Song: One Call Away by Charlie Puth
A/N: I got the cover made for my next book that is to be published eventually. Any guesses of what the book could be about? ;) Hint: *cough* spin-off *cough*
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I cursed at myself for waking up so late. I had slept in too long, and it was already seven o' clock. I arose from my place in the corner of the room, stretching my tingling limbs which had fallen asleep due to the cramped position I was curled up in.
Memories of last night fell into place as I looked at the scene before me. I couldn't believe what had overcome me, but I did feel better.
Even though I slept in a horrible position on the cold, hard ground, I felt a little more fresh. Sleep truly can work wonders, and I was an absolute wreck yesterday.
I ignored the lingering ache in my bones as I grabbed a coat. I didn't even bother looking at myself in the mirror - it would do me no good.
And the last thing that would be on my mind is looking presentable, because someone of more importance needs my attention - Colton.
I hadn't gotten any calls from the hospital, which eased my nerves slightly. They told me they would call me if something went wrong, but even though I got no calls, I needed to see the proof that he was still breathing myself.
So I wasted no more time and I rushed out of the door as quickly as possible.
* * *
I checked into the bustling hospital and made my way towards Colton's room. Much to my relief, he was still propped up in his bed, breathing steadily to the beat of the heart monitor. A nurse was tending to him, and when she saw me, she smiled.
"You are looking better." The nurse says. Though, I doubt it. I didn't have any makeup on nor had my hair been properly brushed.
Perhaps she's just trying to be positive.
I pull up a chair next to him once more. "How is he doing?" I ask.
"It is a good sign he survived the night. Though, I will go and get the doctor to discuss the details with you, alright?"
I nod my head.
She leaves the room and I'm left alone with Colton as I wait for what the doctor has to say. It's been rough the last couple days, hell, it's been rough my entire life. I'm just hoping for once that something good comes out of all of this.
A few minutes later, the doctor arrives. He shakes my hand, smiling as he glances at me and then towards Colton.
The doctor is a man perhaps in his late forties, with dark, slicked back hair and kind brown eyes. He's wearing the typical doctor's outfit - black pants, a white coat and a stethoscope strung around his neck.
"I'm doctor Kindley, nice to meet you."
"I'm Addison." I reply back, and I feel intimidated to look him in the eyes too long, so I snap my gaze away.
"How have you been doing?" He asks me.
I shrug. "I don't know, it's been hard."
He nods in understanding. "I can understand why. I've heard about your case through the surgeons and the nurses, and I've been checking up on Colton. I do have some good news, though, which will hopefully make you feel better. It's not much, but it's something."
"Okay." I murmur.
"Well, good news is that he survived the night. His chances of survival have increased by a small percentage. The bad news is that I don't know if he'll wake up. It's just a waiting game at this point, if he is to wake up there's no telling when he would wake up. It could be days or weeks until his body finally decides to awake. He's been through some major trauma and his body needs lots of time to heal right now. I know it's hard, but you're going to have to be patient at this moment." He says.
"What if he never wakes up?" I ask. I can't help but think of all the worst possibilities. It's only natural, right?
The doctor sighs. "That is a possibility, and I don't want to instill any false hope. It's important to discuss all possibilities and all options."
I let out a breath and nod.
I'm going to just choose to hold on to the hope that I'm clinging to.
"As of now, all we can do is make sure he's comfortable and healing well. He might be able to hear you, so you can talk to him if you choose to. It might even help him wake up." The doctor says, offering a small smile before standing up from his chair.
"Okay, thank you so much Doctor Kindley."
"No problem, I'm just doing my job. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask the nurses to fetch me. I'm never too far away." He tells me before leaving me.
I sink deeper into my chair as I look at Colton. "Please wake up." I whisper.
* * *
Five days have passed and Colton's wounds are healing up nicely, or so the doctor says, any way. The more his body heals the higher chance he could be waking up soon, and I'm more anxious than ever.
Waiting is something that's particularly hard to do, especially in a situation such as this. It's slow and painful, and it becomes even worse when my own thoughts turn against me.
I guess the only thing keeping me sane is my hope.
It's such a temporary savior - hope.
It induces a certain comfort into myself, it keeps me cradled in the arms of reassurance and it makes my conscious days at least a little brighter.
And it's something I refuse to let go.
