Becoming Hers

38

*GRACIE'S POV*
Nearly a month had passed and Caleb was still in a coma, he hadn't showed any signs of waking up soon so we were trying to accept the possibility of him never waking up again. 

The doctor's were nice I guess, but they seemed a little strange, like they weren't actually doctors at all. But everything seemed strange when I was at the hospital so I just brushed it off. 

I hadn't been to school since the accident, but Lexi brought my school work to the hospital every day. At first she'd stayed with me, beside Caleb in his hospital room. We'd get the hospital cafeteria meals for lunch, I'd pick at it and she would fiddle with hers, both of us avoiding actually eating the food. But then the school contacted her and told her she had to be there, her attendance was low enough as it was, she didn't need to make it worse. Blake had to be there too, he was in the middle of very important exams and he couldn't miss them if he wanted to get into university.

I didn't want to imagine my life without Caleb but it wasn't looking good for him. If the damage to his brain was as bad as the doctors had made out then I had a right to be worried. I didn't understand how Caleb could have gotten hurt that badly, it wasn't like Jake and Brock were attacking him for more than a minute.

The doctor said that if he ever did wake from the coma, it was unlikely that he'd be the same person he was before. I didn't care if he couldn't remember a freaking thing about football, the shed or anything we did together, I just wanted him back so badly. But what I was most scared about was if Caleb did wake up but was completely empty. If he didn't remember me...it would have killed me.

But he did wake up.

When Caleb woke up from the coma, it wasn't like all of those movies where someone is crying and holding the patients hand, then they feel a tight pinch on their own hand, open their eyes to see that their friend/partner/relative has woken up.

No, it was nothing like that, it was so much more chaotic. It wasn't a special moment at all.

I was arguing with Lexi.

We were both sleep deprived and hadn't really eaten much. Lexi being literally the most loving girlfriend in the world offered to drive us home so I could get some rest. And me being the most stubborn girlfriend in the world, I told her I had to stay with Caleb. It was the thought that any moment could have been his last.

The hospital room door closed behind her, it was quiet but it still managed to startle me. I had been focused on Caleb's breathing, well, the machine running oxygen through his lungs at a constant rate.

She hovered towards me but didn't come as close to me as I'd wanted. I wanted her right by my side, touching me. I needed to feel the race of adrenaline I got whenever we would do something crazy, or when she'd suggest getting another tattoo. I'd gotten inked twice, I wouldn't have done that without Lexi. But the thing is she didn't pressure me into getting them done, I'd wanted to.

I was so much braver whenever she was around. It was like I completely changed when I met her. She changed me. Did it make me a better person?

Then she spoke, breaking my trance, "Any updates?"

"No...They're saying he won't make it," She sighed heavily which made me look in her direction. You could tell she hadn't slept properly, her eyes drooped and the tiredness was visable on her face. Under her eyes were two dark lines, her face had developed a few lines from stress and her cheekbones stood out more than usual.

Whenever she stayed at the hospital over night she'd pace the corridors, not once even trying to rest. I knew she'd stayed at my house a few nights but I didn't think she slept that well then either. Her home situation was a little rough so it was just adding to the stress of Caleb.