From Inside the Maze: A Collection of Short Stories

Excerpt

I was staring down solemnly as I lay in bed. The bed had been tilted up enough so I was nearly sitting straight up, but it was holding me up as I was still not strong enough to sit up. The room was empty and silent which was somehow both relaxing and unsettling. The silence was broken when a nurse walked in. "He's here," she said. "Can he come in?"
I nodded and she left to let him in.
He walked in and I felt relief. I was relieved that he was okay even though I had been the one in extreme danger. I was relieved that he hadn't changed, physically anyway.
He hesitated at the sight of me as well. I avoided eye contact knowing that I looked much different. My hair was a mess and had been cut off at various random lengths. I had cuts all over my face and body and I was skinnier than a stick.
He walked over to the chair beside my bed. He wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I couldn't help myself. They were mostly tears of joy, mostly.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
My voice seemed to be caught in my throat so I simply nodded. To most, my condition would not be described as "alright", but considering the circumstances I was doing quite well.
"I love you," he said.
For the first time, I smiled. "I love you too," I whispered in my scratchy voice.
He pulled back to look at me again. I looked into his eyes. Eyes which I had not seen for over three years. They hadn't changed a bit. I wondered if he notice a change in the way my eyes looked.
He sat down in the chair and scooted it closer to the bed.
"Are you really alright?" He placed his left hand over mine.
I sighed. "Yeah. Just some broken bones is all. Everything that was serious ... has been ... taken care of." My voice drifted off. He took hold of my hand and I knew that he knew instantly what was missing. My ring.
I decided that I might as well show him my right hand.
"And my hand," I said, reaching it over. His eyebrows furrowed as he let go of my left and held my disfigured right. My last three fingers had been cut off between the first and second knuckle.
"I can still use them," I said, wiggling my fingers. He nodded and let go.
He had been quiet for a while. I hadn't seen him for three years, but I had known him long enough before that to know what he was thinking. He finally asked.
"What did they do to you?"
I swallowed uncomfortably. I tried to start a sentence and failed. Tears started welling up again.
He moved his chair closer. "It's fine. You don't have to answer. I'm sorry I asked."
I scooted to the edge of the bed and rested my head in his shoulder.
"Here," he said reaching into his pocket for his phone. I leaned back onto the bed. "Let's call your parents. They'll be so excited to know you're safe."
I wiped my tears away and nodded.
Safe I thought. I repeating the word over and over in my head. I was finally safe, physically at least. I knew that it wasn't over. That there would be nights waking up from nightmares of being there, being in danger. My worst fear when I was back was that he would not love the person I came back as. But I looked at him as he searched for my mother's phone number and realized he had changed too. And, lucky for us, these two new people we were happened to love each other too.
"Hello?" I broke into a smile at the sound of my mother's voice on speaker phone.
He held the phone close to his mouth. "Uh, yes, I have your daughter here. She would like to speak with you." I nearly burst out laughing at his sort of subtle way of telling her I was home.
"Hello," I chimed.
Muffles came from the other end. She was probably crying, smiling, and trying to get my father all at the same time. We talked to her and my dad for a while. And then when we hung up I talked to him for even longer, pretty much until the nurses told him he had to leave.
"Goodbye, love," he said as he got up and kissed me on the cheek.
"Bye," I said.
He looked at me for a second before he left almost as if he still could believe I was back.
"I'm here," I said. "For real."
"Good," he said. "You don't go anywhere until I come back. No more crazy dangerous expeditions for you."
I laughed. "Okay. I promise. See you in the morning." And then he left.

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Author's Note: I always love when you comment, but I especially am asking for comments on this story. Do you know what happened to her? To him?Do you want to know? This is sort of an excerpt of a story I have running through my head. Should I try to write the whole thing? Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Love, Sundae