me.”
“I thought they were only allowing one person back at a time.”
She gave me a look. “You’re his girlfriend. I’m his mother. We need to be back there. And if the doctors have anything to say about it, they’ll deal with me.”
When I walked into the room, my knees went weak at the sight of Evan lying in the bed. He had an IV in his arm, oxygen tubes in his nose, both eyes were black, and there was a gash on his forehead that had been stitched closed.
I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath. I couldn't stop the tears this time, and I quickly wiped them away.
“C’mon, Charlie.” She gestured to a chair. “No crying. He wouldn’t want you to cry. He loves to hear your laugh. He told me so.”
“He told you that?” I moved so I could hold his hand, looking back at Maria.
“He... might’ve told me last week.”
My eyebrows rose. “He said that?”
Maria nodded. “I’ve never seen him act this way before.”
I resisted the urge to pull my hand from his. Not Kaleb. He is not Kaleb. He won’t hurt me right? Oh God, please let him be okay. I need him to be okay.
A doctor walked in wearing pale green scrubs and a doctor’s lab coat, his pockets nearly overflowing, and clipboard in hand. “Hello Maria.”
“Hi, Dr. Wright. This is Charlie, my son’s girlfriend.”
“Very nice to meet you.”
I shook his extended hand.
“I was wondering who ‘Charlie’ was.”
At our puzzled looks, he went on, “When Evan was brought in, he was semi-conscious. He asked for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. Maybe two.
He asked for me. When he was hurt and not entirely lucid and I wasn’t here. Because I’m afraid of my feelings for him. Chicken shit.
“Any progress?” Maria was standing at the door, an expression on her face I couldn’t identify.
“His vitals look good. I'm going to test whether or not he'll respond to pain stimuli.”
We watched as he poked Evan with a needle but got no response. “Don’t worry, ladies. He's a tough one. His body is healing itself. That’s why we go into comas. He's kind of…restarting. I’ll be back in an hour or two to check on him. Until then, you can stay and keep talking to him if you like. Some say coma patients can hear you talking.” Dr. Wright shook our hands and left the room.
We took chairs on either side of the bed and each took a hand. Taking turns talking, we told him how much we needed him and begged him to wake up. I told him that I needed him to warm me up because my Texan ass couldn’t handle Buffalo weather in November.
Maria laughed at that and gestured to my thin hoodie that usually kept me warm enough during the cold months at home. “You’ll never be warm in that. I’ll have Keith bring something for you so we don’t have to leave the hospital.”
I could feel my face warming as I blushed. “I’m not used to places that have actual seasons. In Texas, it’s almost summer, summer, still summer, and a little bit chilly.”
Her salt and pepper hair, down for the first time since I’d met her, fell into her eyes when she nodded. “It’s similar in Florida, though we get more cold snaps than you, I think. But even with the humidity, the heat, and the hurricanes always trying to beat down our door, it’s home. I couldn’t live anywhere else.”
Living in Florida might be like living in Texas. But the beaches would be a hell of a lot prettier, and the water cleaner, that’s for damn sure. But Evan has to wake up for me to even think about this. I have to apologize and throw myself at his feet, beg him to forgive me. He can call me his girlfriend if he wants. He can call me his main squeeze if that makes him open his eyes. I just want him to wake up .
“Something is going on in that head of yours,” Maria said, smoothing the white hospital blanket over Evan’s unmoving legs. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I glanced up at the monitors, wondering what all those numbers meant and hoping the readouts were good. “I
“I thought they were only allowing one person back at a time.”
She gave me a look. “You’re his girlfriend. I’m his mother. We need to be back there. And if the doctors have anything to say about it, they’ll deal with me.”
When I walked into the room, my knees went weak at the sight of Evan lying in the bed. He had an IV in his arm, oxygen tubes in his nose, both eyes were black, and there was a gash on his forehead that had been stitched closed.
I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath. I couldn't stop the tears this time, and I quickly wiped them away.
“C’mon, Charlie.” She gestured to a chair. “No crying. He wouldn’t want you to cry. He loves to hear your laugh. He told me so.”
“He told you that?” I moved so I could hold his hand, looking back at Maria.
“He... might’ve told me last week.”
My eyebrows rose. “He said that?”
Maria nodded. “I’ve never seen him act this way before.”
I resisted the urge to pull my hand from his. Not Kaleb. He is not Kaleb. He won’t hurt me right? Oh God, please let him be okay. I need him to be okay.
A doctor walked in wearing pale green scrubs and a doctor’s lab coat, his pockets nearly overflowing, and clipboard in hand. “Hello Maria.”
“Hi, Dr. Wright. This is Charlie, my son’s girlfriend.”
“Very nice to meet you.”
I shook his extended hand.
“I was wondering who ‘Charlie’ was.”
At our puzzled looks, he went on, “When Evan was brought in, he was semi-conscious. He asked for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. Maybe two.
He asked for me. When he was hurt and not entirely lucid and I wasn’t here. Because I’m afraid of my feelings for him. Chicken shit.
“Any progress?” Maria was standing at the door, an expression on her face I couldn’t identify.
“His vitals look good. I'm going to test whether or not he'll respond to pain stimuli.”
We watched as he poked Evan with a needle but got no response. “Don’t worry, ladies. He's a tough one. His body is healing itself. That’s why we go into comas. He's kind of…restarting. I’ll be back in an hour or two to check on him. Until then, you can stay and keep talking to him if you like. Some say coma patients can hear you talking.” Dr. Wright shook our hands and left the room.
We took chairs on either side of the bed and each took a hand. Taking turns talking, we told him how much we needed him and begged him to wake up. I told him that I needed him to warm me up because my Texan ass couldn’t handle Buffalo weather in November.
Maria laughed at that and gestured to my thin hoodie that usually kept me warm enough during the cold months at home. “You’ll never be warm in that. I’ll have Keith bring something for you so we don’t have to leave the hospital.”
I could feel my face warming as I blushed. “I’m not used to places that have actual seasons. In Texas, it’s almost summer, summer, still summer, and a little bit chilly.”
Her salt and pepper hair, down for the first time since I’d met her, fell into her eyes when she nodded. “It’s similar in Florida, though we get more cold snaps than you, I think. But even with the humidity, the heat, and the hurricanes always trying to beat down our door, it’s home. I couldn’t live anywhere else.”
Living in Florida might be like living in Texas. But the beaches would be a hell of a lot prettier, and the water cleaner, that’s for damn sure. But Evan has to wake up for me to even think about this. I have to apologize and throw myself at his feet, beg him to forgive me. He can call me his girlfriend if he wants. He can call me his main squeeze if that makes him open his eyes. I just want him to wake up .
“Something is going on in that head of yours,” Maria said, smoothing the white hospital blanket over Evan’s unmoving legs. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I glanced up at the monitors, wondering what all those numbers meant and hoping the readouts were good. “I
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