Surprisingly enough, I was only kept in the hospital for a few days. The doctors told me that since I was in a coma for a week, my body did a lot of it's healing over that time, and the only things left that still needed work was my speaking and my walking. In an attempt to get better as quickly as possible, I made myself get up and walk around a little each day after I woke up, increasing my time slightly by each day. That's how five days later, on a rainy, miserable Thursday afternoon, I found myself being wheeled out the front doors of the hospital. I protested the whole wheelchair thing, insisting that I was strong enough to walk on my own. I eventually gave up due to my parent's constant protests, but I made sure I was grumpy the whole trip out into the parking lot just to spite them a little bit, even though I knew they were just looking out for me.
The second day I was awake was probably the most eventful day that I spent in the hospital. My headache was gone once I woke up, magically disappearing in the night, starting my day off perfectly. It seemed like Caden didn't sleep at all next to me the night before, because I found him smiling down at me as soon as my eyes cracked open in the morning, looking like they hadn't left me all night. I remember seeing the dark circles under his dulled eyes and the prominent crease in his forehead as he bent down to press a kiss to my cheek that morning. He told me that my parents were down in the cafeteria ordering breakfast for all of us, and that Adam, Katie, and Max were on their way over as we spoke. This fact, the fact that I was going to be able to see Max soon, immediately made me shoot to life. I sat straight up, combing my slightly numb fingers through my hair afterwards and turned my head to flash Caden a bright smile.
"Really?" I had asked, and I remember him not answering for a minute, but instead just staring at me for what felt like a lifetime before nodding his head as he pulled me into his arms. It seemed a little bit odd to me, for him to take so long to respond. He was so jumpy yesterday that seeing him so spaced out and inattentive freaked me out a bit, but I decided not to comment on it, letting it slip to the back of my mind.
"Yeah." he murmured finally, rubbing my shoulders up and down a few times just as my parents walked back into the room, two full trays of food clutched in each of their hands. The different meals seemed to climb on top of each other, competing for the limited space that was available to them on the small hospital trays. It appeared to be way to much food for the lot of us to eat, but I had greatly underestimated my hunger that morning. I could've eaten an entire cow by myself that day and still would've managed to have room for dessert.
Right behind my parents, Adam, Katie, and Max all trailed into the room, tentative smiles plastered on all of their faces. Well, all except for Max, that is. Max looked over the moon to see me, running past everyone crowded into the small room to jump on the bed, crushing me in a tight bear hug. Unlike Caden, he didn't care if he got caught in the wires (which he did,) he just wanted to see me.
Holding Max in my arms was the highlight of my day. He laid his head to rest on my collar bone, unable to burry it into my neck do to the bulging cast blocking his way. His little arms clung to me like he depended on me to survive, and I could feel his sighs of relief against my chest as I held him close. I hadn't realized how much I needed him until he showed up, putting a missing piece back into my broken heart and gluing it right back into it's rightful place.
Katie and Adam came to see me next, both giving me a strong hug, Katie shedding a few tears just as I knew she would, telling me how thankful she was that I was awake. It was the most distraught I'd ever seen Adam, too. He looked a little weary to touch me, almost like he was afraid that I might snap in half under the weight of his fingertips. He tried to hide it, but I wasn't stupid. I knew that he was nervous because he was the one who found me Friday night. None of the others knew what I looked like, lying there lifeless on the ground like that. Adam was the only one who had to witness it, and I knew that if our positions were reversed, I'd never be able to get that image of him out of my head. As much as I wanted Adam to smile at me and ruffle my hair like he always did, maybe even call me Bells, he didn't. And I didn't push him.
YOU ARE READING
Saving Max
Teen Fiction"What are you doing here?" I ask Caden, ushering Max into the hospital room and closing the door behind him, the sound echoing off the walls. "I'm here to see the person who's been helping my brother. I wanted to say thank you, and let you know that...
