THE STARKS ALLEY

31

Kristie had never woken up since she was found at Monic's house and her dad was not ready to jeopardize her chances of regaining consciousness by anyone visit her. It was only him, her mom, Izzy and Ty that were allowed to see her because he knew he could trust them. She was also receiving treatment from doctors from Poland who her dad was familiar with because he trusted no one else to do the job. He was just being protective of a daughter he had lost once, and he was not planning to lose her again.

Monic had never been found since Ty let her go. Izzy was still mad at him, but he understood why Ty did it, besides, he was right in his own perspective as well. The police had turned her house upside down, hoping to find any hard evidence that they did not have. Kristie was already hard evidence but she could not testify as unconscious as she was. Word about her was all over the news, even internationally, and the whole country was somewhat relieved by it. They were also on the look out for Monic Hart.

Izzy had planned to visit Kristie today, like every other day, hoping that when she woke up, he would be the first person she saw. The doctors and nurses were already used to him and they were practically his friends. They would tell him of Kristie's condition and assure him that she would be fine. He really needed that assurance for his sanity.

He always brought her flowers but they ended up being thrown away before Kristie saw them because they were going bad. He also bought her teddy bears and the room always crowded with them that Kristie's dad took them back to his place, promising to show Kristie once she woke up.

This time, he didn't find Kristie's dad as he always did. It was just him with an unconscious but ever beautiful girl, alone. He sat next to her and held her hand. He had never been able to do that in case her dad didn't approve of it. He felt the same as he had on the night that he kissed her and he knew that he would always love her.

He wanted to tell her how much he missed being with her. Even merely talking to her was enough for him to continue living. He wanted to tell her how important she was to him, and no other girl ever made him feel the way she did. He knew she was the one for him, and he would not let her slip out of his life, not again.

"I love you Kristie," he said, staring at her, hoping that she would wake up like in some crazed romantic movie and tell him she loved him even more and she could not live without him. Well, this is real life people, none of that shit happens here. Patients wake up when they actually get better and not by the power of love in some fantasy world.

He could hear Kristie's dad just outside the room and he seemed so happy. Izzy quickly let go of Kristie's feeble hand and he smiled as he walked in with Kristie's mom and some Asian guy. He seemed to be in high spirits today, more than the other days that had passed.

"Izzy!" He exclaimed excitedly, "You came earlier than me today. I actually arrived quite early but this brilliant friend of mine just happened to be here and we had a lot of catching up to do."

"Izzy," Izzy said, stretching out his hand to greet him.

"Charlie," he said, looking at his hand, "I prefer a gentle bow rather than hand shaking. You never know what lies in another man's hand!" Izzy slowly retrieved his hand and forced a smile.

"It could be a nasty, contagious virus and the next thing you know, the whole world is crumbling down and we have to stay at home and wait for slow death!" Kristie's dad said and they all laughed about it because he was just exaggerating, or was he?

Charlie looked at Kristie, who seemed to be as peaceful as ever. Izzy noticed and he knew what that look meant. It was beyond just a casual look.

"It's awful what happened to her," Kristie's dad told Charlie.

"I saw it on the news. It was everywhere and even when things seemed to have settled down in the international air, I would still follow up on what was happening. I got here as soon as I could," Charlie said, "I actually brought some gifts with me, but this room is too small for all that. I will give them to her when she's strong and healthy, like she used to be."

"I... need to leave," Izzy said, "We are working on a new series and I have a lot to do."

"It's okay. Make sure you lock the door on your way out," Kristie's mom said and they continued talking to Charlie who they seem to be so happy about.

Izzy was actually serious about going to The Starks Alley and working on a new series. He was great at using cameras and he did the shooting and even took pictures for their site online. He was a talented photographer and he had made it a habit to carry his camera around with him. He passed by a coffee shop on his way to work as he looked at one photos of Kristie in his camera. He really missed her and hoped she would come back to him soon.