Jony: A Love Story

No Words...

Jess cried until it hurt to breathe. She couldn't eat, because she had torn her vocal chords during all of the screaming she did at her surgery. Not that she wanted to eat, because she felt so sick to her stomach. She wasn't quite sure how she should be feeling at this point, because she hadn't told Tony anything. Jess' parents came in to the hospital and cuddled their little girl until she pulled away, feeling like a six year old who lost her teddy bear. They brought Jess her favorite blanket and a dry erase board with 8 colored markers so she could write down what she wanted to say.

All Jess wrote was

Alone

and her parents understood perfectly. They left, and as they did so, Carrie put a 'do not disturb patient' sign on the door. As soon as they left, Jess scrambled for her phone and called her voice mail to see what Tony had to say. The automated voice came on,

"You have one message, today at 3:46 p.m. 'Hi, Jess. I was wondering when I could come visit you because YOU'RE AWAKE!!!!!!!!' would you like to delete this message?" Jess was about to tap the 'yes' button, but instead, tapped 'saved to archives'. Heartbroken for her ability, or lack thereof, to respond, Jess sat in silence. She cursed herself for having to fall out of Tony's arms and cried once more for her long lost voice.

Looking back at the day, Jess realized that she had gone through a lot, so she decided to sleep. Her phone buzzed again, and Jess saw that Tony texted her. Before she slept, Jess opened her eyes to crescents to see the message. It read,

"Jess, I hope you're okay. I am SO sorry that I dropped you, and I miss you to Betelgeuse and back. I wish that I could only hold you like I once did, before all of this happened. Ashton is with me and we called to see if you were okay. I'm so sorry that I couldn't come to the hospital, but they only let blood family and married spouses in to see comatose patients. At one point I almost said that we were married so I could check on your beautiful face. I'll be over at the hospital soon, just text me to let me know when it's A-okay for me to come. I miss you, Jessica. I want you in my arms, and I promise that I will be here for you. Always. <3 :* "

Eyes now fully open, Jess blinked back fast coming tears as much as she could. Failing miserably, Jess began to sob. She started to reply, but couldn't finish before she fell into a deep sleep. Her last draft said,

"Hey. I'm alright, or as okay as I'll ever be. I have some bad news for the both of you.. And Tony, there's something I need to tell you, but at the moment I don't know how........."

When Jess awoke, it was 2:30 a.m. and she was starving. She looked around, and seeing as she was still attached to the i.v. heart monitor, she couldn't leave. So, Jess picked up her phone and deleted her drafted message. Instead, she sent a different text to Tony, asking if he would pick her up a bean burrito no onion, an order of nachos, and a large Dr. Pepper from Taco Bell. Jess felt extreme guilt for eating so much, but because she was in a coma, she gave herself some wiggle room. She only hoped that Tony was still awake and that he could deliver for her.

Tony texted Jess back at 2:31 saying that he'd be there in a few minutes, but visiting hours are over so he'd give it to the front desk so she could hand the food to Jess. A heavier old woman with a kind face full of wrinkles and a deep southern accent knocked on the door roughly 10 minutes later, and Jess allowed her to come in. The lady handed Jess the food and cautioned her to not spill anything on the equipment or she would get in trouble, not Jess. Ever so carefully, Jess dug her face into the satisfying meal. The old woman, whose name was Martha, started a conversation with Jess.

"So, who was that handsome young man that came up to my desk so late in the night?"

Jess picked up the board and wrote,

Just a good friend of mine.

Martha looked at her in confusion and said, "Oh my goodness! You're the little belle that lost her voice!"

Jess nodded.

Thank you for the food.

Martha shrugged off the thank you with a, "It's nothin' darlin'" and walked away quietly.

With a full stomach, Jess went back to sleep peacefully. She hoped that she'd have wonderful dreams, but woke up in the morning covered in sweat, shaking as if she was in a massage chair, and terrified.