She Will Be Mine

Chapter 6: Charlie

​When I got back from my CT, Des was gone. The doctor came in moments later, and his expression gave nothing away. "Your CT results are in, and other than the minor bump on your head, you are fine. I am going to monitor you for one day, and discharge you tomorrow. Good day Mr. Michaels," he ducked out of the room as the Chief entered.
​"I'm glad to see that you will be back on your feet tomorrow," he spoke kindly, and sat in the chair next to me. "This has been a crazy day. I don't want to think about the time that this dude decides to kick it into high gear, that's for sure," he rubbed his temples methodically.
​"Where's Des?" I asked, and he shrugged.
​"She ran out of here a few minutes after you left, and I haven't heard since. She was yelling something about an envelope. Sound familiar to you?" My faced paled when I heard she was gone.
​"Chief," I began. My voice was shaking and it was hard to even form the right words quickly enough. "That envelope was sent by him. That was what started the whole fire. I bet you she ran back there to try and get it," I hands were shaking. "The guy could still be there! He could be waiting for her! Why did you let her go, especially without me?!"
​The man shrugged, and then when the message sunk in, he stood up and out of the room. "Get me over to the building right now!" I could hear him yelling into his pager before he was gone. I threw my head back in frustration. I wanted to be out there doing something, not stuck in a hospital.
​A nurse came in with her little notebook. "I just need to do some protocol examinations," she explained, and I dutifully complied. "You did a very brave thing," she complemented me, even though I didn't know what I had done. "I mean," she continued. "I don't know if I could have done that for my boyfriend. That girl is very lucky to have you," she finished and left the room.
​She was right though. I was lucky to have Des in my life. I had known that girl for as long as I have been alive, and never once did I get the courage to ask her out on a real date. I banged my head back on my pillows. When this is all over, I will ask her out finally, I told myself, hoping I actually managed to do it.
​My pager binged beside my bed, and when I saw the red flashing lights, my heart skyrocketed. That red flashing meant that one of our own was hurt, and I knew who it was without even having to guess.
​People started running down the hallway like madmen and I listened to try and find out what was going on. An orderly saw my confused face and explained "A girl was found unconscious on the floor of the Empire State Building. We don't know if she is alive,"
​That last sentence sent a lightning bolt through my heart. Not Desiree, but I already feared the worst. He had got to her. My monitor was betraying me and showing how fast my heartrate was becoming. The nurse came back in with a needle. "No!" I shouted, but she had moved and put it into the IV. My vision blurred with the effect of the drugs and my fears blending into one.
* * *
​When I woke up, the chief was again in my room. His face was grim and his eyes tired. I rotated in the bed, careful not to pull out any wires or chords. "Any news?" I asked him, obviously shaking him out of his stupor.
​He jolted up to look at me. He nodded "We found her, but it isn't pretty Michaels," he stood up and stretched, then walked closer to me. My eyes burned and my head ached, but I wanted to know what had happened.
​"When we got to the building, she was lying on the floor, unconscious. She had marks on her wrists and ankles from being tied up and a gag mark around her mouth. We tried to wake her up, but we couldn't. By the time the medics showed up, she was ice cold. They came and took her away quickly," He looked away, tears in her eyes. "The doctor came and talked to me a short while ago. He told me that she would be fine, but that she was in a type of self-induced coma. He told me that sometimes people do that when they experience to much emotional pain," The chief was up and pacing now. "He told me that they can keep her comfortable, but they cannot bring her out of it. That is only something she can do when she is ready," He walked over to the window and stopped talking. I could tell that he wasn't telling me something.
​"What Chief?" I asked him. "I know you aren't telling me something.
​The chief walked over and sat down, fiddling with his hands. "The doctor, uh, he told me that with these types of comas, it can be dangerous. Because, God this is hard," he stopped.
​"Chief," I spoke gently, while my stomach was in my throat, "I can handle this,"
​Murphy nodded. "The doctor told me that with these types of comas, sometimes, the people don't ever wake up."
* * *
The world is blurry around me; I cannot focus on one clear thing. I can hear voices, and I feel someone grab my hand, but I cannot full myself from the fog.
* * *
The fog is clearer today. The voices linger, and I can almost move my fingers. I can do this, I know I can. I did not come this far to be shot down in my last moments. I can do this.
* * *
My body is slowly growing stronger. I can feel it. I cannot tell how long I have been in this state, but I feel as if I have been here awhile.
* * *
I am ready to wake up. I want to wake up. I just don't know how.
* * *
I can feel people around me. I am beginning to follow shadows and I can tell when people move. I hope that this fog that hover over me lifts. I want to wake up.
* * *
The man clutched his shot of bourbon and walked out to the patio. The drink burned his throat as it went down, but the man kept drinking anyways. Before he could stop himself, the whole bottle was gone. The man walked back inside of the apartment, and began preparing it for when his guest visited again.
* * *

​The fog is getting less and less. I can feel it. I am going to wake up soon.
* * *
​A person keeps touching my hands. I think it is Charlie, but no one speaks anymore. I wonder if I can really wake up if I chose to. I want to open my eyes so badly, but I cannot gather the energy to will them open. It feels like I have boulders lying across my eyes, and then won't budge no matter what I do.
* * *
Dreams flash before my eyes in this fog. Dreams of what could have been had I merely lived a different life. I almost wish for that life.
* * *
​The fog is lifting, slowly lifting. But not fast enough.
* * *