Chapter 18

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A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all your comments, and thanks for being patient with me! I wasn't planning on taking this long to post again, but it was a crazy week! I hope you enjoy this chapter :D






Chapter Eighteen



Alex's POV:

"Tonight's been really fun," Natalie commented as she buckled herself into the passenger's seat of my Jeep. "Thanks again for inviting me Alex."

"Of course," I smiled at her across the console, pulling my own seatbelt over my chest. "I had a good time, too. I'm glad you wanted to come."

"Sure I did," Natalie replied without hesitation. "You were right; your friends are great. It's nice to meet a friendly group of people in a new city. Especially when you're in college."

"Agreed," I turned the key in the ignition, then glanced briefly back at her. "I guess that means we'll have to do it again sometime."

Natalie grinned at me through the darkness, and nodded almost shyly. It was well past midnight, and we were the last of our group to leave the beach. Everyone else had gone home around eleven thirty, but Natalie and I offered to wait until the fire had safely died down. In the meantime, we told ridiculous ghost stories and laughed until our s'mores-filled stomachs hurt.

We even kept ourselves at a friendly yet respectable distance. Had I been with Brooke, I knew she would've immediately taken advantage of being alone in a secluded area.

I'd barely pulled out of the parking space when my cell phone buzzed obnoxiously in the cup holder between our seats. Sighing, I cast an apologetic look in Natalie's direction and glanced down at my phone to see Jake's name appear on the caller ID.

Bad timing, buddy, I thought, pressing the 'ignore' button and silently reminding myself to call him later. In the moment, the strangeness of my buddy calling me past midnight didn't register.

Not ten seconds after I'd replaced the phone in the cup holder, it rang again, more obnoxious than before. "Go ahead and answer," Natalie waved her hand as though to say 'no big deal.' "It could be important, and I'm not going to be offended."

I grinned at her, wondering if she could be any more perfect. "Thanks," I replied, and pressed the phone to my ear. "Jake. What's up, buddy?"

"Alex, you need to get to the hospital," Jake told me. His voice was frantic and, even more surprisingly, filled with emotion. Almost as though he'd been crying-in over twenty years of knowing Jake, I'd seen him cry about three times.

"Whoa, Jake," I pulled off to the side of the road in order to give him my full attention. "Slow down. What's going on, man? Why do I need to go to the hospital?"

"It's Avery," he cried, practically cutting me off. "She-there-there's been an accident, Alex, and it was a bad one. A truck hit Avery going forty miles an hour through an intersection. We got a call from the Santa Barbara police department about an hour and a half ago. Avery was unconscious when they took her away in the ambulance." Jake broke off on a sob.

"No," I breathed, watching my vision grow blurry through tears of my own. Pushing my free hand through my hair, I held firmly onto the disheveled locks. "No, it can't be. It can't be Avery. She has to be okay-she has to."

Jake was crying openly now. "You have to go to the hospital, Alex," he repeated as firmly as his shaky voice would allow. "Mom and I are on our way to the airport, but the next flight to Santa Barbara doesn't leave for over two hours. I need you to sit with Avery-be there when she wakes up. I don't want her to be alone."

"She won't be alone," I promised him, swiping at a few tears that had escaped from my eyes and onto my cheeks. "I'm on my way right now, Jake, okay? Avery's strong, and she's going to be just fine. I'm sure it's just a bruise or two."

Jake gave a strangled laugh. "Yeah," he agreed, and I had a feeling he was trying hard to reassure himself. "She's-she's a strong girl."

Moments later, Jake and I disconnected. Sniffling, I glanced over at Natalie, having nearly forgotten she was in the car. "I'm sorry," I said, seeing the worry in her eyes. "We have to go to the hospital. Avery was in an accident tonight, and apparently it was pretty serious."

"Oh, Alex," Natalie touched my arm lightly. "I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "She's going to be okay," I insisted. "She has to be." I pounded the heel of my hand hard on the steering wheel. "This is my fault. I should've been with her in that car. I should never have let her leave the bonfire early."

Natalie sighed. "Blaming yourself will only make the situation worse, Alex," she told me gently. "If you were in the car with Avery, both of you would be in the hospital. Then who would sit by her bed until her family arrived?"

