A Change in Mind

Visitors

Jake's P.O.V
"Here we are." She said as she pulled into my driveway. I kissed her softly before I got out and headed for the front door. As soon as I walked through the front door, an eerily familiar voice greeted me, sending chills down my spine.
"Heyyyy Jakey! I missed you, baby!" She squeaked. My mom shot me an I'm sorry, I tried to stop her look.
"Ashley, for the last time, I broke up with you five months ago." She hugged me anyways. Ashley was clingy when we were dating, but she's an even clingier ex. "Mom," I forced through gritted teeth. "A word?" I tried to remain calm, but she was so annoying.
"I tried to tell her you were with Ella, but she just avoided the thought completely, almost like some sort of closure." She explained. When I walked back out, Ashley's face lit up.
"I'm with someone else. I appreciate the visit, but I'm taken and-" She cut me off by pressing her lips to mine.
Ella's P.O.V
I finally decided to go in and say hi to Mrs.Parkson. When I opened the door, what I saw filled my body with rage. He was with another girl. He was kissing her. I took off my ring and threw it on the floor before storming out of the house and getting into my car. I slammed the door as Jake chased after me.
"Baby, wait!" He called after me. I was so mad. So mad that I cried. So mad that I screamed. So mad that I didn't see the car headed straight for me.
My head was pounding. I could barely see straight. All I could see was the inside of my car. The pain was spreading to the rest of my body. I tried to move, but this just made the pain worse, this time it shot down my leg into my foot. I yelped in pain before crying at the hopelessness of the situation. I sobbed until my body physically couldn't produce any more tears.
Jake's P.O.V.
I ran down the street after her, scared of what I would see. I heard the crash from my house all the way down the street.
My feet pounded the pavement and my heart leaped into my throat. My lungs were on fire and my heart was aching. I could barely breathe. For her, it was worth it. I looked straight ahead and was instantly traumatized.
Her car was a mangled mess, and I feared for what she looked like. Fortunately, the other driver sustained no injuries. I slowly approached her car. No, I thought. No, no, nononono. No. Please be alive. I leaned in and peered through the window. I was relieved when I saw the rise and fall of her chest. But beyond that, she was a mess. She was covered in her own blood where shards of the shattered windshield had battered her flawless face. Her neck was bruised and her nose was broken. Her leg was bent at a painful-looking angle. That, too, was presumably was broken.
I snatched my phone out of my pocket and dialed 9-1-1.
"9-1-1, what's the emergency?" the operator chirped.
"There's a bad wreck and one person has sustained major injuries." I gave her the address and hung up. I waited on the side of the road for what seemed like an eternity. When the ambulance arrived, they took her away on a stretcher. I kissed her cheek and brushed her hair back. "Everything's gonna be okay, babygirl. I promise" she reached for my hand and gave a faint smile before she was loaded into the ambulance. I watched in agony, wondering if everything was gonna be ok. I immediately grabbed the ring from the sidewalk where she had thrown it, and got in my car after telling my mom where I was going to be. She understood. I slammed the door shut and sped off to the hospital.
       I got to the front desk and asked the receptionist where Ella was.
       "Sorry, sweetie. She's in ICU and won't be seeing visitors until tomorrow." She replied. I felt like crying. I should've never gone home. I should've just stayed with Ella. I should've slapped Ashley right then and there. I was so mad, but at who? My self, for not bringing Ella in with me, Ashley, for kissing me, my mom, for not warning me, and Ella didn't do anything because I could never be mad at her. Ever.
(Time Skip)
       I checked my phone. The time read 12:04 A.M. The receptionist who greeted me earlier was clocking out, and the nurse taking her place greeted me.
      "Waiting on somebody?" she asked. I looked up from my phone.
      "Yeah, actually." I said.
      "Let me guess. The girl in ICU. She got in a wreck, huh?"
       "Mhmm." I nodded, choking back tears at the memory of her bruised, bloody face. She was barely responsive when I found her, and I feared for the worst. I sighed quietly, a tear rolling down my cheek.
       "Well, hang in there. I'll let you know as soon as she wakes up and you can go see her." She replied cheerfully.
       "Thanks." I said. I looked back down at my phone, swiping through all of the snapchat stories. #PrayForElla was on every one of them. I was the first, of course. Nobody knew we were dating at this point, but boy was I gonna make it known tomorrow at school. I dozed off silently.
(Another time skip)
          "Hey." The nurse shook me gently by the shoulder. "She's awake and was wondering where you were." She told me. I immediately got up and sprinted toward the elevator.
         "ICU's on the fourth floor!" She called after me. I thanked her and pushed the button, wishing the elevator would go faster. When I got to the desk, I asked for Ella.
         "Room 412." She directed. I headed down the hallway to my right. I stopped in front of the door, excited to finally see her. When I walked in, her face was clean aside from bruises and a couple deep scratches. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, glowing a brilliant shade of green. She sat up, and immediately regretted it. She let out a slight yelp.
        "Were you waiting on me?"she asked when she had gotten comfortable again.
       "Yeah. I was. And I need to explain myself." I admitted bashfully.
      "Yeah. That." She looked away shyly. "Sorry for overreacting." She looked as if she was about to cry.
       "No. It's not your fault. Don't you think for a second that this is your fault. Ashley and I used to date. For some reason, she still thinks we're dating. But we're not. I'm with you now and I wouldn't wanna be with anybody else." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "That kiss was one sided." I explained.
      "I should've waited for you to explain yourself then, huh?" She asked.
     "I guess so." I replied. "So," I said, rocking on my heels. "What's the damage?"
     "Broken neck, fractured leg, and some minor head trauma. The doctor said that he wouldn't be surprised if I went into a coma. It wouldn't last forever though. I should wake up in about a week." She shrugged.
      "A week?" I was devastated. "Ella, I could barely go 6 hours without you. How am I gonna make it an entire week?" I asked.
      "You can still visit me." She suggested.
      "Ella." I was on the verge of tears. "I don't want to live without you for a day, much less a week." I choked them back and maintained my composure.
      "It's gonna be ok. You said so yourself. I'm gonna live. After the surgery on my leg, they're gonna wait for me to slip into a coma, and then they're gonna put me on life support until I wake up. Simple." She explained.
     "El, what if you d-" I was cut off.
     "I'm gonna wake up." She assured me. "Don't worry about it."
       I didn't go to school that day. I spent the whole day with Ella, playing board games and enjoying her presence. Ella was lucky to be alive. If that car had hit her any harder, she would've been dead instantly. I didn't wanna think about what could've been, though. She's alive and happy. That's all that matters to me.
       When visiting hours were over, I went home and called her. We talked on the phone until 10.
       "Ella, it's getting late. You need your sleep. Goodnight, baby." I hung up. I was nervous for her surgery tomorrow. I pushed all of the negative thought out of my head, and drifted off, reassuring myself that everything would be fine.
A/N- I'm trying to write as much as possible to get this book finished so I can work on another. I might release a teaser, or I might not. Depends. Irdk what's gonna happen at this point, so we'll see how the new book goes. I'm actually going to be cowriting it, for all of those interested, because I SUCK at plot/character development. That's all for now, though. Have a wonderful day, loves!-Susanna❤️