I Was There

Chapter 4: Ally

         When he walked back through the doors, there was a doctor waiting for him. Tyler felt his heart leap with anticipation, but then fall when he saw the expression on his face. It was filled with sympathy and sorrow; Tyler barely had the nerve to approach him. Placing his feet carefully on the white tiles, he walked to meet the doctor.

“Is she okay-can I see her?” The doctor shook his head and held up his hands the way the nurse had, signaling Tyler to slow his words.

“Slow down. First, she is alive; and with a fall like that, she’s lucky. Second, you can see her. But I’ll warn you, she doesn’t look good. Alice suffered some otherwise fatal wounds. She’s in an induced sleep right now, and will be monitored for several days in it. We’ve contacted her father and he’s on the way now…” He trailed off a second before adding: “Alice is lucky to have a friend like you.” The doctor motioned for a nurse to show me to her room and exited back into the double doors. Tyler didn’t hesitate when the girl told him to follow her. She led him to the intensive care unit and gestured to the door.

“She’s in there, honey. You know, that was really something; you bringing her here. She must have an angel on her side.” The nurse exited, leaving Tyler to let himself into the room that held Ally. Gathering his nerve in one deep breath, Tyler slowly slid the door and pulled the curtain. He felt a stab of pain that caused his breathing to catch in his throat when he saw the shape Ally was in. A white bandage was wrapped around her head, and she had bruises on her arms and shoulders. A cast was held in a sling on her right arm, gracefully draped over her stomach. Her face was swollen and her makeup had started to run, darkening her eyes.

“Ally?” Tyler suggested into the burdening silence. Of course, there was no answer. He closed the door and curtain and slowly moved to the side of her bed. She looked peaceful-or as peaceful as she could-dressed out in a hospital gown, covered in a white blanket, laid stiffly on her back and her other hand by her side, and her breath heard faintly and small. Ally didn’t move or even flinch when Tyler took her hand and sat in the chair conveniently placed next to the bed.

“Ally?” He repeated, hoping for a reaction. Tyler continued, “Ally, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have made you go to the tree house. I should have just gone to school. I should have stopped you from climbing so high.” His voice broke harshly, causing more tears to cascade down his face. “I should have just been honest with you. I should of just told you; told you that-” He stopped, hesitating still, “that I love you.” Tyler put his head down, finally, and kissed Ally’s hand gingerly. “I’m so sorry. It should have been me who fell. I deserve it more than you. It should have been me…” He repeated, his voice cracking in the pressure he put on himself. In his heart, he knew what Ally would tell him, if she were able: It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped this; stopped me. And then she’d make a joke about him being weaker than her…he just hoped that she was stronger than he is now. Thinking of this only made his tears come faster and harder. Tyler didn’t flinch when he heard the door open several minutes later.

“Alice? Alice!” Ally’s father exclaimed when his eyes met his daughter’s familiar face. He raced to the opposite side of the bed than Tyler. Tyler finally looked to Ally’s dad. They never talked much, but in the time that Tyler had known him, he’d seen him cry but once: when his wife-Ally’s mother-died. Tyler thought of how similar this must feel to that; how Charles-Ally’s dad-had already lost one woman in his life, and now it was like he was losing his only daughter-and the only thing left of importance to him. Thinking of this, Tyler stared at Charles in sympathy while he cried. The sobs of the two men were lost in the beeps of the monitors; and all the while, Ally never moved.

Tyler couldn’t help but feel guilty, and moved to exit the room. But just before Tyler could take a step outside, Charles stopped him.

“Thank you.” Charles hesitated, knowing how pathetic his gratitude sounded through the sorrow, “The doctor told me she would’ve never made it without you…Thank you.” Charles pried his gaze from Ally’s face, to meet the gaze of Tyler. “I’m glad she was with you.” Tyler couldn’t find the words to acknowledge his statement, so he simply nodded and then turned to leave the room. While he couldn’t bear to leave Ally, he knew her father’s gratitude would only last as long as the shock. Not wanting to leave the hospital, he went to sit in the seats of the family waiting rooms.

Tyler didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, and didn’t go to school all the next day. Charles had left the hospital, leaving Tyler watch over Ally so he could get clothes, food, and call his boss to clear his schedule for the next couple of days. The nurses tried to cheer Tyler up; turning on the television, offering food, coffee, and even books. They tried to make simple conversation, just to get him to talk; he seemed to be in shock, simply sitting beside Ally and staring into empty space. Nothing phased him, though. He was in a state of shock that made time move slowly and his body to ignore its natural needs.

He didn’t worry about calling his parents at all; he thought of how it was inevitably their fault that they traveled to the tree the morning before. In return, his parents never called or searched for him either. Tyler knew they didn’t care, but it still amazed him that they didn’t even question when he didn’t come home some nights, or when he would return for only a minute before leaving again. Tyler thought of how different his parents were from Ally’s. Even before her mother died, Charles had been protective and an active part of Ally’s life. Her mother, Rebekah, had loved her dearly, knowing she could never have another child. Tyler tried to imagine if his parents had been the same; would he still be the person he is today?

When Tyler couldn’t stand it anymore, he pushed the thoughts away. When Tyler tried to clear his mind, he realized his thoughts drifted to the first time he had met Ally, one of his fondest memories.

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It was the first day of second grade at Hawkins Elementary. Tyler was the odd ball, sitting off to himself and avoiding conversation with his classmates. Although he longed to make friends, he was entirely too nervous to approach anyone. While Tyler had been coloring, a little boy-the son of the powerful mayor-approached him and snatched away the crayon he had been coloring with.

“Hey! That’s my crayon!” Tyler attempted.

“Oh yeah? I don’t see your name on it!” And then the boy turned to leave, taking the crayons. All of a sudden, a girl with medium-brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and a mischievous smirk on her lips, stepped in front of the boy.

“Get out of my way!” The boy demanded; the girl stood firm.

“No. give him back the crayon.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll make you.” The girl moved a little closer, in attempt to intimidate the boy. Her lip was set in a pouting sort of way.

“Yeah right.” Then the boy tried to walk around her. But right before he passed her, she shoved him down. When he tried to stand up, she sat on his chest and punched him one time. The boy took off and she picked up the box of crayons. As she got closer, Tyler cringed.

“Please don’t hit me!” Tyler flinched. She laughed.

“I’m not going to hit you, silly. Here’s your crayons.” Tyler took the crayons. “I’m Alice, but people call me Ally. Nice to meet you.” She offered a hand and he took it.

“Hi, I’m Tyler.”

“Tyler? That’s too long. Do you have a nick name?” Alice sat down at the table with him, while Tyler shook his head.

“No.”

“Well, I’ll give you one…I’ll call you Ty.”

“Okay…you want to be my friend?”

“Sure…will you share your crayons?”

“Sure.”

And that’s it. They’d been friends since then. And to this day, Tyler thought, she’s protected me…and I couldn’t protect her.