Rising From the Ashes

17. Facing Reality

Guys, I am so, so sorry for how long it took me to update this story. I felt so guilty every time I'd see an update for a vote or a comment in my email, and I love you all so much for sticking with this, it means so much to me that people actually like this story <3 I finally got into university - four, in fact, but I'm still waiting on my first choice haha, but I am a lot more free now and my March break officially starts tomorrow!

I love you all, and thanks for reading and supporting this story for all this time. I wish I could dedicate a chapter to everyone who kept waiting on updates to this story, but unfortunately they only let me do it with one person :/ Thanks to everyone for sticking with RftA though <3 I planned this story to be around 25 chapters, and it should be finished by May or so, so keep reading! :P

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I felt trapped. I could faintly hear sounds around me, the buzzing and rhythmic beeping and a flurry of voices, but I couldn’t see or move, even blink. My body was throbbing with pain, starting with my legs and moving to my stomach, and further up to where my throat felt sore and hoarse and my head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

“Natalie, honey,” I could tell that the voice was my mother’s, cracking as she said my name. She had been crying recently; I knew from the way she sniffed her nose and her high, breaking pitch. I wanted to calm her down, to squeeze back as I felt her fingers clamp onto my hand, but I felt utterly numb.

“She’ll be okay, Mrs. Stephens,” another voice reassured her. This one I didn’t recognize, a deep baritone of a man in his forties. “She should be waking up anytime now.”

They were talking about me, I realized. My mother was crying because she wanted me to wake up. I struggled to move even a finger, to show her that I was here and okay, but failed again.

I felt a hand brush hair away from my forehead in a gentle gesture I learned to associate with one person in particular. “Nat, baby, please wake up. We need you. I need you.”

I jolted internally as I heard Nick’s voice, full of palpable pain that I could feel even from the way his fingers shook slightly when they touched my skin. I opened my mouth to tell him I was alright, to tell him he didn’t need to worry, when I remembered seeing him with Elise. He probably brushed her hair like that too, and kissed her forehead as they skied together, the perfect picture of a gorgeous teenage couple…

I could note the dull beeping of the hospital machine getting faster and faster, until I finally succeeded in jolting awake to find a pair of brilliant green eyes staring back at me, worry etched into every line on his face.

“You’re awake,” he breathed with relief, letting out a deep sigh

“I…yeah.” I smiled faintly. It was hard to be mad at him when my body hurt in every possible place and the only think making it feel better was the feel of his hand covering mine.

“Thank god, I was so worried when I saw you on that hill, all bloody and…”

“This isn’t the time, Nicholas,” the middle-aged doctor who appeared to be standing in the room the whole time, his crisp white robe a further reminder of the fact that I was in a hospital. “Let her adjust a little.”

He nodded reluctantly, letting my hand go to let my parents circle around he, hugging me and kissing my forehead. A tear slid down my mom’s cheek as she beamed at me.

“Mom, I’m okay,” I said gently, squeezing her hand.

“I know, honey, I’m so glad,” she said as she hugged me again fiercely, stepping away only after my dad patted her on the back, giving me a tight hug of his own.