the fire between us

chapter 50

The doctor enters the room just as the weight of Martinus's words settles over me like a suffocating blanket. My chest feels tight, my breath shallow, but the soft sound of footsteps breaks through my daze. I tear my gaze away from Martinus and glance up, trying to steady myself.

"Martinus, it's good to see you awake," the doctor says with a reassuring smile, his voice gentle. He moves closer to the bed, checking the monitors and making notes before turning his attention back to him. "You've been through a lot. Do you remember anything about the accident?"

Martinus's brow furrows again, his expression clouded with confusion. He looks down at his hand, still resting weakly on the bed, as if trying to piece together fragments of memory. His gaze shifts from me to the doctor, and then back again.

"The last thing I remember..." he begins slowly, his voice a low rasp. "Marcus and I were getting ready for our tour. Everything was happening so fast. Nora told me Y/N was coming too, and... I remember thinking how much I hated the idea." He shoots me a quick, guarded glance before continuing, "I thought it would make everything worse—having her there. We didn't exactly get along."

Each word stings, but I don't flinch. I just watch, silently, as Martinus struggles to recall what must feel like a lifetime ago.

"After that... everything's a blur." His voice grows softer, as if the effort to remember exhausts him. His hand trembles slightly, and Marcus, standing beside him, reaches out to steady it.

The doctor nods understandingly, his expression softening. "That's to be expected," he says. "Your brain is trying to process everything. You've been in a coma for weeks after the car accident."

"Accident?" Martinus repeats, his voice laced with confusion. "What accident?"

"The car crash," Marcus says quietly, stepping closer to his brother's side. "We were all in the car—Nora, Y/N, you, and me." 

Martinus stares at Marcus for a long moment, his eyes widening in disbelief as the reality sinks in. His gaze flickers back to me, and I can see the conflict in his expression—the war between the memories he clings to and the unfamiliar world he's waking up in.

He looks lost, like he's drowning in the enormity of what's happened, and all I want to do is reach out and pull him back to safety. But his words from earlier hang heavy in the air, making me hesitate.

"I don't... I don't remember any of that," Martinus says finally, his voice cracking. "It's like my life stopped at the beginning of the tour. Everything after that is just... gone."

The doctor nods again, offering him a kind, reassuring look. "That's not unusual, Martinus. Memory loss after a traumatic brain injury is common. The important thing is that you're awake now. With time, some memories might come back, but we'll focus on your recovery first."

Martinus doesn't respond right away. His eyes remain fixed on the blanket covering his lap, his breathing shallow. I can see the weight of the information pressing down on him, and for a moment, there's only silence.

"I hated her," he mutters under his breath, almost as if he's talking to himself. "I hated Y/N, and now she's here."

The words are a knife to the heart, sharper than before because now, they feel more real. But I stay quiet, biting back the tears, telling myself that this isn't about me—not now. I have to be patient, give him time, no matter how much it hurts.

"Martinus," the doctor says gently, "I think you'll find that things have changed since the last time you were fully conscious. There's a lot you're going to have to adjust to, and it might not be easy at first. But you have your family, and you're not alone in this. Take it one step at a time."