Starting Over

8. The Awakening

"life is for the living,
death is for the dead;
Let life be like music
And death a note unsaid" ~Langston Hughes

~*~

The next morning Blake was woken by Heather's soft voice.

"Get up, Blake. Go home," she said. Blake's opened his eyes slowly , only to find Mrs.Goodwin, Mrs.Halter and Heather there. They smiled at him, sadly. He looked at Lucy for one last time before getting up. He planted a kiss on her forehead and walked out of the I.C.U.

As Blake sat on his bed, he thought about the games destiny was playing with him. He felt like a puppet, the strings playing with his emotions, and like a mere tool in the fickle finger of fate. He buried his face in his hands, as he imagined Lucy, lying there, immobile as a statue. He wished her to get up, he wished to love again, to laugh again, to feel her in his arms again and to have her again.

~*~

Blake sat down on his chair in the university as he made notes. His mind was only revolving around Lucy, unable to concentrate.

"Blake, you're just scribbling," Chlara said, worried. He looked down at his paper and sighed. "I just-," but just then Eros barged into the class.

"And who are you mister?" Mr.Woods, the lecturer said, stopping his lessons.

"Blake! Lucy.. she's missing beats!" he screamed across the class, his face worried, beads of perspiration falling from his head. Blake couldn't believe his ears. No.. Not again, please no no...

"NO! no..no..," Blake screamed. The students turned to look at him, baffled.

He got up from his chair and ran, dropping the desks as he passed.

"Mister Halter such kind of behaviour will not be acc-," Mr. Woods began.

"Sir, explanations will be given, please let him go," Chlara said, worried. Eros apologized to him and went behind Blake.

Blake drove the car in the fastest speed. He nearly banged into another car in his tension.

"Blake, careful!" Eros warned, feeling the tension rise around him.

"Why is this happening again, Eros?" Blake said, unable to control. It was too much for him. First her death, then the coma and now this.

They ran through the corridors of the hospital until they reached the I.C.U. Blake saw through the door and his heart immediately melted. His knees felt weak as he saw Lucy with an oxygen mask. Blake looked at the heart monitor, and it indeed was missing beats. He had his medical knowledge, and he knew this was serious. Very serious. Mrs. Goodwin and his mother were there already, weeping. Kristine and Eros consoled them, trying to fight their tears.

The doctors pointed towards the electrodes. Defibrillation. Blake trembled on his tracks. The doctors took the electrodes and checked its power. They nodded.

They pressed it on her chest. Lucy rose from her bed and dropped, her hands curving inwards. The heart monitor now showed normal beats. The doctors heaved a sigh o relief. Blake couldn't manage anymore. He jerked open the doors and went inside the operation theatre. The doctors looked at him in shock. The nurses shot behind him.

"BLAKE!" Eros shouted at him.

"Sir, please. You can't get inside, please," the nurses requested.

"Let me go, right now," Blake said, angry, trying to keep his voice low.

"Sir, we cant-"

"Let him be," Dr. Lee said. Blake looked at him and then at Lucy. He walked towards her and held her hand.

"You need to stop this, Lucy," he whispered. "You need to stop giving me pain, stop being this way. You don't know how difficult it has been for me, Lucy. Just come back, please. You don't understand, okay? All the time, each and every minute I'd spent without you had been hell for me. I'd given up on life, nearly. It felt like I had no reason to live. But when I knew you were alive, it ..it was like a new life, a new dawn. You're the reason I want to live, so please stay. You need to live, you need to breathe , for me. You just cant go on this way. So just stop.

I love you, Lucy. And I always will. And you have to wake up, you get that?" Blake said, kissing her hand. He stayed with her for hours, talking to her, pleading her to wake up.

Outside, Eros and Kristine just stared at him, praying for their friend, praying for Lucy to wake up.

~*~

~6 MONTHS LATER ~

Blake was taking down notes as Mr.Woods spoke. It was a cloudy day, in the month of August. Blake's mind occasionally thought about Lucy as he wrote.

His life had changed. He didn't go to the cemetery anymore, he went to the I.C.U. He no more silently cried for her to be back, nor did he hallucinate about her. And, all of this would come to an end too, after this day.

Eros barged into the class again.

"You again, mister. What do you want now?" Mr. Woods said, clearly annoyed.

"BLAKE!" he shouted. This time Eros' face was happier, and he looked almost excited. "Lucy's finally woken up!"

Blake couldn't believe his ears. A huge grin spread across his face. He immediately got up.

"Look, I cant allow you to run out of-," Mr. Woods began.

"Sir, please let him go," Chlara said, smiling a little. Mr. Woods sighed.

Eros followed Blake, apologising to the lecturer again.

Blake drove the car in speed, happily. He fled through the corridors of the hospital and pushed open the I.C.U. doors.

Lucy was sitting up, her head resting upon a pillow as she talked to Kristine and Mrs.Goodwin.

"Lucy...," Blake said, nearing towards her. He embraced her , and almost instantly a sudden warmth and comfort spread over his face. "I've missed you so much. Thank you for coming back," he said, caressing her cheeks.

Lucy looked back at him blankly. "Do I know you?" she said.

~*~~*~

Next chapter : Getting Her Back