What is love?

Chapter 26

I can still feel my head pounding as I stay still, captured in darkness. This has gone for too long. The numbness, the darkness, I want it all to stop. I want to know what happens in the real world. I want to escape this void. Iw ant to escape this nightmare. I mean this must've been a nightmare. Since, I just saw images of my best friend sprawled on the ground...covered in blood. I-I have to wake up. I have to jolt back to the real world and make sure he's okay. I strained my eyes open and a blinding ray of light shots into my eyeball at once.

"Ow, ack, why-why is it so bright?" I winced.

"Honey, you're alive!" A voice gasped and then I felt some sort of weight crushing me to pieces.

"Ow, uh...too tight, too tight." I managed to say.

"Sorry, dear, sorry. But you've been out cold for so long I-"

"Out cold? What do you mean out cold? I-I'm sleeping was I? I'm at my bed right? Today's the day March and I will go to the farmer's market?" My eye began to adjust t the speaker's identity. The speaker so happens to be my mom, worried sick.

She fell silent for a while. "I-I don't know how to tell you this but I'm afraid it's not a dream. It's true. It actually happened."

I can feel my heart being shattered to pieces. "All those happened?! How March got...got...hit by a passing car? Me suddenly passing out in the sidewalk. All of those are true?! If it's all an actual happening, I'd rather be trapped back in that void because March's sister will definitely kill me."

"Well she was. March's sister and your dad got caught up in some fight earlier before they had had enough and left. Your dad insisted that I should leave too but I just can't leave you alone in this state, you know?"

"H-how's March? Is he...is he okay?"

"Well, he's still unconscious for the moment but there's still life in him. The car didn't hit him too hard."

"Thank goodness."

"But there's just a slight problem though."

"What is it?"

"the doctor said that March might've lost some recent memories because the impact hit him really hard on the head. We still don't know which memories will he lose and to what extent. But it's likely that he will lose his recent ones."

"Recalling our recent memories, I don't mind them getting wiped out. The crash is a horrible mess and the thing before that is also an absolute mess too. Long story short, I don't mind him losing his recent memories. It eases the work he has to do, really."

"Okay then. Do you want me to get something, dear?"

"Uhm, something to eat maybe? I'm rather starving."

~~~

It's been a couple of days since the crash and so far, we haven't received any news yet about March's recovery. I decided to spend the time finishing my summer home works while visiting the Cromwell's household. Despite the street bringing a wave of daily nightmares and horrors, it's the least I can do to send a message of sorry to the poor family. Luckily, they're an easy forgiver but not Marge though. On my first visit, she gave me another searing scar this time on my palm. Ever since then, I never saw her again, to my pleasure. Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell not only help tending to the wound their daughter gave me but also to help me finish my summer homework. Yes, those things apparently exists.

Although they gave me company, I still feel a bit lonely inside. Perhaps it's because of March. It feels so different without him telling stupid jokes, asking me to shut up and stop being a stubborn git, his laughter.... Oh how I take things for granted. One second, we're aright, still a pair of good friends and the next he's out cold and here I am feeling lonely. I never thought I'd ever be in a phase of loneliness because well as you can see I'm the stubborn type. The type of people who want to prove other people that they are independent and will survive on their own, somehow. This loneliness not only haunts me I can feel it slowly eating me from the inside, pulling me back into the black void I was trapped in for sometime earlier. Finally, a bright ray of sunshine parted my clouds of loneliness. A letter from the doctor saying that March has finally awakened! Oh can you just imagine the look on my face when I saw him sitting on the hospital bed, eating his breakfast.

"Hi, Sharllete. Hi mom, hi dad." He managed to greet with his mouth still full.

"MARCH!" We all exclaimed as we flung our arms out to hug him. I bet he's crushed under the weight of three people trying to hug him all at once.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

"You careless, careless, boy!"

"Attaboy, buddy. You survived!"

"Hey, hey, easy guys. My bones are still hurting, you know." 

"Sorry, dear." Mrs. Cromwell muttered as we let go of the poor boy. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Good, pretty good. Although I do feel a bit numb in the feet, I'm fine." March grinned.

"That's good. Oh and the doctor said you might've lost some of your recent memories. How much do you remember before...well...you blacked out?" I asks timidly.

"Uhm...all I remembered was...we're having dinner together...and then I brought you to my room...and we did some stuff together...." He paused before saying, "that's it. I don't remember anything else."

"Good." I muttered and flung my arms around him again. He like Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell has a puzzled look on his face. But nevertheless, he hugged me back anyway.

"Oh, Scarlette. While you're here, I had an interesting dream. It's good at first then it turn a bit murky at the end. Sort of like a cross between romance and horror. Wanna hear it?" He asks as I let go of the hug.

"Sure, I'd love to-" My words were cut short with the ward metal door opening with a loud bang.

"MARCH! Are you okay-" 

Marge stood in the entrance. Her words are cut off too as her eyes settled on me. I can see the little spark of hatred burning merrily in his pupils. She had a disgusted and shocked look on her face. Her fists clenched as if ready to attack. As our eyes locked, I can hear a faint voice as if we're speaking telephatically. 'Go.' The voice whispered. Thinking the otherwise will just bring destruction and agony to myself, I decided to obey the voice and left, no matter what. I bid a hurried goodbye, promising to return some other time. Using a pressing errand as excuse, I darted from the ward and didn't stop until I reached the sidewalk outside the hospital, panting. Let's hope the evening will come a bit faster. and by then, the coast will be clear and March and I can spend sometime together, alone.