After a moment, I nodded. She had a point, but I still felt angry with myself for allowing her to leave, and for not offering to drive her in the first place. So what if I was on a date with Natalie? I should've been there for Avery, too.

Luckily, the roads weren't overly busy at midnight, and we made it to the hospital within ten minutes. It was a miracle I didn't get pulled over for going over fifty miles an hour.

Rushing to the front desk of the emergency room with Natalie on my heels, I leaned across the counter towards a middle-aged woman in a nurse's outfit. "Avery Watson," I said impatiently. "Is she here? I need to see her immediately."

The woman's eyes filled with concern. "Avery's here," she replied in a calm voice. "But she's in surgery for at least a half hour, maybe forty-five minutes."

"Surgery?" I practically exclaimed. "What kind of surgery? She's going to be okay, right?"

"Of course we can never promise these things," the nurse, whose nametag read Cecile, told me. "But I think Avery will be just fine; she was very lucky to not have been hurt much, much worse. She fell unconscious mostly due to shock, which happens quite often. The doctors insisted on doing surgery, however, to make sure the crash didn't cause any internal injuries."

I nodded vigorously. "Shock," I repeated. "Will you tell me when she's out of surgery? I'll sit right over here." I pointed to a row of chairs against the opposite wall.

Cecile nodded. "I'll let you know as soon as I do," she promised. "Are you Avery's boyfriend? Husband?" I saw her glanced uncertainly at Natalie, as though she wasn't sure what to assume with another woman standing beside me.

"A friend," I clarified. "I've known Avery since the day she was born, and I need to be here until her family arrives from Sacramento." I knew I was talking very fast, but it didn't matter. All that mattered for the time being was Avery.

Moments later, Natalie and I were seated in the hard plastic chairs, and I buried my face in my hands. "I'm sorry you have to be here," I mumbled. "Not exactly a perfect ending to our date, but I need to be here when she wakes up."

Natalie shook her head. "Don't worry about me," she insisted. "I'm not in any hurry, and the last thing you need is to worry about me."

I tried to smile at her, but it was a pathetic attempt. "Thanks," I murmured.

At least thirty excruciating minutes passed before Cecile approached our seats. "Avery's out of surgery now, and in a room just down the hall. She's sleeping, but you are welcome to see her."

I stood up so fast that for a split second I felt slightly dizzy. "Perfect," I said, striding through the hospital corridor behind her. "Will she wake up soon?"

Cecile glanced over her shoulder at me. "It depends," she replied. "The drugs usually wear off after a couple of hours, but sometimes patients sleep through the night after a surgery. Doctor Nelson said Avery's doing surprisingly well, though, and you're welcome to sit with her as long as you'd like."

I nodded gratefully, and in that same instance we entered a darkened hospital room. In the center of the room there was a single bed, and on the bed was Avery. She looked small and heartbreakingly weak. Her hair fanned out across the pillow, and even though the light was dim, I noticed her blackened eye and swollen lip. Most likely caused by the airbags.

The nurse left, and I sat in a chair beside Avery's bed. For a moment I stared at her, stone-faced, and then I broke down. Taking her hand in mine, I pressed my lips to her icy fingers. "Wake up," I pleaded with her. "I'm so sorry, Ave. So, so sorry I let you down tonight." I was only dimly aware of Natalie, who'd taken a seat near the window.

Machines around Avery's bed beeped and whirred, and a thin tube pumped some clear liquid in or out of her body. I watched her for a moment, unable to take my eyes off her face, and then remembered telling Jake I'd call him when she was out of surgery. Pulling my phone out of my pocket but keeping one hand in Avery's, I dialed Jake's number.

"Alex," Jake didn't bother with hello. "Are you with her? Is she out of surgery now?"

"Yes," I whispered back. "I'm sitting beside her bed right now. She got out of surgery about ten minutes ago, and the doctor said she's doing pretty well. The nurse said Ave was very lucky to not be hurt worse."

"Thank goodness," Jake breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't wait to see her. How does she look? She-she's not awake right now, is she?"

