A Love Lost

Ana

It was all so disorienting. I woke up to my boyfriend and two strangers looking at me. The strange woman insisted that she was my mother. I couldn't remember my mother. The only person in the room that I remembered was Gabriel, my boyfriend.

Eventually, I fell asleep to him telling me about our home. It sounded like heaven. I was an adult. I had been ever since, I didn't know when. We were both adults. We could get married and start a family.

I woke up to bright sun streaming through the window and Gabriel sleeping beside me. I rolled to face him, then a sharp pain radiated down my side.

"Ow!" I yelped. It woke Gabriel up.

"Ana are you okay?" he sat up.

"I just rolled over and my whole side radiated in pain." That reminded me of a thought that popped into my head earlier. "Why am I here?"

He sighed. "You had three broken ribs and a brain bleed." What!

Just as he was about to continue, the doctor walked in.

"Good morning, Ana. Good morning, Gabriel" he said warmly. "How is everything?"

"Painful. Confusing. Uncomfortable." I answered honestly.

"Today we are going to try to walk or at least take a few steps. Your vitals seem stable and it will help to build back muscle strength." It sounded painful but it made sense.

"Now?" Gabriel asked.

"We can try. If you would come and help her up. You will be her crutch." he explained to the love of my life.

I felt the heat from Gabriel's body disappear. Then I saw him. He reached his arm over.

"One. Two. Three." he counted down before lifting me off of the bed. "One more time. One. Two. Three." he counted down before lifting me from the bed.

As I got to my feet, I felt myself lose balance. He caught me before I hit the bed. He wrapped his arm around my back, holding me up.

"Ana. Mary and Antonio are waiting in the cafeteria down the hall. Let's try walking down." the doctor let me know the plan.

"Ready?" Gabriel asked.

Then, we walked down the hall. I did it. They were both shocked.

When we reached the cafeteria, I saw the two strangers again. When they saw me, they didn't move. They just stayed seated at a rectangular table. It was awkward. I was glad the blood bag was removed.

Gabriel helped me into a chair before sitting in the one on my right.

"Good Morning, Ana." the man, named Antonio, greeted.

"Hello." I greeted him.

The woman next to him, named Mary, stayed silent.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Antonio and Mary are going to stay with you today. I have some things to do." Gabriel told me.

He was going to leave me alone with strangers? Was he crazy?

"You are going to be just fine. I'll come back in the evening. I promise." he saw the panic arise in my eyes.

Then a boy, who looked not much older than me walked up to the table. He was carrying a tray of pudding and tiny fruits. He placed the tray on the table and pulled up a chair next to me.

"Hello, Ana." the strange boy greeted me. He kissed my cheek.

I shifted closer to Gabriel. Not only was I confused about who this person was, but also why they thought it was okay to kiss me.

"How are you doing?" the boy asked.

I looked up at Gabriel. Panic and fear conquering my body. I could speak, but at that moment I was unable to.

"She is doing well. She had three broken ribs and a brain bleed. They were able to repair the ribs and fix the bleed." Gabriel explained to the boy what had happened.

"Does my girlfriend have any side effects?" the stranger asked.

Girlfriend?!!

"Girlfriend?" Gabriel, Antonio, and Mary asked in shocked unison.