The night Zayn and I shared was short lived. Early in the morning, I awoke, with a trembling Zayn beside me. He was drenched in sweat and his skin was burning. He was tossing and turning but he wouldn't wake up. Pieces of his normally well done hair stuck to the sides of his face as he shook. He looked so vulnerable and weak.
"I think there's something wrong!" I yelled groggily, hoping that they was a nurse or doctor on the night shift.
A tall man in a white lab coat rushed in and asked me politely if I could leave. I obeyed him reluctantly but still tried to peek in the room through the blinds that were opened slightly.
About an hour later, the doctor came out and had a grave look sweeping over his face. I couldn't help but brace myself for the worst. I bit down on my cheek to surpress the tears that were threatening to pour out.
"We've got him stabilized," the doctor started to say.
Oh thank god he was still alive.
"But he has some brain swelling," he continued.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
"And he's gone into a coma."
What?
"It's also very likely that he will have some degree of amnesia if he wakes up."
I gulped. If? If wasn't an option for me. Zayn had to wake up.
"Then why was he able to talk yesterday?" I asked.
"I don't know actually. He was somehow able to push through just enough to get the chance to interact with you. But it damaged him more than he had intentioned I'm afraid."
Oh Zayn, I'm so sorry.
The doctor had begun to walk away and added, "It's best if you let him rest for now. Go home and you can visit him tomorrow."
I was about to protest but the doctor had been moving briskly and was already far down the dark hall.
I decided not to call my parents to pick me up, since I couldn't drive myself yet. I leaned back on the door and slumped to the ground and tried to sleep.
---
I felt someone shaking my shoulder and I was jolted out of my nightmare.
"Ow," my back sore from sleeping on the tile floor.
I rubbed my eyes and as my vision cleared I realized I hadn't been dreaming. My nightmare was real.
A familiar looking doctor hovered over me. My mom was on his left and Tess on his right. My mom was frowning.
"You want to go home?" she said, sounding slightly annoyed. To be honest it sounded more like a command than a question.
"No not really."
Tess rolled her eyes.
"What?" I asked her angrily. "I'm staying here."
"You have school tomorrow," said my mom. She tapped her foot impatiently.
"Well I'll wait here til then." My mom sighed.
"Well you can walk home then."
"Sounds good to me."
"I can drive you later if you want," my sister offered. That was unlike her to try to help me. I didn't want her pity.
"I'd rather walk." Tess knelt down beside me and hugged me. I was too stunned to push her away.
"Suit yourself," she said brushing herself off, "Call me if you change your mind."
Tess and my mom left and I was alone.
---
I went to the hospital everyday after school to visit Zayn. I brought him stuffed animals. I read him stories and told him lame jokes I knew he would have hated if he could hear them. When nobody was looking, I would hurry over to the side of the bed and kiss him. Even after being in the hospital for so long, the smell of cologne still lingered on his skin.
After a few weeks, my sister stopped feeling bad for me so inevitably she stopped driving me back and forth and I was forced to ride the bus. There was always this obese man that smelled awful that sat by me on the way there but it was a small price to pay. Zayn had risked his life. This was nothing compared to that.
Today, the January arm was a little warmer and I was feeling oddly optimistic. At school, I even waved at Harry. He was just as surprised as I was at the gesture. When I got inside the nurses recognized me and smiled like they knew something I didn't.
"What?" I asked.
"Go see," the red head told me, pointing in the direction of Zayns room. My head was pounding, like when you know something good is about to happen.
"He's come to," the doctor said grinning. I grinned back.
"Can I see him?"
"Of course."
Zayn was sitting up in the bed, looking around the plain white room. There was a bouquet of colorful flowers on his bed side table that I had bought. Flowers weren't just for girls right?
"Zayn!" I said, sounding giddy. The feelings surging through my body were indescribable. I had never been happier in my entire life. I wanted to kiss him, gentle and slow. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me.
"Zayn! You're okay! You're going to be okay!" I sobbed, tears of joy flowing freely from my watery eyes.
Then he turned to face me and furrowed his brow.
"Who are you?"
