Blink Of An Eye

Chapter 5

I was up bright and early the following morning, ready to get to the hospital. Determined to face head on whatever other roadblocks life threw in front of me. I just prayed Ryan was ready to see me.

I sent Lisa a text when I arrived, I didn't want to just barge in and risk upsetting Ryan, so I wanted him to have a heads up.

"He's doing a little better today, of course they have him on something for anxiety, but he did ask to see you." She said with a big smile.

My heart soared so high, it nearly leaped out of my chest.

"Has he remembered anything new?" I asked.

"No, he hasn't. I'm sorry honey." She put her arm around my shoulder.

"Before I go in there, how much have y'all told him? I don't want to overwhelm him or confuse him any further." I asked, determined to be tough.

"He knows y'all are married. He does not know all the details leading up to it. Like you, I didn't want to give him too much. He does not know he has a daughter. We thought that would be too much too soon. We thought it would be best that he gets used to the idea of being married first. I think you should be the one to fill in those gaps for him."

That made sense. Dave and Lisa give him the basic information, while I would go into more detail about our relationship. I just wondered how much was too much.

"I think the best thing to do would be to let him ask the questions, let him set the pace." I suggested.

"That's an excellent idea. Are you ready?" She asked.

"I'm beyond ready." I replied.

I took a deep breath before entering the room.

"Hi." I said brightly, plastering what I hoped was a welcoming smile on my face, trying to calm my nerves. He looked good. It was crazy how someone could come out of a coma and look that good.

"Hi." He said in a flat tone, his eyes not meeting mine. Immediately, a feeling of awkwardness filled the room.

"How are you doing?" I asked, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed.

"Wonderful." He replied sarcastically, a scowl on his face. The mood in the room suddenly becoming even more awkward, and there was an underlying sense of hostility.

"I know there's a lot you're trying to process right now. It's got to be seriously overwhelming for you. I'm here to help you anyway I can. Whatever you want to know, just ask me." I debated taking his hand, but decided against it. That would have been a little too intimate of a gesture, and I sensed he wasn't ready for that.

"I get it Livvy. We are married, but the problem is, I have no recollection of any of it. The best I can remember is that I haven't seen you since high school. After graduation, you left without so much as a goodbye. I thought we were friends, and then you left. I was so angry at you for that, yet you're here now. You look like you, yet you don't, and I'm hearing we have this whole life together."

At least now I knew where some of the hostility was coming from. I did leave without saying goodbye, but that was only because I was afraid I would reveal my true feelings for him. Ryan was stuck in the past, and I had to try and help bring him into the present so that we could have a future. My head was spinning. I had no clue how I was going to do this, where to even begin, but I had to try and help him remember us. Admittedly, I didn't even know that he was angry with me back then. He had never revealed that to me.

"I'm truly sorry for that Ry. I should have said goodbye, I just didn't know how." I began.

"How did we end up reconnecting?" He asked, his eyes finally meeting mine, but they were stormy, not the calm ocean blue I loved so much. Despite this, I was thrilled that he was asking questions. I could do this. Just let him ask, at his own pace, and I would answer. Simple enough.