A/N: Soooooo it might've been a year since I've posted... maybe... possibly... whoops....? I am sorry, and I will try my hardest to post. I've just had 3490324 things going on and I'm so exhausted, and I've had major writer's block like so bad but then I had an inspiration and just wrote and I know this chapter's kinda short, but I think you'll appreciate it. It's definitely just a "moving forward" chapter, but it's a moving forward chapter all you Jenna fans will love.
IMPORTANT!!!!!! Please don't ask me if you can finish my story. My inbox and wall is filled with like, 12 people asking. I will finish it, at my pace, with my writing style and with my story line. I am the author and please, please, please do not try and finish my work. Imagine if an author like, Sarah Dessen agreed to let me finish one of her books 80 pages in. It wouldn't be the same at all... so the answer is no. I am grateful that y'all like it this much to ask if you can take over, but please, the answer is no. It's my thoughts and ideas on paper, and I wish to to remain that way.
Y'all enjoy!
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Chapter Eight
A little harder. Just push a little harder. A little faster. Last a tad bit longer. I crossed the mile line at a new best time. I had shaved my mile down by six seconds. A small victory, for sure. I bent down and rested my arms on my knees, catching my breath.
“You’re here early,” a familiar voice said.
I stood up and looked over at Sam. I smiled. Jason told me that Sam wouldn’t talk to him at all when he got home from his parents’ last night. “Yeah, just wanted to start my day off right. Why are you here so early?”
“Just blowing off steam.”
I looked down. “I’m sorry, Sam.” I looked back up at him, and felt my stomach sink. “I made the move on Jason, not the other way around. It’s been months that I’ve liked him, and he’s finally moving on from Jenna. He’s finally living his life.”
“So we should all just thank you then.”
“You’re mad, I get it, but…. I’m so happy right now, and so is he.”
Sam shook his head. “Congratulations Leah. I hope it all works out for you, really.” He nodded at me. “I need to keep running. Have a good day.” I watched as he made record time around the track before heading back to the dorms to shower and change for the day. I still had a few hours before class started, and wanted to get at least an extra hour’s worth of homework done.
Just before heading to class, I got a phone call from Jason. “Hey!” I said happily.
“Leah! Jenna’s mom just called! There was a spike in brain activity!”
I could feel my stomach start to drop. “That’s great! So she could wake up soon?”
“It’s a possibility, yeah! The doctor’s told her that it was just a spike, not consistent, but it gives us hope!”
I felt a pang in my side and a little guilty. I didn’t want her to wake up. I was finally happy and wanted to be with Jason. “That’s incredible. That’s everything you’ve wanted. Not to be a Debbie downer, but she’s going to have to have a lot of rehabilitation and a lot of treatment to be able to walk and talk and function again. She’s not going to wake up like it was just a little nap.”
“I know that, but her mom and dad had a meeting with this doctor from Germany. He’s the best neurosurgeon in his field, and he’s been doing work with patients in a long term unresponsive condition with brain activity. Sometimes her eyelids will move. They’ve been doing that for years, but that’s it. He said that means that there is a small amount of cognition underneath the surface and she suffers from a ‘locked in’ syndrome. He’s been testing different drugs combined with a new surgical procedure that is designed to artificially restore the output connection between the brain stem and the cerebral cortex, which would allow her to wake up and would restore function. The way he explained it was like she’s awake down there, but can’t respond to us. They’ve been doing testing, and they allowed her to imagine that she was riding a bicycle. Her mom said it took hours, but that’s when the brain activity spiked up. She’s in there, somewhere, and they’re going to do the surgery. They’re running more tests until then. It’s scheduled for two days after Thanksgiving!”
A lot of what he said sounded like babble. I was a history major… although he believed I was studying something in the medical field. Admittedly, I had thought about it, could even be good at it, but hospitals are so cold and dead inside, and history was fun. I could be a history teacher, and that would be fantastic. I had only told the stupid lie, because I wanted to see what his step dad would say about me being in the medical field, since he disliked the idea of Jason going to medical school. “And how many patients has he tested this on?”
“Seven. Five of the seven have been successful.”
“And the other two?”
“They died.”
“So there’s a possibility she won’t make it through?”
“Yes, there is. But she’s been like this for so long, and if she doesn’t make it, then at least we tried. But if she does, her whole world has opened up again.”
“Why has he only tried with seven patients?”
Jason was starting to sound so excited. I was trying to be excited for him, I was, but I was so scared I’d lose him. “Because most people unplug their loved ones after a month of unresponsive behavior. Most people, once they enter that vegetative state, they don’t recover.”
“So there’s only a limited pool and some people are still probably weary about an experimental surgery.”
“Yeah, very. But there’s always those cases, ya know, about the guy that woke up after nineteen years.”
“Yeah, there’s always those medical miracles. Well I do hope the surgery is successful. Does this doctor have a rehabilitation plan?”
“He said that they’ll discuss it further post op – everyone comes out different. There’s like, this coma scale – three to fifteen. Three being worst and fifteen being best. Jenna was considered a six. After the surgery, depending on where she stands on the scale will determine the next step. The doctor said that because of her age and results already, he expects her to be at about a ten or an eleven. A twelve at best. They’ll work with her subconscious to strengthen the brain activity until she wakes up. After that, it’s a learning curve – seeing where she is and how much she needs.”
I nodded as if he could see me. I was almost to class. “That makes sense. What’s the doctor’s name?”
