dad,” I tell him. He racks his fingers through his hair, something that he usually does when he is stressed out.
“And leave me?” his words are almost inaudible. He looks so sad, so disappointed. I hate that I am the cause for all of that.
“No, it’s not like that. If I am able to recover in those three weeks, I will come back and live my life here with you,” I say.
“Three weeks?”
“The third week of Thanksgiving. I promised to spend it with my parents, before all of this even happened,” I tell him. He squeezes my hand in his and then lowers his forehead onto it. He lets out a heavy sigh.
“All that time, Ariana? What will happen next? You will get a job there, and you will not return at all,” he says.
“That’s not what’s going to happen. Yes, I know three weeks is a long time but it’s not a year. I am just going away to the next state. It’s not like I am abandoning you. We will be able to talk on phone, ” I try to mend the situation but my explanation seems to be going to vain.
“It is not the same, Ariana. It is not the same as you being here.”
“I know, but we can give it a try. Three weeks will be like three days if you keep your mind positive. I will be back in no time and we will resume our relationship. We don’t even have to pause it. We can try long-distance. Maybe later, we might realize that this space might be useful for us to discover what we really want,” I tell him.
“It’s you that I want, Ariana. I don’t need the space, but if you do, then it is fine. I might not be patient enough to wait for three weeks but I want you to be comfortable where you are and recover quickly,” he tells me.
“I will wait for you, but please come back,” he says, his eyes beseeching mine. How can I ever leave him? He is the only man that has ever brought contentment in my heart. How can I not come back to him.
“Yes, I promise,” I assure him. “I can’t leave you, Liam because I love you so much. My life is incomplete without you,” I tell him. He leans forward and kisses my forehead.
“I love you, Ariana,” he tells me. “A lot.”