It all happened so fast.
Where are you?
I'm home, but I'm about to go out with friends.
Okay. I love you.
I love you, too. I'll text you when I get back.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
I didn't get a text that night. I figured she was having a good time and forgot, which is fine. I just want her safe.
The next morning, still nothing.
News travels slow when your hundreds of miles away.
The phone rang. I felt my stomach drop. I had a bad feeling.
I didn't cry. She was still alive, after all. I felt empty. I felt no emotion.
Her family was there. They don't know about us. She had been driving her car to her friend's house when the truck spun out of control. She was in a coma.
Emily was there, tear streaked and staring at the floor. She looked guilty. It's not her fault. It isn't anyone's. Things just happen.
I went into the room and I gasped at what I saw. She looked so beautiful, but so... Unresponsive. Dead almost. Every emotion hit me, dread, guilt, love, sorrow. I wish I saw her more. I wish she had stayed home.
I sat down and held her hand, hoping she'd grasp it. She didn't. Her hands were cold. I pulled up the sheet over her arms and kissed her forehead. Her family had been in earlier, but they couldn't bear seeing their daughter like... This. Gone. And I couldn't blame them. It was hard to see her like that.
The next three weeks were a blur. I went and visited her every weekend I could; my grades dropped. I knew if she woke up she'd be pissed at me for that, because that's the type of person she is. She puts everyone before her. I wanted her to wake up. I wanted to see those big brown eyes. I don't think I could love anyone more than I loved her. I just need her right now.
One week later-
I was holding onto her hand and her life itself. I needed her to come back; I would be lost without her. I love her. I was about to let go when her hand suddenly lightly gripped mine. I started yelling for a nurse, tears in my eyes and hope in my heart. She ran in and I told her what happened. She checked her vitals and looked at me sadly. She explained that patients tend to twitch while in comas, and that's probably all it was. I had hope though. She could be waking up.
Another 4 weeks had past and she was still in her coma. I was holding her hand again. She gripped my hand again, but this time, she kept holding on. She would not let go. I gripped back, not letting her slip away. I screamed for the nurse. I eventually had to let go, but she was slightly moving. Before I left, I could of sworn I heard her whisper my name.
I went outside and called her family and mine. They do not know we're together, but our families are very close. They arrived shortly and thanked me for calling them. An agonizing hour passed and we were allowed in.
The doctors said that she wouldn't be able to speak normally for a while and wouldn't be herself until after a year of physical therapy, but it didn't matter. I love her and she's safe. No one took her.
She saw me and smiled, tears in her eyes. I hugged her and she kissed me in front of her family. They weren't confused like I had expected. She looked at me and tried to say my name, but stuttered and failed. I took her hand and explained everything. They seemed too happy to care, and I was very glad. It was much easier not to hide it. I called my family and told them the good news and what has been going on between me and her. They were all very happy and told me that they were suspecting it.
One day, I was sitting with her and watching a movie. All of a sudden she yelled oh my god. And then I yelled oh my god. She could finally speak normally again. I was so glad.
After two months, she stood.
After four months, she walked.
After six months, she could go home.
After 8 months, she could jog.
After a full year, she could be herself again. She got back on the field hockey team. She missed a lot, but she came back stronger than ever. She was even more outgoing, and often said to not let life pass you by. She seemed happier, and she wasn't sad about the coma. She looked at it as something that proved her strength.
She's now a writer and a special relations and financing manager. She still plays sports, but only on weekends. She runs two miles everyday.
The coma was a terrible obstacle, but it changed her life for the better in the end.
