Waking Up.

Chapter 35: Confusion.

The only thing I hear is the small buzz of the TV in my room. All I taste is a tube that runs down my throat. It smells like drugs and fast food. My head stings, and I squeeze my eyes. I can't feel my legs at first, but my hands slowly grip the sides of the bed. My eyes peel open to reveal what I suspect are the first rays of sun for the day. A few winter birds play in the window. I have no clue how much time has passed. The last thing I remember was the cell phone on the ground and Cory's face. The sky is shaded purple and pink. My back aches, so I help myself up and look around. I expected to have broken bones and such, but only an IV drags from my arm. I'm in a hospital room, the door is shut and I'm hooked to all sorts of monitors. I pull the oxygen mask off my face and breath on my own. The tube pulls out of my mouth with surprising ease. A mirror sits across the bed from me, and almost immediately, I noticed something. I have changed a lot since the last time I looked in a mirror. All my acne was gone, and my breasts had developed to a much larger size. I had dropped a few pounds, and my hair was a few inches longer. I stared for a few moments, confused. With no one else in the room, I stood out of bed. I was wearing a white gown with no back, so I draped the bed blanket around me and walked with the IV stand thing to the mirror. My glasses were propped up next to the mirror. I slid them on and stared at myself. I reached out to touch the mirror, but the door slowly opened. I spun around and almost gasped.
Aspen walked in the door, unknowing of my position. He'd changed since I last saw him. His hair and glasses were the same, but he looked a little less boyish. He was, if it was even possible, hotter than before. He had slight facial stubble, and his muscles were larger. Still not a meat head, but they were impressive. He was wearing a white T-shirt with jeans and tennis shoes. He held a hot dog and walked in the room, not noticing my position.
"Good morning...." He paused and dropped the hot dog when he saw me by the mirror.
"Trish?" He whispered, almost falling. I frowned and smiled.
"Are you ok Aspen?" He walked up to me, almost hesitantly. He reached out a hand and felt my cheek.
"Aspen?" He pulled me into a hug and a few tears came out. I patted his back and hugged back.
"I'm fine now," he cried, hugging me tighter.
"Aspen, what happened?"
"SHH," he said, pulling away,"I'll explain later, just, stay here," he ran out and disappeared around the corner. I frowned and sat in the chair, still pushing the IV. After about a minute, dad came racing around the corner and practically tackled me in a hug.
"TRISH!" He sobbed, hugging me tight. I rubbed his back and said,
"Can't. Breathe."
"Good!" He laugh-cried, hugging me even tighter. I laughed and we hugged for about two minutes. He hadn't changed a lot, just a few grey hairs. A nurse came and took my blood pressure while Aspen called our friends and dad called mom. The nurse pulled out my IV and gave me a robe to roll up in. I thanked her and Aspen came and picked me up. He twirled me in the air and yelled,
"I can't believe you're up!" He set me down and hugged me again. I rolled my eyes and asked,
"So, you gonna tell me what's up?"
"Samantha and Marleen will be here in a few minutes, we'll explain then." I was going to protest, but dad came up and enveloped me in another bear hug.
"Oh, Trish, you don't know how happy I am!"
"You said that already!"
"Well, I'm saying it again," he said, laughing and tearing up again. I sighed and patted his back. Marleen and Samantha came speeding around the corner. Once Samantha saw me, she flung up her hands,
"Bitch, I missed you!!" They hugged me from both sides, making me almost fall.
"Uh, nice to see you too?" I stated, very confused. They laughed and kept hugging me. I sighed.
"I'll be right back," dad explained, running downstairs. Marleen, Samantha and I sat on the bed while Aspen took the chair. I noticed Samantha and Marleen had undergone a few changes. Marleen's hair was a little longer, and she had developed better curves. Samantha had dyed her hair blue and cut it so it was it was a little shorter. Her ass was slightly larger, and her face was absolutely gorgeous. I raised my hands and said,
"Will you explain what happened?" Samantha and Marleen looked at each other. Aspen set a hand on mine and said,
"Try to keep an open mind, ok Trish?" I nodded and turned to him. He sighed, looked at me, and said,
"You've been in a coma for three years." My heart skipped a beat. I raised my eyebrows and stammered,
"W-what? Three years?" He nodded. I sat back. Marleen and Samantha supported me.
"It makes sense," I stated, looking down at myself. Samantha looked at Aspen and gestured him to leave. He frowned, looked at me, and nodded. He got up and left, closing the door behind him. They turned to me and asked,
"Any questions?" I frowned and gasped,
"About a million!"
"Well, start asking." I thought for a moment.
"How's Cory and Roxie?" Marleen looked down and Samantha said,
"They're fine, doing well." I smiled and nodded.
"Where's my family?" Marleen took that one.
"Wendy's at MN state, and everyone else will be here shortly."
"It's really senior year?" I asked, losing my breath. They nodded.
"Yeah."
"Wow," I exhaled, sitting back again. They nodded. Everything was silent for a few moments. Marleen played with her hands and stated,
"We visited you every other week." She wiped a tear from her eye. I smiled and leaned forward. She continued,
"Aspen came every day. On week ends he'd spend the night here. For the past three years." My eyes widened and my heart warmed up.
"Seriously?!?"
"Yes. Well, he only missed two days. One he was sick, and the other..." Marleen sat up, not finishing. Samantha gave her a glare and turned to me. I frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing, Trish. Nothing."
"But..." The door flew open and I was swallowed by mom and Naomi and Eve. They cried and stroked my hair while they squealed in delight. Roxie jumped on me and hugged me tightly. She'd changed, but not entirely. Her hair was longer and she'd only grown a few inches, but that's about it. Naomi had began to develop curves and had thicker hair, but Eve was virtually unchanged. I heard small feet approach the bed. Everyone stepped back, and Cory came in to view. He had grown about five inches and had a new hair cut. Some of his baby fat was gone, and he seemed a little skinnier. He stared at me for a second. I leaned forward and took his hand in mine. I could tell he was hurt. He must've felt somewhat responsible for what happened to me, and he didn't smile right away. I set my other hand lightly on his cheek, which was incredibly soft and smooth. I rubbed my thumb across the cheek and whispered,
"I love you Cory." He smiled and started crying. I pulled him onto my lap and cradled him. The room was silent. I stroked his hair and kissed his head.
"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here." He hugged me and I saw Aspen smile. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. My life was about to get extremely complicated, but I savored the moment.