Come Back To Me

10

Alex is awake.

He's awake.

Finally, after two weeks of uncertainty, everything could finally return to normal.

After blurting out the news to my parents, I'd sprinted to my car and fumbled trying to get the key in the ignition. My heart was so happy that it was causing my hands to shake. My parents planned to see him after he'd adjusted a bit to his current situation.

I sped down the highway, going a good ten or fifteen miles over the speed limit. I didn't care. I was going to get my love back. He'd start to heal up, and maybe they'd let him leave the hospital in less than a week. Then, everything could finally return to normal. This was the moment I'd been waiting for ever since everything happened.

The nightmare had finally ended.

Done.

Alex and I were going to get to spend the summer together before I left for college.

I jogged through the hallway and down to Alex's room. I was smiling uncontrollably. I peeked my head in the door. "Alex!" I breathed, resting my body against the door. He was okay. His big blue eyes stared right into mine. A second later, his brow came together.

"Do I have a sister?" He asked, turning from Sharon to Nick.

What?

Nick strode over to me and pulled me out of the room. The door latched shut behind him. My head was spinning.

What in the hell is going on?

"Nick, why did he say I that?" I asked as I leaned against the wall.

"Hanna-" He started. "Hanna, look at me. He doesn't remember anything. Absolutely nothing."

"How is that even possible?"

"Apparantly there was more nerve damage than originally thought. His pre-frontal lobe is partially damaged. His cortex is heavily damaged. The cortex holds his long term memory. He remembers absolutely nothing. And he has no short term memory because he's been in a coma. I'm sorry, Han." Nick said and hugged me. I collapsed against his shoulder. "He doesn't remember me. Or mom and dad. And now we know that he doesn't even remember you."

"What do I do, Nick?" I cried into his shoulder. "How do I go in there and look at him and tell him about us, when he doesn't even know his name?"

"I don't know, Han. I don't know," Nick whispered. He squeezed my shoulders and pulled me back, so I had to look into his eyes. "You'll think of something to say. Go to the bathroom and fix yourself up. Look good for him."

I walked out to my car and fished in the glove compartment for my emergency bag of makeup. Once I found it, I rushed back inside and headed for the nearest bathroom. I left my hair in a messy ponytail and began applying makeup. My eyes were red from crying. I had to bust out the eyedrops. As I was putting on my face, another memory of Alex and I came into my brain.

"Happy birthday, Hanna. I love you," Alex smiled, placing the delicate bracelet around my wrist. He closed the clasp and held my hand in his. We'd been together for eight months and then some. My eightteenth birthday had finally rolled around.

We were sitting in his and Matthew's apartment. In the fall,, they'd bought an apartment and were living in it as roommates. Neither of them were going to college, so they had enough money to pay rent. And why wouldn't they want to be independent from their parents if they could?

Matthew had gone on a date with some girl, and Alex and I had the place to ourselves. My parents trusted the two of us, knowing that we were both pretty mature. That night, I was feeling pretty brave.