therapy | luke hemmings a.u

:: Twenty

:: T W E N T Y ::

Just as Ellie's eyes had fluttered open, they fluttered shut. Luke stood up in a rush, letting go of her hand before running out of the ICU screaming 'Dr. Claire!' as he ran through the hallways, skidding on the slippery, white tiles.

He kept running, panting due to the lack of exercise in the past few weeks. He rounded a corner and collided with something white making him fall backwards and land on the floor.

"Oh my!" Exclaimed Dr. Claire as she rushed to help Luke up. "Are you running a marathon, my dear?"

"Do - Doctor, E - El," Luke said out of breath.

"What's wrong, Luke?" Dr. Claire asked, baffled by Luke's incoherent mumbling.

"El," Luke exclaimed abruptly taking Dr. Claire aback. "She woke up! She opened her eyes and looked at me when I finished the song and then they fluttered close again. You have to come and check, Dr. Claire!" He said in a hurry.

Dr. Claire gasped and started walking to the ICU really fast with the nurses who were listening in tow. She rushed over to Ellie's side after entering the ICU and started checking all the machines. She then examined Ellie, checking for signs that she was alright.

This went on for what felt to Luke like hours. Hours of waiting to find out if your other half was going to make it after all. Dreadfully long hours that made him chew on his nails and by the time Dr. Claire was done, Luke barely had nails on his fingers. "She's okay!" Dr. Claire said with a sigh of relief as a smile crept its way onto her face, lighting it up. "Thank the gods, she's okay!"

All the nurses broke out into smiles and a soft cheer went across the room. Some nurses even hugged each other making Luke look at them fondly. They really cared about her. He thought to himself happily.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room felt light as if a fog had just been lifted. Everyone felt as if the world's weight had just been lifted off their shoulders. The worry that they had been feeling, gone and replaced by warmth instead.

But then Luke saw something that made his happiness escalate even further - Ellie had opened her eyes again. Their eyes locked and Luke smiled widely and he saw the faintest smile form on Ellie's face. Dr. Claire, who had seen Ellie open her eyes, started talking to her after removing the ventilator.

"Can you tell me what your name is?" She asked kindly.

"El - Elaine," Ellie said faintly and Luke walked over to stand by her side.

"Elaine what, my dear?" Dr. Claire asked again.

"Elaine Hawthorn," Ellie responded.

"Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"I'm Elaine Hawthorn. I live at home with my parents and brother. I go to Eastwood High. And this here," she said turning to Luke. "Is my boyfriend."

Luke looked at Ellie lovingly with tears welling up in his eyes. She remembers me. She remembers everything. Thank the gods. He thought, closing his eyes momentarily.

"Very good!" Dr. Claire said excitedly. "Do you remember what happened? Before you went into a coma?" She asked.

"Yes. I remember going to a party. Our end of exams party, to be exact. I remember asking Luke to take me home early because I don't really like parties," she said, getting everything out to show she remembered. "The sweat, alcohol and grinding bodies are not my type of fun," she scrunched up her nose in disgust and paused to breathe in deeply. "I remember, while on the way home, a truck swerved onto our lane and I screamed when the headlights flashed. That's the last thing I remember."