"No, she's sleeping," I told him, staring at Avery's closed eyes. "And she looks...well, she's beautiful. Her face is kind of bruised up, but she looks as much like an angel as ever." It was a little corny, but it was the truth.

Jake let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah," he said.

After we said good bye, the hospital room fell silent, apart from the machines. I continued to rub Avery's cold fingers between my own, and realized that she really was angelic-looking. Her blonde hair shone against the pristine white pillow, and the hospital gown contrasted with her smooth, tanned skin.

"Have you told her yet?" Natalie asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Once again, I'd very nearly forgotten she was there-something I'd probably feel sort of guilty about later.

"What?" I blinked at her across the dimly lit room. "Told her what?"

Natalie continued without hesitation. "That you're in love with her."

My heart did a somersault inside my chest. The question took me completely off guard, and my first reaction was to feel very flustered. "Oh, I'm-we're not-" I paused on a sigh, glancing towards Avery. What was the point of denying it any longer? I knew it was true, and it had been for a very, very long time. "No," I finally murmured. "I haven't told her yet."

Natalie smiled faintly. "You should do that," she responded quietly. "You should tell her soon."

I continued to stare at the girl of all my dreams, kissing her fingers with so much love. "Yeah," I agreed wholeheartedly. "I should tell her very soon."

* * * *

Avery's POV:

The second I opened my eyes, a burning pain shot from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. Then I remembered the accident, and realized I wasn't dead, but in a very quiet hospital room. The bed wasn't overly comfortable, but amidst the pain and discomfort, there was one sensation I liked very much.

Glancing down as much as my aching neck would allow, I saw both of Alex's hands wrapped around one of mine. My gaze traveled to where his head lay on the mattress. He was dead asleep. I smiled and, pulling my hand from his, ran my fingers through his perfect, tousled hair.

Having always been a fairly light sleeper, Alex's head shot up and he blinked at me. "Ave," he breathed, rising to his feet and standing over me. "Ave, honey, how are you?"

I tried to smile. "Been better," I croaked. "How are you?"

Alex laughed, but the sound was without much humor. "I'm a nervous wreck, Ave," he admitted on a sigh. "When Jake called to tell me you'd been in an accident...I've never been so scared in my entire life. Baby, I'm so sorry I wasn't there with you. I should've at least come home with you."

Baby? Alex had called me many different things in the past, but I was pretty sure he'd never called me baby. I kind of...well, I kind of liked it. "Don't be stupid," I scoffed. "If you were with me, you'd be in the next room over."

Alex chuckled. "That's what Natalie said," he murmured.

"Natalie," I repeated. "Did-did I ruin your date? I'm sorry."

"Avery Watson," Alex pulled his chair closer to the head of my bed and sat down again. He reclaimed my hand, and kissed my fingers gently. "You are the strangest girl I've ever met. You didn't ruin anything."

I smiled and nodded.

"Are you in a lot of pain? Do I need to get the nurse?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay," I told him. "Grateful to be alive. When I saw that truck coming towards me, I was sure I was going to die. Opening my eyes just now, I sort of thought maybe I was in heaven. Then I felt the pain and realized probably not."

Alex laughed. "Well, selfishly I'm glad you're not in heaven, and here with me instead," he whispered.

I pulled my hand from his and rubbed his hair gently. "I'm glad, too," I replied. "I knew if I ever got hurt, you'd be one of the first to come. Thank you."

"Always," he kissed my fingers. "Ave, I-"

I listened intently to what he was about to say, but suddenly the hospital door burst open and my family rushed in. "Oh, Avery!" Mom sobbed, rushing to my side. "Honey, are you okay? I mean, are you in a lot of pain?"

Jake was just as worried. Taking my free hand, he placed the other against my cheek. "Sis, you scared us to death. I thought my heart was going to give out worrying about you."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, very much aware of the fact that Alex had left my side and was standing on the opposite side of the hospital room.

After a moment, he caught my gaze and winked. If I didn't know before, I certainly knew it now:

I loved him. So much. I knew, without a doubt, Alex was the one I wanted by my side forever. I had to make him mine.

And this time, I wasn't giving up. Ever.

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