Forgetting Love

26

I open my eyes to a blinding light. I look away and groan. Why do they always have to be so bright?

Where am I? How did I even get here? I can't remember much. All I can remember is Matt finding me. Everything else is in a haze and I can't make sense of it. I just feel tired. I don't even care where I am. It doesn't matter. Something happened, and I can't remember what, but it left me feeling dead on the inside.

"Morgan," a voice asks. "Are you awake?"

I turn to face him but don't open my eyes. "Matt?" I ask groggily. I'm probably just hearing things. There's no way he is here.

"I'm here," he says. Slowly I open my eyes. This is a dream, it has to be. Any moment Chris will show up and ruin it. Matt sits beside me. He looks tired and has stitches just above his eyebrow, but he still manages to smile at me softly.

"Where am I?" He takes my hand and holds it. This feels so real.

"In a hospital." I look around the barren, white room. It's your typical hospital room. I'm in a single bed with a heart monitor beside me. There are a few empty chairs sitting around me. Matt is occupying one, and is the only other person in here. A window is off to my right.

I study Matt's features. Everything about him is the same. Perfect. From his short, light brown hair to his deep chocolate eyes. He's just as I remember him, except for the stitches. I start to cry. "What's wrong?" He asks worried.

"Why does this have to feel so real? I'm going to wake up any second, and you're going to be gone. I miss you so much."

He looks at me closely, devotion in his eyes. "Morgan, this isn't a dream. It's real. You're safe now."

"That's what I always think but I end up waking on that stupid boat. I can't do this again."

"Hey, look at me," he says soothingly. He wipes my tears away. "I promise you this is real. No one is ever taking you from me again." He kisses my forehead and smiles at me. "Besides, if this were a dream, do you really think we'd be in a hospital when we could be anywhere your heart desires? Instead, we are in this boring room that smells funky and I probably look like a mess. If this is your idea of perfect, well, I'll need to fix that." I can't stop my smile as I start to laugh. He's right. I wouldn't be dreaming about a hospital; he'd be unharmed, and I wouldn't be thinking it was a dream. We'd live happily ever after.

I hug him. "It is you." Another giveaway it's Matt would be the way he always manages to cheer me up. He always knows the right thing to say. "I missed you," I cry.

"I missed you, too," he sighs.

I look around the empty room. Where is everyone? I thought my Mom would be the first person I see, but she's not even in here. "Not to sound like I'm not glad to see you because I really am, but where is everyone else?"

He laughs. "It's ok. Your Mom left a couple minutes before you woke. She said something about getting a coffee. Your brothers are at home until you feel better so you wouldn't feel so overwhelmed when you woke. They argued about it for awhile, but your Mom put her foot down and that was the end of it. Your Dad was here all night. He had to get some sleep so he'll be back at around 2, but since you're awake I'm guessing it will be sooner."

A yawn is forced out of me. "What happened?" I ask.

Matt's face changes for a split second, but then it goes back to normal. What was that? Pity? Grief? Anger? Whatever it was, it didn't look good. "How about you go back to sleep? I'll be here when you wake up later. You look exhausted."

"But I want to see my family," I protest confused. What is up with Matt's change of attitude? As soon as I asked what happened, he's been acting different.