Train Wreck

Chapter Twenty-Four: I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care

I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care
But it's so cold and I don't know where
I brought you daffodils in a pretty string
But they won't flower like they did last spring

Another Love by Tom Odell
*unedited* (word count:)

Grace

Audriana looks peaceful. She's three shades lighter than her normal honey-colored skin tone. Her hair is bunched around her shoulders and around her diamond-shaped face. She has tubes running out of her and she's in another brace. They don't know why she's not waking up. She wasn't hit in the head, but she was almost crushed. She was hit just right for it to break her back and cause internal injuries. While she was under they took her eggs and removed her uterus. That was a big decision for Matteo. He wasn't sure about making that by himself, but if she is going to be mad at anyone it's going to be him and not me.

"Grace, are you hungry or thirsty?" Aleksei asks.

"No," I murmur. "I'm not leaving until she wakes up."

"You need to eat," he replies.

"I will eat when Matteo gets back. I don't want her to be alone. She shouldn't be alone," I reply.

Matteo mentioned that her legs gave out on her last night and he had to carry her into her room. She's tired. She's doing way too much. Her body can't keep up. After getting run over, her body decided it wanted to be an old lady and not work correctly. It was surprising when she found out she was pregnant. We didn't expect it. She felt guilty about all the drinking she had done before finding out.

"Okay, so I have done some research," Matteo mutters as he enters. "If we can stimulate her senses one by one, we might get her to wake up."

"Why do you want her to wake up so badly?" Aleksei asks.

"Because I'm not raising three semen demons by myself. Plus, she has a lot of life left to live and she has so much more to do in life," Matteo replies. "I love her and I need her to wake up."

Matteo sets a phone down on the little table and touches the screen. Audriana's signature playlist begins to play. Matteo grabs her hand and squeezes it. He kisses her forehead before sitting down.

"You think this song will bring her out?" I ask. "I don't think Sam Smith will pull her out. In her depression episodes, she will play some pretty sad stuff. Maybe you should start there."

Matteo stares at me like I have two heads. I pick up her phone and scroll through her playlists. I click on Love. by Kendrick Lamar. We stare at Audriana waiting for her to move.

Audriana deserves to dance and walk down the aisle at her future wedding. She DESERVES to see her babies grow up and get to play with them. I hope this doesn't deter her when she wakes up. I want her to be happy no matter how she perceives this outcome.

"Maybe she just needs rest," Aleksei chimes in. "Her body has gone through some traumatic events over the last few days."

"Do you two not get it?" Matteo asks. "I don't know what to do without her. I may have been a dick or an asshole for hurting her but I never stopped loving her. This is all my fault and I know that. If I could take it back then I would have never pursued her and she would be living her best life. I can't lose her. Not now. We just had kids that I was only made aware of less than a week ago."

"I get it, Matteo. She is like a sister to me. I love her. I would kill for her," I reply. "I wanted to kill you so bad that night but I didn't. She would have never forgiven me if I did because she is head over heels for you. You two have a shit-ass relationship and it's toxic. You two both have been shitty to each other. I believe that you two could potentially work this out if both of you seek help. She's never been in a stable relationship with an older man without there being consequences. This relationship is what she is used to. Change it up and show her that you're not just a dick. Be her Prince Charming. She needs it."