Starting Over

7. The Mystery Unfolds

"If I was drowning , you would part the sea;
And risk your own life to
~ Jamie Mc.Guire , A beautiful wedding

~*~

Life is a snowstorm from which there is no escape. No shelter, no boots, nothing to hold onto. And the day you lose your balance, you fall. Blake and the others right now were in a situation very similar to this.

"But how is this even possible for God's sake? What exactly has happened?" Kristine asked, flabbergasted.

"Lucy Goodwin managed to breathe when she was brought here by Blake. There seemed to have been massive confusion in the hospital that day, patients kept coming without control. A girl called Lucy Gciure was brought to the hospital at the same time as Lucy Goodwin. I operated both of them, however, Lucy Gcuire failed to survive. When Blake asked me about Lucy, I thought it was Lucy Gcuire.There was no one present there to confirm the news. My mind was in a total mess, patients' families were weeping, crying, begging me to operate their family. Lucy Goodwin had managed to survive. She was hurt badly and I had lost all hope of saving her. But she fought. She fought to live, she fought to breathe, she fought death. Only she couldn't wake up. She went into coma," Dr. Lee explained.
Blake couldn't believe his ears. Sometimes life becomes such a bad dream, such a frightening nightmare that all you can think of doing is running. Running away, breaking from this illusionary, upsetting dream. But that unfortunately can never happen. No one can ever break away.

" But.. but we saw her, we buried her. How didn't we recognise?" Kristine enquired. Blake's mind remembered seeing Lucy. Her face was burnt, wounded. She couldn't be recognized. Yes, they didn't see Lucy's real face.

"No.," Blake said. "Her..her face was burnt, wounded. We didn't see her" Tears dropped from his eyes.

Kristine and Eros stared at him, realising he was correct and the person they were crying over all these months wasn't even Lucy . It was altogether someone else. They couldn't believe it.

They wished it was all a mirage, a mirage that would vanish as soon as you tried to touch it. They wished they could reverse the hands of the clock, six months back. Blake wished he never went to that bank. He wished he never left Lucy. Death never feared him. The thought of her being away did. The thought was frightening, breaking, tearing, as if a dangerous nightmare that could rip him off his flesh. If only love didn't entail pain. But then again, if only.

"Where is she now?" Blake stammered.

"I.C.U," the doctor said. "I'm extremely sorry for my mistake. I have been so careless that-"

But none of them were there to hear him speak. They ran towards the I.C.U.

Blake eye's filled with tears of sadness. The night sky above him was dark, but the stars twinkled brightly. Perhaps it depicted his situation. His world had been dark all this while but now Lucy 's arrival had filled it with bright shinning stars. Lucy was alive.

He slowly opened the doors of the I.C.U. and his heart immediately melted. Lucy was lying there, motionless, on the bed. The room was dark and in sharp contrast with the former dimness of the room, it was  brightly illuminated with stark florescent light that provided a shimmering aura to the objects inside the room. Blake neared towards Lucy. Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes resting upon her cheeks and her faced was clear, her scars healing. She looked beautiful, relaxed. Blake wanted to feel her, hold her, but he was scared. He was afraid if he touched her, she would vanish , as it she were smoke. He silently sat beside her, tears dropping from his eyes. Tubes were attached to her hands, and one into her throat.

"Lucy..," he whispered, tears dropping from his eyes. "I've missed you so much. I hate to see you sleep. Wake up, will you? Talk to me, talk to me Lucy. Speak"

Eros and Kristine entered the room, quietly.

"Lucy, oh my God," Kristine said, walking towards her.

" I don't believe this," Eros said, touching her face.

They say the world is a stage and everyone plays a different role. But a few things are common to all. Things like grief, tears and silence.

Sometimes in life joy comes in the most unexpected of times. These times are beautiful, almost ethereal like a ray of sunlight in a dark, damp cave. Lucy's life was that ray.
Their hearts were reunited. The feeling was indescribable. Because sometimes, only sometimes, happiness has no boundaries.

~*~

"When will she wake up, Doctor?" Kristine interrogated.
Doctor Lee shook his head.
"It is very difficult to predict recovery when people are in coma. Some take months and some even years."

Blake hoped it she would be back soon.

"She will wake up, she has to. For me," he said. Dr. Lee remained silent, making a mental note. I have to try my best to bring her back to life.

"It's 2.a.m now, Blake. We need to go," Chlara said.

"Yeah," Kristine agreed, unwillingly.

"No, I'll stay here tonight," Blake informed.

"But-," Chlara began. Eros nodded.

"Okay, Blake. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night," he said, giving him a small, sad smile.

Blake looked up at the night sky which was filled with a thousand stars. He wished she would wake up soon, and he could feel her again. He walked inside the I.C.U. He pulled a chair and sat beside her immobile body, holding her hand. He whispered to her, telling her he missed her and that he loved her.

And that night, Blake stayed with Lucy, until his eyes forced to shut. He slept there , his head on her bed, and his hand in hers, just the way it should have been.

Only of course, he didn't know. What was to come next, would change his life forever.

~*~~*~

Next chapter : The Awakening.