MSRA ↠ Back Again

18 ↠ reasons

I spent the next twelve hours by Noah's side, leaving only when the doctors needed me to. Noah's parents brought me food, but I only ate a little. I drifted in and out of consciousness as I sat by Noah. Both of us were grateful to have the other there.

After those twelve hours, the nurse said Noah could go home, as long as he kept the sunglasses on, the lights off, and stayed in bed for a few days.

"Ready to go, bud?" Noah's dad asked as he helped him out of the hospital bed. I was standing by the doorway with his mom, holding my bag.

"Mhmm," he replied, slowly bringing his legs to the edge of the bed. He gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly stood up. He began walking with the help of his dad, but stumbled after the first step. I rushed over to him and supported his other side. It was only a couple of steps to the wheelchair that would bring him outside, but it took a lot of effort to get there.

When he finally collapsed in the chair, all four of us took a deep breath and continued on our journey.

It was a half hour drive back to his house, where the process began again. This time, we didn't have a wheelchair, and his bed was on the second floor.

"Just bring me to the living room," Noah mumbled as his dad and I helped him walk to the house. Luckily, the living room was right there, and Noah was able to rest on the couch. Very shortly after he laid down, he was asleep again.

I kissed the top of his head and put a nearby blanket on him. His mom had worked on closing the blinds and shutting off any nearby light. I sat on the couch near Noah, just being with him as he drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point, he shifted closer to me so his head was on my lap, and I gently ran my fingers through his messy hair.

An hour later, with Noah and I still on the couch, unmoving, I get a call from Bridget. I had put my phone on vibrate in the hospital, but I still answered quickly so I wouldn't wake Noah.

"Hey girl, what's up?" she answered cheerfully.

"Hey," I whispered back. "Um, actually, things aren't so good right now."

"Kat, what happened?" she asked seriously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," I quietly replied. "It's Noah."

I told her the entire story of his fall and how I rushed out to the hospital to see him. Bridge didn't say a word until I finished.

"Kat, are you alright?" she asked a moment later.

"I'm okay," I admitted, still playing with Noah's hair. "It's just... really hard seeing him like this."

"I can imagine," she said solemnly. "Well, you know I'm just a call away. Ring me up whenever, I'll answer. When are you returning home?"

"I don't want to, but my flight leaves at ten tonight," I sighed. "That means I only have about seven more hours here."

"Well, make good use of them," Bridge replied. "You're lucky that accident didn't end up worse."

"I know, trust me, I know," I shook my head. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Love you, girlie," she said. "Remember, don't be afraid to call me."

She hung up and I put my phone on the couch next to me.

-

After a few hours, it was almost time for me to leave. Luckily, Noah woke up and was talking to me, which I took as a good sign. No more difficulty talking, and he said his vision was almost completely back, but even the littlest lights hurt.