You and Me, Always.

Wards

Aljaž burst through the double doors and immediately, the scent clung to his nose. The smell of antibacterial, the blinding white lights, that 'all too clean' atmosphere overtook. He rushed up to the from desk, "Where...is my...my....girlfriend, J-J-Janette Manra-Manrara?" He blurted out, his words stuttering as he shook with fear.

*Flashback*

Aljaž had been sitting downstairs, on Karen and Kevin's couch awaiting Janette's return. Their suitcases piled up against the door, ready to make the journey back to the comfort of their own flat. Ten minutes, twenty, half an hour went by, no sign of her. Maybe they were stuck in traffic? No, he thought to himself. Nobody was out this early, let alone in the backstreets of Camden. She hadn't contacted him either, which was unusual for Janette, who was always the first one to keep him posted on any situation. Maybe her phone died? No, it couldn't have been, she had charged it up until the very last minute before leaving. It was on 100%, he was certain. So why hadn't she called him? He sat, hands fidgeting, wondering what had happened. Telling himself it was nothing over and over again, he started to pace around. It wasn't working. He had a bad feeling in his stomach, something was not right here. Something had happened.

Kevin tiptoed into the room, looking paler than he usually did, followed by Karen, who had her hands held up to her cheeks, cupping them. She looked as though she was about to break down.
"What... What's wrong?" Aljaž stammered. He had a bad feeling about this, he had never seen Karen and Kevin like this. Kevin cleared his throat and started, "There's been an accident." His voice faltered and tears started forming, dripping down his face and steaming his glasses up. Aljaž's worst fears had been confirmed. He sat down on the sofa, head in his hands, shaking with fear, anger, all the emotions. He had known something bad had happened, and yet, he couldn't have done anything about it. Or could he? A thousand thoughts bombarded his mind, he should never had let Janette go. Now she could be injured and it was all his fault. Tears came streaming down his face, and he stood up violently, "I need to see her. Right now." He brushed away the tears, which had left his face sticky. He grabbed the key from the side table and sprinted out the door. Taking the car in this state would just result in another accident. He decided to run, run all the way to the hospital.

*End of Flashback*

"Are you immediately family?" The receptionist enquired. "No, no I'm her, her boyfriend." Aljaž stammered back. "I'll need to take a name, please." She answered. "Aljaž, Aljaž Škorjanec." Pacing about, Aljaž wondered why she was taking so long. "Can I see her now?" He said, voice faltering as he tried to hold back more tears. "Yes, this corridor, through the double doors, last room on the left." Thanking the receptionist, he sprinted down the corridor until he came to some heavy double doors marked 'Intensive Care Unit'
He shoved them open, to reveal another long stretch of corridor, filled with doors. Running to the end, he spotted the final one, ajar slightly.
He crept in slowly, hearing the quiet, muffled voice of a female nurse speaking, and then a male doctor replying. The green curtain was drawn around a singular bed in the centre of the room, and a selection of machines were clicking and beeping. There was a multitude of wires, all going from the machines to behind the curtain. Where Janette must be. He thought. The nurse emerged from behind the curtain, looked at him and asked, "Are you here to visit?" She was small, plump and seemed quite friendly. The type of person who made cookies and sent them round the whole neighbourhood for no particular reason. He nodded gently, staring at the curtain, willing it to open. The array of sounds from the machines were dizzying, and it was then, in that silence that he noticed quite how loud they were. All those machines just for Janette? His mind was going crazy. "Okay, she's just with Doctor at the moment, but when he comes out, she's all yours. I have to warn you, she is currently in an induced coma, so she can't answer you, but she can hear you." The nurse patted his shoulder, before saying "It will be alright, dear. Stay strong." She scuttled off, holding a clipboard and a box of bandages that was longing to be refilled.

After what seemed like an hour, the Doctor appeared from behind the curtain. He stopped, removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and sighed loudly, before he noticed Aljaž, standing with his hands cupped to his mouth. "Ah, you must be Aljaž, the receptionist sent me a message via bleep. head right on in. Nurse Jones told you about her current situation, I presume?" Aljaž said nothing. He looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to 'be strong' as Nurse Jones had told him, before looking back at the Doctor, and nodding. "Okay, I'm Doctor Mount, call me if you need anything, I'm just on this ward." With that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Aljaž wiped the sweat from his hands on his trousers, he breathed out, and moved a section of the curtain aside and entered.

There she was. Laying on a bed, pale as a lily. What seemed like a thousand different wires and tubes were connected to her, red ones, purple ones, green, yellow, blue, every colour imaginable. She was also connected to three IV drips, hanging above her head. She had a large scar on her forehead, which had been cleaned and bandaged by Nurse Jones, and her legs were in heavy looking plaster casts. One hand sported a wrist support, and the other had a full cast, up to her elbow.

Aljaž covered his face with his hands, his vision obscured by tears that he had held back for so long. They tumbled onto the bedsheets, creating little darkened pools. He crouched down beside the bed, and gently touched Janette's delicate cheek. She was cold, seemingly worlds away from her usually warmth and bubbliness, and she felt like a porcelain doll, breakable at any moment.

Aljaž clasped the fingers of the hand with the wrist support on, and kissed the back of it. "Bučka," he trembled, "I love you. I'm here, staying strong. You have to keep fighting, like you always do." Pausing, he wiped a tear, before continuing, "You're going to win this. For both of us." For the first time in his life, he doubted what he had just said was true.