She Lives in a Fairytale
Chapter 5
I lightly brushed my fingers against his cheek. He isn't fazed in the least. I try patting his shoulder to no avail. It wasn't working. Should I try a nurse now? Maybe they are more sensitive to their patients. Then it's like a light bulb flickers on in my head. When we younger if I wanted his attention, I would tug on his hair in a very annoying way.
I tried tugging his hair really hard. I couldn't touch objects but apparently it was totally different with people. My hand and fingers didn't pass straight through his dark locks so I proceeded to tug on it. At first, I tugged gently not wanting to hurt him. I pulled harder and nothing happened. I then pulled as hard as I could without yanking any of his hair out.
"Ow." He muttered. He touched where I had pulled the hair. I giggled at his confused expression. This was the happiest I had been since my days in fairytale land.
"What in the world?" he asked aloud. I tugged his hair in a different place. He flinched. "This is getting weird." I laughed. "Hayley?"
I froze. He heard me. This is a good thing. He knew I was here!
"Josh, can you hear me?" I asked. He looked puzzled. "Hayley, was that you laughing?" he looked back to my body.
"Josh!" I all but yelled. He jumped in surprise. He had obviously heard me. Josh heard me!
"Hayls!" he said with excitement.
"Josh, I-" I stopped speaking when the door opened. It was the doctor. "Any change, Josh?"
"N-no, sir." He obviously didn't want to be labeled a freak.
"Okay. Alert us if anything happens." Josh nodded and the doctor left the room.
"Hayley," he whispered. "Are you still there?"
"I'm here!" I yelled excitedly.
Josh smiled widely. "Hayley, why aren't you back to your body yet?" he paused, "Unless you don't want to be."
"Of course I want to come back." I said softly. He heard me that time. Maybe yelling isn't necessary anymore.
"Thank, God. I thought you might not want to live anymore."
"Nah, I'd miss you too much." I smiled. "By the way, I was the one pulling at your hair."
"Of course. Who else would it be?" he chuckled. "Why aren't you back yet? I miss you." I blushed deeply and the heart monitor spiked. "Was that you?" he asked, referring to the monitor.
"Sadly, yes. It was me every time. I have been in here for a while but before that I wasn't even myself." I was standing beside the hospital bed facing Josh. As a habit I began to lean on the bed. My hand was supporting some of my weight. I did not expect it to slip and touch my body, my real body. As I touched my skin I felt a pull towards my body. I leaned into it. I was sucked into my body violently after getting close enough.
Darkness overtook me. I couldn't speak or move, but I could hear. "Hayley, are you okay? What's going on?"
"Yes?" the nurse asked.
I blinked open my eyes. I was looking up at the plain white ceiling. I turned my head to see Josh staring at me disbelievingly. "I haven't seen those beautiful eyes in so long it isn't even funny." He said slowly.
I sat up and as I did all of the tubes and wires were removed from me and my skin. I was looking at Josh the entire time. He looked worried that all of the things that had been keeping me alive were gone now.
"Josh, I realized something while I was in a coma."
"What was it, Hayley?"
"I love you, Josh." His face lit up so quickly I was surprised his muscles even responded. I was suddenly in his arms being crushed but that was okay because I was back where I belong. "I love you, too. I always have. Ever since the first time you tugged on my hair." I laughed. He pulled away and I saw a wet spot on his shirt. "Sorry, about your shirt. I said laughing and crying. I was suddenly sobbing while I thought of everything real and unreal that has happened. I cried over being murdered by my supposed boyfriend. I cried over the times I watched myself being beaten. I cried over the lies I told myself. Most of all, I sobbed over the disturbing scenes I witnessed when Josh admitted that he would have protected me. If anything ever happened to him I would be devastated.
"Hayley, don't worry. Stop crying. Please, Hayley. You don't have a single thing in the world to worry about."
"Josh, you don't know what happened to me." I said still crying. He wiped my tears away.
"Hayley, I might not know what happened to you but I do believe I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen to you." Josh reached to the bedside table and grabbed a little box out of the drawer.
"I know it was a long shot but now I'm feeling pretty confident." He got down in front of me on one knee. "Hayley, will you marry me?"
My eyes watered. This is what I had wanted all along. My own Josh. A guy who loves me, protects me, and cares for me. I love Josh so much that I couldn't answer.
"Maybe I should have waited...." I shook my head violently.
"I love you, Josh. You are the only thing I have left to live for. Yes, I will marry you." I smiled carefully. Once again, his face lit up so completely that it could be mistaken for a star or the moon by some people. For me, this look was the Sun. The Sun is the center of the universe just as Josh is the center of my universe, my life, and my entire world.
