The Coma Patient

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

            The next room was a dream I’d had as a child. I didn’t remember it as clearly as I did the nightmare but this one was a beloved memory. It was a wide field of wheat, the sun nearly setting, a large oak tree sitting in the middle—merely twenty feet from me. The wheat was a warm golden that made the whole field look like a ripple of silky gold. Small fairies were fluttering around, the fairy dust adding to the stunning color. The orange sun set the colors warmer and brighter. I felt it warming my chilled skin, sending serenity through me instantly. I took in a deep breath and walked to the large tree. When I reached it I finally turned to face Christian, who’d been completely silent—like me—just taking in the exquisiteness of the scenery.

            “What is it that I must face here?” I asked; my voice light.

            He walked closer to me. “This is just a memory that you wanted you to see,” he replied. His hair brushed my forehead as he bent his head inches from mine. “You come here when you’re feeling upset, don’t you?”

            My eye lids fluttered shut as I relaxed. “Yes,” I whispered.

            “It’s beautiful, it truly is,” Christian said. His fingers danced along my arm as he spoke. For some reason I felt as though he was talking about more than just the scenery.

            “I know,” I breathed. “I’ve always loved this place—I’ve pleaded for it to be real more times than either you or I could count. It’s my safe place.” I paused and my eyes opened, meeting Christian’s. “I think having you here makes it better,” I said unintentionally.

            He smiled tightly and lifted his head, looking around us. “I think you make it better for me too, Chastity,” he admitted stiffly.

            “We can’t stay here, can we?” I asked, my mood dropping.

            “I’m afraid not, if you don’t want to be alone here forever then we need to move on,” he nodded. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s alright,” I sighed. I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m actually debating if I really want to go home—I mean…I don’t know how to face him. Can’t you, like, come with me?”

            He let out a rough laugh and refused to meet my eyes as he looked out at the distant sun. “No, I’m afraid not, Chastity.”

            I touched his arm gently, feeling him tense almost immediately. “You understand me. You understand me more than anyone else does. How is that possible?”

            He finally looked down at me, his eyes, though, still held much distance. “Even whenever you go back I’ll still be there watching over you. All you have to do is think of me and I’ll help you through anything. Do you trust that?”

            I felt my eyes burn with the thought of him not being by my side after this. “I do. And believe me, Christian, I will think of you a lot. You’re the only person whose ever understood what I’m feeling.”

            He brushed a strand of my hair back, his fingers just barely brushing my skin. “I’ll be thinking of you as well, Chastity.”

            “Are you real?” I asked, meeting his purple-gray eyes.

            He, for a moment, paused as though he wasn’t sure how to respond. But then he swallowed and replied. “I’m as real as you want me to be. When you wake up, you won’t see me. But when you dream, I will make sure you see me.”