blue jay | janiel

thirty one

Joey

I walked through the glossy white hallway, scanning each room number until I reached B35. I was nervous to see Daniel. What did he look like? Would he be upset that I didn't visit him for a week?

Holding my breath, I stepped in the room only to be shocked at the sight. Daniel lay in a hospital bed with his eyes closed. Thick white bandages were wrapped around his head and a foamy neck brace sat under his chin.

Both of his legs were in long hard casts and his right arm was in a cast too. His lips were puffy and busted; a red gash on the lower one and his face was scratched up. Long skinny tubes were hooked into his arms and wrist and I nearly gagged.

Tears formed in my eyes as my heart broke into smithereens. Daniel looked so small, so vulnerable; so different from his usual alluring self. I ran to his side and threw my arms around him, careful not to squeeze.

"Daniel wake up," I said, tears streaming down my face.
"I'm here now, you're okay."

Daniel did not move and he appeared to be unconscious. I pressed my forehead against his, cupping his cheeks. "Daniel please," I cried. "Look at me. I'm not mad at you anymore, people make mistakes. W-we can work it out."

"I'm afraid he can't hear you," a female voice said behind me. I jerked around and saw a young doctor smile sadly at me, a white paper in her hands.

"My name is Doctor Camarena, but you can call me Meghan." She stood at the foot of the bed.

"What h-happened to him?"
I hiccuped, wiping my tears with my sweater sleeve. She scanned the paper before looking up at me again.

"Mr. Preda was in a car accident. Both of his legs are broken and so is his right arm."

"I know that," I said. The casts made it obvious. "Why isn't he awake?"

"He has serious trauma to his skull due to the severity of the crash. It appears he's suffering from a concussion. He's been asleep for the past week he's been here."

"Concussions aren't that bad, right?"
I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Meghan sighed, rubbing her chin.
"It's hard to say with head injuries. It's common for patients to wake up and heal in 3 weeks but some slip into comas."

My mouth dropped and I squeezed Daniel's hand. New tears spilled down my face and dripped on my pants.
Meghan chewed her lip and advanced towards me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay," she said quietly. "I have faith he will wake up sooner or later. You just need to be here for him."

I nodded, letting out a sob and turned back to Daniel. I caressed his tender face and felt guilt wash over me. This was all my fault. I should have never let him into my messed up world. He wouldn't be in this position if he'd never met me.

"Can I ask what relation you have with Mr. Preda?" She asked behind me.

I keep my gaze on Daniel.
"I'm his boyfriend."

> > >

I sat next to Daniel's bed, brushing my thumb lightly over his knuckles. He was still soft as ever and handsome despite his injuries. I leaned forward and placed a few gentle kisses on his cheek. I've been here all day and didn't mind one bit. It was comforting being next to Daniel. He made me feel secure.

I was starting to doze off when a blond girl walked in the room with a vase of flowers. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me, mouth forming an O.

"Are you Joey?" She asked, holding the vase to her chest.

"Uh yeah," I said, sitting up straight on my chair.

"It's so strange seeing you," she said breathlessly, setting the flowers against the window ledge.

"Do I know you?" I asked, feeling peculiar.

"I'm Hope, Daniel's best friend. He's told me about you," she smiled.

I was intrigued. "What'd he say?"

Hope pulled a chair and sat next to me, leaning her arm on one of the metal side bars of the bed.

"He came to me the morning of the accident. His boss wanted him to make a follow up report and Daniel didn't know what to write. He couldn't tell on you."

"Why not?"

Hope raised her eyebrow, tossing me a look. "I think it's pretty obvious, Joey."

I nodded slowly. He didn't tell anyone because he loves me. Maybe it wasn't all a lie after all.

Hope reached for Daniel's hand and held it, squeezing gently.

"He cares about you a lot," Hope said to me, not looking away from Daniel.
"He was just doing his job and it all became too complicated. He hated lying to you."

I felt a burden lift off my shoulders and I exhaled deeply. I gazed at Daniel before smiling at Hope.

"Thank you."