The Fast Lane

Chapter 34

Alex quickened his pace toward me as I sat up and said his name. “Oh thank God you’re awake!” He sat sideways on the bed and forcefully hugged me to his chest. When I pulled away and tried to push him off, he grabbed my throbbing head and began to kiss it over and over. 

"Alex what the… stop. Alex- ALEX STOP."  I struggled against him until I had gained enough strength to throw him off of me.  I looked back at him disgusted as I fixed my hair and my hospital clothes.  I glanced around the room and finally looked back at him.  "Where am I?" 

"The hospital in Charlotte." He tried to reach up and brush the side of my face but I quickly slapped his hand away.  "Sweetheart-" he began.  I shot him a nasty look.  He stopped and looked confused.

"Why am I here? Where are Caleb and Joel?" 

Alex cocked his head at me.  ”Who?” 

"Harry’s bodyguards. They sho-" 

"Who is Harry? Someone from school?" 

I was extremely short-tempered at the moment, especially with Alex. “No, the guy I’m engaged to. He was the racer that beat you up at that party after you slapped me.” 

Alex looked horrified and stood up off of the bed.  ”What are you talking about? I would never hit you.” 

I glared up at him, a little confused myself but not wanting to show it. “You did though.” 

He sat back down on the bed and looked at me like Harry just had in my dream - worried and confused.  I could have called what was coming next.  ”Darling, you must have been dreaming.” 

"No." I growled.  I wasn’t going through this again. 

"I think it’s time for meds." Alex stood and began to walk toward the door. I slammed my fist on the bed, making him stop and turn around.

"I’m not playing this game anymore. Tell me where Harry, Joel, and Caleb are!" I felt like a child but I didn’t want to play around anymore.  I was sick of people not telling me things or trying to keep secrets from me, especially at this point when it really mattered the most.  Alex looked sadly over at me.  "I think that you’re confused.  You must have been dreaming about those guys who died in the wreck." 

"What are you talking about?"

"You don’t remember?  You don’t know why you’re here?" I frowned at him and cocked my head a little bit.

"I got knocked out at Jenna’s.  Caleb, Joel, and I had just pulled up to her house to look for Harry and someone knocked me unconscious with a gun."

Alex shook his head disappointedly and sat back on the bed, grabbing one of my clenched fists.  He spoke as he pried open my fingers and held my hand tightly. “Your mind must have incorporated things you were hearing into your dreams while you were in a coma. It happens to a lot of people.” He patted my hand and looked up at me, his eyes watering. “On the way to Jenna’s wedding, you fell asleep in the car and collided with another car.  The three guys in the car, Caleb, Joel, and Harry, all died on impact.  You went into a coma.” 

"No…." I hesitated, looking down at the sheets and trying to remember any crash I might have had. It was then that I noticed my fingernails were done exactly like I had them done for the wedding.  I studied them for a while, and then looked back at Alex who was watching me intently. "How long was I in a coma?" 

"A few months. That’s why I’m so glad you finally-" I held up my hand to cut him off. 

"Where is my mom?" 

Alex suddenly looked sad and reached up to touch my face.  I slapped his hand away again and glared at him. He exhaled and began to answer. “She had cancer. She passed away while you were out.”  His eyes began to water and he looked away from me, sniffling and wiping his nose.  I didn’t want to believe Alex, but I had been so confused about what was fake and what was real at that point I didn’t know what to believe anymore.  Dear Lord, please help me - I thought to myself.  Right then, I felt something cold brush against the skin of my chest. The cold thing rested on my heart, and I pulled at my collar and looked down to see what it was.  I smiled when I saw it.

"You’re lying." 

Alex quickly turned to face me, looking offended.  ”Why would I lie about that??” 

"Not my mom you idiot," I said shortly. Alex frowned at me, completely confused… or pretending to be. 

"Harry is real." 

Alex began to shake his head.  His stupid, lying head. “He was, babe. He died in the wreck.” 

"No," I said definitively. "He’s alive.  He and I are engaged."

"Tristan, he is not-" 

"We went to the fair. We rode the ferris wheel. He asked me to be his girlfriend. He gave me this." I reached down my shirt to the cool, silver airplane that was hanging next to my heart.  I smiled at it as it dangled between my fingers. I looked triumphantly over at Alex, who was at a loss for words. "You actually, sadly, almost had me convinced," I said slyly. 

He stared at the necklace.  ”But… no. No, babe, don’t you remember? I gave that to you befor-“ 

I stood up out of the bed and put my hands on my hips. “No. No you didn’t.” I walked to the sink in the corner of the room and looked into the mirror at my forehead where I was hit with the gun.  I winced when I hit the bruise.  ”You’re a selfish bastard, do you know that?  My sister and my legitimate fiancé are both in danger of being killed, and you’re selfish enough to lie to me about my memory? Wipe them completely out of my life?” I saw Alex in the reflection on the mirror, looking down at his feet, completely defeated. “Did Rich put you up to this?” I asked.

Alex shook his head, not looking up. “It was his daughter, Tessa.” 

Slowly, I turned to look at Alex, my mouth hanging open. “DAUGHTER?” 

He nodded, still refusing to look up at me. I stood perfectly still and thought for a few moments. Tessa was Rich’s daughter.  I wonder if anyone else knew. Niall certainly didn’t, and if he did, he had left that tidbit out.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked Alex, suddenly snapping back to reality. He shrugged slightly. He turned to me slowly.  

"Tris, I’m so sorry. I just-" I shook my head. 

"I’m not forgiving you. I can’t this time. I can’t Alex. We’re through after this.  Completely done with each other." I walked past him and looked in the closet in the room, searching each shelf until I found the Ramones tee that I was knocked unconscious in the night before and a pair of blue scrub pants. I threw both on and fixed my hair in the mirror.  I turned back to Alex, whose face was in his hands as he sat in the corner of the room. 

"I at least want to make it up to you somehow…" he said through his hands. 

I walked over to him and put my hands on his shoulders.  When he finally took his hands away from his face, I looked straight into his sad and sorry eyes.  ”You’re going to make it up to me right now. Do you remember where Tessa lives?” 

He furrowed his brow slightly and looked at the ground as he tried to remember.  He began to nod slowly.  ”I think so… Yeah. Yeah I do.”  He sat up a little straighter as I began to smile. 

"Good. You’re taking me there." I turned to walk out of the room.

"Right now?" He asked worriedly.  He was instantly on my heels. 

"Right now." 

"Well, can it wait?" 

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to look at him. 

"No, Alex, it cannot wait. Why would it need to wait?"

He chuckled a little nervously as I glared at him.  ”She’s just having a huge party tonight… kind of a celebrating the fact that they have Harry now party… but no one else knows its for that reason.  They just think it’s a big social event.”

"Are you freaking kidding me??" I asked a little too loudly. A nurse in the hallway stopped to look at Alex and myself.  We both shifted uncomfortably until she left. I was furious. "Is Harry going to be there?" I whispered anxiously.

Alex looked down as he thought.  ”I think so…” 

I smiled. “Then we are definitely crashing this party.”