“I’ll text it to you. I’m going to have to ask Lindsey again. Something with a D.”
“Lindsey is…?”
“Jenna’s mom.”
“Oh okay. Well listen, I’m about to walk into class, but we should meet for dinner!”
“I’m going to see Jenna’s parents tonight. Her mom asked me to come for dinner. I would invite you, but I don’t think they’re ready to see you just yet…”
“No, I understand completely. How about lunch then?”
“Lunch is great. Have fun in class, I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Bye Jason!” I said.
The whole class, I couldn’t focus on anything except what he just told me. Jenna could regain function in less than two months. And he’d go running back to her immediately. Of course he would, he’s a good person. The last thing she knew, he loved her, and if she really was conscious underneath the surface, surely she knew he was always there, spending time with her. And he still loved her, he’d never leave her to stay with me. I knew that three days ago when we became something, I just never thought she’d actually wake up.
Class was dismissed and I moved onto my next, still unable to focus. I was going to need to smile and say good things and be there for him. I wanted to always be there for him. The small part in the back of my mind whispered, there’s still a chance she could die. But I didn’t want that. I didn’t want her to die, because I wanted Jason to be happy. If she died, he’d be devastated. His hope would be completely crushed. I didn’t want that to happen.
I was able to tune in towards the last five minutes of class, just in time to hear about the quiz next class, and then I made my way to the sushi place on the edge of campus. He texted me halfway through the class to meet him there.
I walked in and he already had a lemonade sitting there on the table for me. “Hey babe!” He said, as I walked over to kiss him quickly on the lips.
“Hi!” I greeted enthusiastically, sitting across from him. “Thanks for the lemonade,” I said.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but I got us each a bowl of miso soup.”
“Oh that’s perfect. Fun fact – miso soup is fantastic for your skin.”
“I know,” he chuckled. “You tell me that every time we come here.”
“Well it’s still true,” I said, shaking my head in a very matter of fact way.
The waitress returned with our soup and then took our order. “So I know you probably didn’t want to hear all of that about Jenna this morning-” he started.
“No, I don’t mind. I’m glad you told me. I just want you to be happy, whether it’s with me or your first love.” I swallowed hard, clenching my teeth together.
“I was going to say that I was appreciative of the support. You’re really an amazing girlfriend, and I’m thankful for it. Most girls wouldn’t put up with the situation I’m in, and I appreciate you understanding. I’ll be careful, though, not to talk about it too much.”
“Jason-”
He took my hand and smiled. “I like you, I’m with you, I want to be with you. I don’t want you to worry about Jenna or me leaving for Jenna. I’m not promising I wouldn’t, but I am saying I don’t intend on it.”
My belly filled with hope, and I smiled. “Okay,” I finally choked out. “Keep me updated on the situation, though.”
He nodded. “Of course. Oh, and the doctor’s name is Dr. Drechsler.”
I nodded. “Okay, great. I might do a little bit of my own research on him and the procedure,” I mentioned.
“I’ve done a lot myself. He’s highly qualified, has been published in major medical journals across the world, has a high success rate, praised everywhere. The surgery has a little bit of criticism, but only because it’s hard to understand the brain – every brain is unique.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“So when do you leave to go see her family?”
“Right after my last class at four.”
“Oh okay. Tell me how that goes.”
He nodded. “My mom told Lindsey about you. She didn’t say much, just said congratulations.”
“I mean, you’re dating me and you were hopelessly devoted to her daughter for years.”
“Yeah, but I mean, her mom has always felt really guilty. She blames herself. She thinks that if she wouldn’t have made Jenna break up with me, that this never would have happened. We wouldn’t have been fighting, she wouldn’t have been upset and she wouldn’t have gotten into that car accident.”
“Everything happens for a reason, though. I’m a strong believer in that. Maybe that car crash saved her from something else.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. There are other really bad things that can happen, that change a person beyond repair. Imagine if she hadn’t, and a little while later found herself in a comprising position, got raped and had a baby from her rapist. Some people never mentally or emotionally recover from that. That car accident would have saved her. Especially if she wakes up and regains most of her functionality.”
“I don’t think that would have happened to Jenna. Thanks for putting that terrible image in my head.”
I sighed, exasperated. “Or maybe that accident was for you – to make you a stronger person, to make you learn what love really is and how far it can go. Who knows, but everything happens for a reason, even if we can’t see it.”
“I guess. But why her? Why such a good person?”
I shrugged. “Bad things happen to good people all the time. Without the bad things, we wouldn’t cherish the good things.”
“You’re wonderful,” he said softly.
I smiled and reached across the table to kiss him. “I know.” I chuckled and grinned widely.
Maybe, just maybe, I had a chance at happiness
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A/N: Okay, so I know some of you have to be a little happier with me now! A couple of things:
1) Just reiterating that this is my work and no one else's. Please don't copy it, "finish" it for me or do anything such. I'm flattered that you think that highly, but please don't do it.
2) My absence has in part been to school, in part to work and in part to my love life..... LSU is great (despite our terrible football coach and sad season...), work is busy, and the love life has been great lately, but I will make my best effort to write and post on the reg. Promise!
3)Question of the Chapter: Who do you think will win the Superbowl next Sunday?? Patriots or the Seahawks? I truly hate the Patriots, and I'm only still mad about the Seahawks because of last season... so it really is a toss up for me... I'm hoping the seahawks lose, though.....
I love you, guys! Thanks for still supporting me, despite the delayed updates!
-Bre