Learning Truths

chapter 3

I head to the closest Walmart to get several days worth of clothes, seeing how I left Cali with nothing but my work bag. I still need to find another hotel as well. Maybe one that's a little more upscale since security should be better and make sure that Jessica isn't allowed back to my room.  My phone rings as I get out of the rental.  "Hey Jessie...........

Someone else's POV

I step out of my car to grab a few essentials from the store when a loud ringing really close draws my attention to the car and the person next to me. I stop dead in my tracks as I see and hear him when he answers his phone. I know it's him even if it's been ten years. Even though he's changed so much appearance wise and his voice is slightly different. I'm transported back to when I knocked on his door 10 years ago.

Flashback 10 years ago....

Knocking on his door I'm so excited to take him out for his surprise, a big grin plastered on my face. No answer no feet running like normal. He hates when I come over and he doesn't tell me why. He always wants to meet up somewhere else. I know he doesn't have a good life behind this door, not that he tells me. I see the occasional wince and the flinches. I knock again harder. The door starts opening. Odd. I call out to him. Silence. I push the door open more still calling out to him. A small groan reaches my hears and I look towards where I hear it. I spot him crumpled on the floor not moving, blood all around him, covering him, and on the wall. I rush over to him pulling my cell out calling 911. He's not moving, pale but bruised and bloody. I keep calling out to him trying to wake him but he doesn't wake up. I'm afraid to move him, I don't know what happened to him but I guess his father left him like this. An ambulance and police show up. The EMT's come in and start working on him while the police ask me questions. Lots of questions that I can't answer. I explain how I found him to the cops while just watching the EMT's working on the love of my life. They hooked him up to a heart monitor and I can tell they are losing him. The EMT's start scrambling to get him back and to load him up into the ambulance. I'm numb. The cop touch my shoulder to bring me back to her. She says, " he will be ok I think you found him just in time." I nod hoping she's right. Ambulance drives away fast with sirens blaring. The cop tells me which hospital they are taking him too and asks me if I know or think I know who did this. My only response is I think his father but I don't know his name. I hop in my car and drive to the hospital. I get there and a nurse asks me to wait in the waiting room.
Hours later I'm still waiting pacing still freaking out about this. I know my imagination is running wild but no one can tell me anything. I'm not family.
Several more hours pass and finally a middle age doctor comes out and says I can see him but not to be alarmed because he's not awake. I go in and I see him again. He still looks like crap and has a ton of machines hooked up to him and he looks peaceful sleeping. I pull a chair up to his bed opposite with the IV and other wires are and hold his hand. His head is wrapped up, tube down his throat, wires everywhere. Holding his hand I start crying softly. Days pass he doesn't wake up, I don't leave his side except to use the restroom. My parents bring me food and clothes and urge me to come home. I refuse. I don't want him to wake up alone. Doctors still won't tell me anything but they don't make me leave surprisingly. I talk to him, I joke with him, I cry with him, and finally I yell at him. When I do his fingers twitch. I rush over and grab his hand, crying. Slowly he opens his eyes. Blinking. He looks at me in confusion.
It takes him 12 days to wake up. I tell him don't try to speak, I'll call for the doctors. I hit the nurse call button. They rush in and push me aside. I step back. The doctor comes in smiling. They took the tube out almost a week ago. Jonni kept his eyes on me following me but the look on his face is still confusion, like he doesn't know who I am and that hurts. One of the nurses gives him a cup of water when he tries to speak. Finally I hear his voice cracked, and raspy, but still him. I don't hear him at first but he takes another drink and still raspy says "who are you?" I crumple to the chair crying silently. I have no words I try to speak and nothing comes out. My whole world crashes. I get up and run out the room.

He starts heading into the store still on the phone. Tears silently fall. My mind racing with questions. How is he here, why is he here, where has he been, what happened all those years ago, what am I going to do, why wasn't there a police report of what happened, a trial anything.........

I haven't seen him since that day in the hospital. My mind is a complete mess. I pull my phone out and call my best friend not caring about the time. Groggily Ashley answered with "Someone better be dead for you to be calling me now." "Jonni's here, Jonni's back" I reply. "I know I smacked him earlier and stormed away." Sounding more awake and upset. " Why didn't you call me?" "Because he didn't even know who I was, his best friend from back then, and it hurt me." " He left with no word no call, nothing and now he didn't even recognize me." "What was I suppose to say to you? Oh BTW the love of your life is back but he doesn't even recognize me his childhood best friend, so I don't think he will recognize you and I know you have been hoping and waiting for him since he disappeared." "I have not" I yell in frustration. "Bitch please I know you, inside and out, in every way." Shit she's right I think to myself, "you should have told me anyways." "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would run into him and I didn't want you to get hurt or your hopes up." She says sounding sincere. "I'm at Walmart, somehow parked right next to his car, can you come here?" Ashley sighs "yeah bitch I'll be right there give me 20 mins." With that she hangs up.

20 mins later she pulls up and parks next to my car. She hops out to come hug me. She whispers, "what do you want to do, go inside or wait out here? Do you want to try and talk to him or ignore him?"

"I.....uh....I don't know." I reply. I start to seriously think about it. After a few minutes I reply "I think I want to try to talk to him but I don't want to at the same time." "What do you want to do?" I ask her.

"Well.....I....wait, don't turn this around on me, he's the love of your life not mine and when I saw him earlier he didn't even recognize me. You said 10 years ago when you took him to the hospital when he came to, he didn't know who you were. So what do YOU want to do?

"You're right but I don't know how to approach him. I may never get another chance. We don't know why he's here or when he's leaving. I have to talk to him at least to.....I guess...to say goodbye. I never got that chance because he didn't recognize me and by the time I came back to the hospital he was gone and then stopping by his dad's house to see if he was there and he wasn't there either. But in my heart I don't want to say goodbye." I tell Ashley. "I want him to recognize me, Ash, 10 years, 20 years it doesn't matter I still fucking love Jonni Liam Anderson!" I yell.

Jonni's POV

As I'm talking to Jesse, I do my shopping. She asks what happened with Jessica, if I signed the papers and what I'm doing in Mass. She also asks when I'm coming home.

Heading out to the rental "Jesse, I don't know maybe a week or 2. Looking towards my rental I see 2 people near it talking. I start telling Jesse about the woman from earlier and the slap. As I get closer to the rental I hear very loud, " ....I still fucking love Jonni Liam Anderson." It's so loud Jesse hears it and gasps. I stop moving and talking. I look closer and the one that didn't yell is the same woman from the coffee shop. Jesse asks me, " who the fuck just yelled your name saying they love you?" "Bitch I don't know because I can't see her face but the woman who slapped me is standing next her." The woman turns towards me shock written all over her face but sadness is in her eyes. I stop shocked. Her face....so beautiful...so gorgeous....my eyes roll back and several flashbacks come to me, my knees go weak and I fall blackness is all I see.....