One Drop

Chapter Fifteen: Emily

It's so hard to get used to normality again after everything that's happened to me and to us. When I woke up in hospital, human again, it was like resurfacing from a horribly realistic nightmare I'd been stuck in for months. The first thing I was aware of was voices shouting loudly, yet they sounded far away. I couldn't understand what they were talking about, but laughter echoed among the words, so I knew that whoever they were, they were happy. What felt like days later, but was probably only an hour or so and I could discern what the people were saying, and even begin to decode it. A male's voice, who I definitely recognised and who sounded the closest, was talking to another person quietly, a girl I think, about when the nurse was coming back to check on me. The girl replied, saying she would go and check, and I heard footsteps fading away. Then, I felt a pressure on my left hand, and heard the guy take a deep breath in, as they he wanted to say something but didn't know how. I lay there, immobile but expectant, and somehow I knew that whatever was said next was very important. "Hey Em. I know you probably can't hear me, but I'll say this to you anyway. I want to say that I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through this year. I haven't been fair to you, but I suppose when you love someone like I love you, you do stupid and crazy things to keep them safe. I now that what I've done to you is probably unforgivable, and I get that you might not want me back, but I want you to always know that I love you, and that every fucked up choice I made, I did it to keep you safe, even if it didn't work. And, I just really hope that when you wake up, you won't give up on me and my messed up life. That's all I ever wanted from you, was to hold on just that little bit longer. But first, you need to come back to me. So Em, I need you to wake up, please?" the guy's voice said, and I heard the catch in his voice as he started to cry. I felt his head leaning on my arm, his sobs gently shaking me. That was the moment when something clicked in my head, and I knew that the voice, the voice was Will's. I struggled to open me eyes, so I could look at him and tell it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't done anything wrong. It was like trying to wake from a nightmare, only this time I was already half awake. I was stuck, caught between two consciousnesses and fighting for a way out. I tried to focus on simply opening one eye, but no matter how hard I fought I couldn't get to him. I was so frustrated, and also very confused. Why couldn't I do anything, but I could still hear? Was I in a coma, or paralysed somehow from my change back into human? Would I ever open my eyes and see Will again?

After that I slip into unconsciousness again, and I don't hear any more voices. But, soon after that I wake up, only this time properly. My eyes flutter open and are suddenly blinded by a bright light that turns out to be sunshine, streaming in through an open window that shows a beautiful summer scene outside. I blink a few times to get used to the sudden brightness, and take in my surroundings. I knew from overheard conversations that I was in the local hospital, so that explained why so many drips and needles were hooked up to me, as well as the constant beep of the heart machine next to me. I was lying in a large bed in the middle of the room, wearing a white tank top and my favourite pyjama pants, expensive Peter Alexander ones Will had bought me for Christmas last year, that were yellow and covered in pictures of Vegemite jars. (Quick A/N These pyjamas actually exist and are actually in my possession as we speak! I know, awesome right?!! P.S for anyone who doesn't know what Vegemite is, I want you to go out into your backyard, dig a hole and die in it, that's how disappointed I would be in you. Anyway, back to the story...) I was relieved when I saw I was in my own cool jammies instead of those embarrassing hospital gowns that show your butt. I sighed and tried to sit up, but a searing pain burned through my chest, so I flopped back onto the pillows, annoyed at my frailty. I looked down at my chest and was shocked to see it was covered in bandages, a smallish but growing bigger red splotch of blood staining the white bandage. I reached up a hand to tentatively prod the wound, and gasped as pain flashed through me again. I slumped back onto the pillows again, wracking my brains to try and figure out why I had a massive wound in my chest. I certainly didn't remember it, but surely that was why I was in hospital. My hand rested lightly over the blood stain, rising and falling with each breath I took. My eyes started to flutter closed again, me feeling suddenly tired after the effort of dragging myself out of the black hole of unconsciousness. I was about to slip into a deep but normal sleep when Jilly walked in with coffee and a zombie like tired expression. She stopped in mid-yawn, frozen in shock as I stared happily back at her, though for some reason I couldn't get my voice to work. Jilly's coffee slipped from her stiff fingers, and suddenly the linoleum hospital floor was stained latte brown as she jumped over the puddle and launched herself at me. "OHMIGOD Em YOU'RE AWAKE!!!! AHHHHH" she screamed happily as she bounced up and down on my dangerously creaking bed, burying her face in my tank top but leaping back immediately when she heard my tiny gasp of pain. I looked up at her ecstatic smiling face, and couldn't help feeling a tiny (yet painful) ripple of happiness as I realised that I had my best friend in the whole world back. Still unable to form any words, I pointed down at the bandages wrapped around my torso and then looked back at Jilly with a questioning look in my eyes. "Oh, you mean the bandages. Well it's a long, long story. Get comfy, this could take a bit of explaining," Jilly laughed, and settling herself at the end of my bed she began to tell me all that had happened while I'd been running around the forest and baying at the moon. When she had finished I realised that my mouth was hanging open, and I snapped it shut quickly, staring disbelievingly at Jilly's gleeful face. I knew she was probably laughing at my expression, and I had to admit that I probably did look very funny. We both looked at each other for a few seconds, and then collapsed into a fit of raucous giggles, clutching at each other and gasping for breath. A minute or so later and I fell back into the pillows, trying to force air back into my lungs, but failing terribly. Jilly stopped laughing though when she saw who was in the doorway. Framed in sunlight like a gorgeous black silhouette was Will, and he looked equally as surprised as Jilly had to see me awake. He walked slowly towards me, his eyes sparkling as he looked incredulously at me. I smiled shyly, looking up at him from under my lashes, which suddenly reminded me of the first time Will and I had ever met, that fateful day when I spotted him across the quad and knew he was my one and only.