Hardin Scott has been madly in love with Tessa Young since the moment he first laid eyes on her, but there's no way she could ever see him as anything more than a friend. After all, he's a bad boy with a promiscuous past and she's a sweet and innoce...
As I walk into the apartment, I reluctantly turn on the lights. Lights mean I can see everything, and everything reminds me of Tessa. I make a beeline for the bathroom, so I can shower as quickly as possible and get back to Tessa.
A quick shower and several tears later, I'm ready to pick out another book to read to my sweet, beautiful girl. I've pretty much read her all of my books, so I scan through her selection of books for something. The Notebook catches my eye. I know it's ridiculous, but maybe if I read this to her, she'll come back to me, just like Allie came back to Noah. At this point I'm willing to try anything and everything to get my Tessa back. I grab the book and rush out the door to head back to the hospital.
When I get back to the hospital, I see the doctors and nurses are just finishing up with Tessa.
"Mr. Scott, which book did you bring today?" Tessa's nurse smiles at me.
"The Notebook. I haven't read it yet, but Tessa always made me watch the movie with her."
"That's an excellent choice."
"How'd she do today?"
"Actually, we have some good news to share with you. Miss Young's body has healed from her injuries and her body is responding well to the physical therapy we've been doing with her during her coma."
I start to tear up. "Wh-what does this mean?"
"We think that once she wakes up, she'll be able to go home after a few days, as long as she follows a good physical therapy regimen."
"When will she wake up?"
"I'm afraid that's up to her."
"Tessa has always been so stubborn. I wish just this one time she'd listen to me and wake up."
"We're done in here, so why don't you go tell her to hurry up and wake up." She smiles at me before she leaves me alone with Tessa.
I rush to be by Tessa's side again and sit next to her bed. I take her hand in mine and gently squeeze it. "Baby, you're doing so well. The nurse just told me your injuries have healed. Now all that's left for you to do is to wake up. And that's all up to you, Tess. If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to start to take it personally." I reach up and gently caress Tessa's cheek. "How about I read to you for a bit? I think you're really going to like today's book." I pick up Tessa's copy of The Notebook and start reading to her.
When I get to the part about Allie's parents not liking Noah, I pause. "Does this sound familiar, Tess? But just like in the book, your mother's interference didn't stop us from being together. Baby, we've overcome so many obstacles that stood in the way of our love. We can overcome this one, too." I gently rub Tessa's hand before returning to reading to her.
As I'm reading, I finally get to the part when Allie and Noah reunite and he takes her to the lake with the swans. "Allie reminds me of you, baby. The way she's mesmerized by the swans at the lake, it reminds me of you at the aquarium."
I continue reading to Tessa for most of the day, until I finish the book. "Allie came back to Noah, baby. She came back to him. That's all I want. I want you back where you belong, with me, for the rest of our lives. Tess, you have to fight for us. You have to fight to come back to me. I want you to be my wife and the mother to my children. I've never wanted anything more in my life. We deserve our happy ending, Tess. After all the shit we've been through, no one deserves it more than us."
I sit holding Tessa's hand between mine, waiting for a response, waiting for any sign from her. When I watch as she lies there motionless, I just break down. "I really thought that would work. I-I don't know why I thought reading you a story about love that wins against all odds would work, but I did. I... I just don't know what else to do. I'm begging whoever's listening to please bring my Tessa back to me," I sob. I start frantically kissing Tessa's hand. "Please wake up. Please wake up." When she still doesn't respond, I lean down and bury my face into the bed sheets while I let the tears spill freely from my eyes, all while still clutching her hand between mine.
That's when I hear a voice croak, "Hardin?"
I immediately perk up and look at Tessa. I can hardly believe my tear soaked eyes. She's awake. "Tess, you're... you're awake!" I reach my hand to cup her cheek. "You're awake," I repeat, not believing my own eyes.
"Where am I?" she asks, clearly in a daze.
"Tess, you had an accident. You're in the hospital."
"I did? I am? I don't remember that."
"That's okay. The important thing is you're awake. Everyone's been to see you. We've all been so worried. We just wanted you to wake up."
"How long have I been here?"
"Two weeks. You... you were in a coma. But you're going to be okay now."
"Where is everyone?"
"They're not here right now, but they came to see you all the time. They brought you everything you see in this room. But I've been by your side the entire time."
"Where's Zed?"
"What?" I ask, sure I heard her wrong.
"Wh-where's Zed?" she croaks out.
"Why the fuck would Zed be here?" I ask more angrily than I intend to.
Tessa pauses for a moment before finally answering me, with a confused look on her face. "Because... he's my boyfriend."
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