Naughty Addictions #Wattys2019

Chapter 7

Lexi

I'm suddenly filled with hope; my heart is racing with excitement.

"Wait! He just squeezed my hand."

Dylan's mom and dad rush over and I hesitantly move out of their way. His mom grabs his hand and waits. After a few minutes, nothing has happened and as she gets up to leave, everyone sees it... Dylan squeezes her hand.

The expression on his mom's face is encouraging, she looks elated and begins talking to him. I turn to Parker and Leanne, they are standing at the end of Dylan's bed, they both look lost in hopeful anticipation. The nurse walks back into the room...

"I'm sorry but, y'all have to leave, visiting hours are over." She says heatedly.

"He squeezed my hand." His mom says, getting up from her chair and walking over to the nurse.

"This has to mean something. Maybe he's no longer in a coma."

Dylan's mom seems to be pleading with the nurse to let us stay a little longer. The short, stout African American nurse glances around the room and seems reluctant to speak. The nurse takes Dylan's mom's hand in her own and with great care begins to carefully explain to her why Dylan is still in a coma.

"Mrs., I sympathize with you; I really do. I can only imagine what you are going through right now but... Dylan IS still in a coma, if he weren't he would be fighting his intubation. Now, I encourage you to keep talking to him because I have faith that he can hear you and I believe your voice will help guide him back to the light."

His mom's tears are fresh as I watch her nod her head in agreement because she seems to have lost the will to speak. Letting go of the nurse's hand, she turns and rests her head against her husband's chest. He wraps his arms around her and looks up at the nurse.

"Could we have five more minutes please." I ask nicely.

"Five minutes! She asserts with authority before walking out the room.

I glance over at Dylan's parents and Dylan's dad mouths, Thank You, to me. Once his mother has gained her composure, he appropriately introduces themselves.

"I'm sorry, we didn't really get a chance to formerly introduce ourselves. This is my wife Deborah and I'm James but, everyone calls me Jimmy." He says, shaking my hand again.

Dylan's mother Deborah throws her arms out in a hug and embrace's me. I hug her back even though I feel a little awkward. Thirty seconds later, she walks back over to Dylan, holding his hand and hoping for a miracle. In the blink of an eye, five minutes has passed and once again we are being kicked out. All of us file out of the room and I steal one last glance at Dylan before leaving.

In the parking lot, we say our goodbyes to Dylan's parents and make plans to visit him together tomorrow. We pile into the jeep and before he starts to drive away from the hospital, Leanne puts her hand on Parker's, and looks back at me.

"Do you want to go straight home? You can hang out at our place if you don't want to be alone."

"Thanks, I think that I'm just going to go home though. I need to be alone for a while."

I can tell Leanne is disappointed. Maybe she feels like she needs company but, she has Parker and I'm not really in the mood to socialize. Parker pulls out of the parking garage and while he drives home, I'm lost in thought. I care about Dylan so much and I'm praying that he wakes up. I can see us making a life together. Marriage, kids, a cute little house with a white picket fence, maybe a dog. As these images pass through my mind, I hear Leanne gasp. I glance out the window and see a Harley that I don't recognize parked in the driveway. Leanne looks back at me in shocked disbelief.

"Did you call him?

"What? I say, confused.

As Parker pulls into the driveway, that's when I see him. He's leaning against the bumper of my car and looks incredibly gorgeous.

"Tripp?