A Bittersweet Life (1st draft)

Chapter 23

Bang...

Bang...

Beep...

My crusted eyes struggled to open. My body ached. The phantom feeling of the seatbelt across my chest still remained. My breathing quickened as my eyes frantically searched the blurry room, which was slowly starting to become clear.

"Get the nurse!" A man's voice rattled in my head. Every sound felt as though it could burst my eardrum at any second. A blurry face appeared in front of me.

"Oh... Baby..." Warm hands gripped mine. His voice trembled and hands shook in my palms. He backed away when, who I assumed was the nurse walked in.

"She's awake?" A bright light shone in my eyes. I tried to pull away as images from the crash flashed through my mind. "Talia, do you know where you are?" I wanted to shake my head, but a neck brace constricted all my movement.

"Maybe we should give her a minute."

"She could have memory loss. Do you know what year it is?"

"Where's Rrr." was all I could muster. The room went quiet.

"Talia." Ellis appeared in my vision once again and despite everything, I was relieved to see him.

"It's twenty-nineteen." I cleared my throat and said it again a little more clearly. Ellis smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Can you please give us a moment?" He asked the nurse and she scurried off. "What happened."

"I don't know." I lied even though images of us flipping through the street and Ryland laying there, strapped against the seat, replayed in my mind.

"How is she doing?" Mark sauntered into the room.

"I think she is going to be just fine." Ellis fluffed my hair and I winced under his touch.

"Where is Ryland?" The two of them exchanged somber glances causing my body to tense.

"He... He is going to be fine." Mark said, attempting to muster up as much confidence as he could.

"You're lying." I fought to get my body out from the bedsheets, but Ellis held me down.

"He is in surgery right now."

"He's alive?"

"Yes..." The tightness in my chest lessened and I was finally able to draw in a steady breath.

Mark left the room and was replaced by a couple of nurses who took my blood pressure, temperature, and a bunch of other things that I didn't really notice. My mind was only on Ryland. It wasn't on the accident, though. It was on our hands and the way they fit so perfectly together and how I wanted to hold them again. I was going to hold them again.

Hours went by before we were informed that Ryland was out of surgery. All I wanted was to jump out of bed and run to him. But, hospital policy does not allow that. More hours passed when the doctor said he was finally out of his coma. But, I was still not able to see him. After three days, I was able to leave and still not able to see him. I was rolled in a wheelchair past his room. The curtains were drawn. Not even a glimpse.

Randall greeted me with a sorrow-filled smile when I returned home. Helped me up to my room, making me comfortable in bed with a tray of snickerdoodle cookies and hot chocolate.

"You really don't need to do all of this," I said, even though I was grateful for all he did.

"It's my pleasure." He placed a small bell on my bedside table. "You know what that is for. But, ring if you need me." Luckily, the accident didn't leave me crippled. I had no broken bones, just a bruised rib, some external bruises, and five stitches on my forehead. But, even if I was worse off, I didn't care. The only person I cared about was Ryland. I had no idea about the extent of his injuries. I only knew about his surgery. I was in the dark. It took everything in me not to call him, but I knew he needed his rest.