I've been showing up to work to help get my mind off of things, and then I go and visit Colton in the evenings. Dagger has been kind to me, he's been very understanding. I've noticed he's caught a lady's eye, as he's been all giddy towards a pretty woman with darker skin and a small Afro. I'm happy for him, he deserves to be happy after what he's endured with his last wife.
I peek through the curtain that hides me backstage, and I smile as I watch Dagger and the woman flirt and laugh with each other. They seem to be blissfully unaware that they like each other, even though it is so obvious.
It kind of reminds me of Colton and I - with less flirting and less.....feelings being shown. Colton was always like a stone, but when I dug down deeper, I found pure gold. He would give me the cutest smiles, the best laughs, and those little flirtatious winks every once in awhile.
That's why I say it's like gold. Genuine gold is rare, and Colton is no exception. Gold can be found buried deep within soil and covered in dirt. But once the dirt is washed away, its true worth is shown.
I sigh as I pull back the curtain and disappear backstage. I have to admit that it feels nice to start singing again.
It helps with my anxiety and I've also been writing song lyrics lately to release my emotions in a healthy way. I refused to thrash my room like I had done not too long ago, I needed to deal with my emotions in better ways.
I'm just a little nervous to share the songs I've written to the public, because these songs are a piece of me. They are a glimpse into my dark, haunting mind and I fear people might be turned away by them. But I've got to test the waters eventually, and now would be a good time to do so.
It feels good to have the guitar in my hands, the one that I had repaired myself. It seems as if it's a piece of me now.
I'm wiping the dust off of it backstage, just before my performance when Dagger enters.
"It's good to have you back at work." He says, playfully hitting me in the arm.
"It's good to be back." I smile.
"The customers have been asking for you, they have seemed to grow quite fond of you. They will be happy to see that you're back. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how have you been? I know you told me of the incidents that have taken place, but.....how are you feeling?" He asks me.
A sense of awkwardness fills me. I've never liked to talk about my weaknesses and how I'm really feeling. It's always been uncomfortable to me.
"If I'm being honest, not the best. But I'm hanging in there, you know?"
He sighs. "Yes, I do know. I hope I didn't push you to come back to work soon and-"
"No, it's fine, really. In fact, being back at work helps keep my mind busy. It's such a heavy feeling to have your mind drowning in nothing but.....darkness so when I'm at work I'm distracted from those feelings." I tell him.
He nods in understanding. "If there's anything you need, don't be afraid to ask, alright?"
"Thank you, I really mean it."
"It's no trouble at all. Oh, and break a leg out there, they've missed you." He says, smiling.
I smile back, feeling nervous. I hope I don't get too overwhelmed, my emotions were sometimes too strong to control. I shutter when I remember the incident where I ran off stage.
I take a few deep breaths, calming myself as I wait for my Que to step out onto stage. I wish Colton was here to distract me from my nervousness.
Somehow, he was able to do that last time I had a performance. But for now, I'll just do what I've always done. I'll get lost in the darkest parts of my mind and sing with my heart.
And that's exactly what happened.
I stepped out onto stage, with the glare of the lights above raining down on me and the eyes of many on me. My mind was a war inside, but my heart was not. With hesitation, I lifted my voice to the heavens, begging myself, begging some sort of higher being, if there even was one, for some sort of a light.
And there was one.
Unbeknownst to me, there was one.
And little did I know, that I was going to find it soon.
* * *
The hospital was a dark looming figure in the distance. The rain had caught me in its cold grasp and I raced against the wind with nothing but the sound of my heart drumming in my ears.
I had gotten an urgent call from the hospital, telling me to come quickly. I didn't know if it was good news or bad news, all I knew was that it was urgent.
I burst through the doors of he hospital, a wet mess of rain and wind swept hair. People stared at me but quickly looked away as I set off down the hallways with haste. I had long memorized his room number, so I knew exactly where I was going.
Here his room was.
Five steps.
Three steps.
One step.
I step into his room, almost hesitantly. What if something went wrong? What if my nightmare was coming alive?
But then I saw him.
He was lying in his bed as usual, but only this time, something indeed was different.
His head was lying to the side, but upon sensing my presence, he turned his head so that he was looking me right in the eyes. He raises his hand and limply waves at me, causing my jaw to drop.
But what he does next surprises me.
He cracks a small, weak smile at me. His hair is a ruffled mass on his head and he looks like a mess with all the tubes connected to him and the multiple bandages wrapped around him. He also looks tired and I know he needs to sleep the rest of the drugs off.
But then he speaks, his voice cracking and brilliant smile lit up his face.
"So, you love me?"