Arcadian

Awake

"There we go," The nurse says, removing the tube. We watch intensely in silence, breathing a sigh of relief when we see that Harper's chest in still moving up and down.

"We've stopped giving her the drugs that have kept her sedated so it's only a matter of time before she wakes," The nurse explains, packing up her equipment and exiting the room.

"This may take a while, maybe you should go freshen up and get changed," My mum suggests, looking up and down at my scruffy hair and the outfit I've been wearing for the past few days.

"No I want to be here," I reply, not taking my eyes off Harper's angelic face. "Lucian," My mum warns, letting me know that she was no longer asking.

I sigh, stretching out my numb legs that have been in the same position for the past five hours before standing up and grabbing the folded clothes my mum left on the table.

I head to the bathroom, walking past the hoards of flowers and teddy bears that rest on any available surface in Harper's room.

I shower as quickly as humanly possible, terrified to be away from Harper.

I rush out of the bathroom, receiving strange looks from my mum and Emilio who are just calmly scrolling through their phones as Harper lays exactly how I left her.

I sigh in relief as I return to the arm chair next to her bed, retaking her hand in mine. "Come on it's late, let's get some food," My mum says, beckoning us to get up. 

"Just bring me something back please," I yawn. "Come on man, stretch your legs," Emilio says, now standing up. I shake my head before lying it on Harper's bed, being careful not to accidentally hurt her in anyway.

My mum sighs, sensing that there's no way to change my mind and closes the door behind her and Emilio.

I look up at Harper, struggling to keep my eyes open as the days of sleep deprivation start to slowly catch up on me.

I need to wait for her to wake up, if I fall asleep and she stops breathing I'll never forgive myself. The only thing keeping me sane right now is Harper's face. She looks utterly peaceful, like she's having the most tranquil dream. 

She doesn't deserve this, she doesn't deserve to be here hooked up on wires when she should be out enjoying her life. It hurts to think that there's still a chance she may never wake up.

In a moment of desperation I do something I've never done before, I pray.

The sound of beeping annoyingly repeats for hours on end as I desperately try to pry open my eyes. 

I put all my power into pulling them open, only to immediately clamp them shut again when the blinding bright light above me shines directly into them.

Wanting to rub my stinging eyes, I try to lift my achey arms but I'm unable to move them. I wait for a moment before attempting to squint my eyes open again.

I'm met with the sight of a bright white hospital room with flowers and presents scattered around it. I look down and see Lucian fast asleep with half his body hanging off a chair and the other half resting on my bed. 

He looks exhausted, his hair is messy and prominent dark circles are displayed under his eyes.

My attention is drawn to my arms which are wrapped in bandages with numerous needles and tubes sticking out of it.

What the hell happened to me?