The Word Love

II

"Can you believe that? He acted like it was nothing! He knew how much that bike meant to me, but he did it anyway. Ever since the accident, he and I have been like fire and ice, but of course you already knew that," My thumb stroke his hand as I held it tightly in mine. The machine next us beeped each second, which was a good thing. It meant that he was still alive.

"I love you Ty," I whispered, a tear slipping out of my eye.

"He loves you too," Mia's voice made me drop Ty's hands so that I could wipe the tear off my face. I spun around to see her standing with her hands crossed over her chest and the familiar, kind smile on her lips, "He can't say it right now, but I'll say it for him now until he wakes up."

A small laugh escaped my lips, and Mia's smile widened. She's a attending here at the hospital and one of Ty's doctor. When I met her two years ago, she was a resident. Time has passed by so fast, yet Ty is still lying on this hospital bed.

"Not once did our parents come in to see him," I told her bitterly, "The only time they were here was when he got into the accident. After that, they got so involved in their work that they forgot about their son who's in a coma."

"I know," she answered softly and laid a hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

I left his room to go to the cafeteria. I ordered a cup of coffee and sat down at an empty table. I was staring down at my clasped hands. Before Ty got into the accident, I had friends and my parents at least made an effort to see me and Ty. Then Ty got into the accident and I pushed all of my friends away. My parents took as many shifts at the hospital as they could to avoid me and each other, so that they wouldn't be reminded of Ty. They transferred to another hospital just so they wouldn't be working at the same hospital Ty is in. The accident broke my family.

The chair across from me was pulled out, making a screeching sound as it rubbed against the floor. I looked up to see a familiar face sitting down on the chair.

"Hey," he greeted and brought his cup up to his lips and took a huge gulp.

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I got over my surprise.

"I volunteer here," he answered, "What about you?"

"I came here to visit a friend," I told him half the truth.

He nodded and we both stared at each other in silence. The only sounds in the cafeteria was quiet sobs, whispers, and the clock ticking. Then I heard a flat line. Everyone in the room, including me and excluding Douglas, looked at the door of the cafeteria. I knew it wasn't Ty because his room was far from the cafeteria, but every time I hear a flat line, my heart stops for a second.

"Do you want to see something incredible?" Douglas's voice made me turn my attention away from the flat lining.

"What?" I asked while scratching the foam cup with my finger.

"Follow me," he stood up from his chair and held out his hand for me to grab.

I stood up but didn't grab his hand. He shrugged and lead me to an elevator. While we were waiting for the elevator doors to open, I could hear the quiet sobs. I heard a click and the beeping stopped.

The elevators opened and I quickly got in. The flat lining, the machine being turned off, the crying. I didn't want to experience that with Ty. He's the only person I have left, and I can't lose him.

The door opened and I didn't noticed until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at the hand and up at Douglas. He was looking at me with concern in his light and gentle eyes. I felt calmness wash over me just by looking into his eyes.

"You alright?" he asked.

Oh my god.

I cleared my throat, and stepped out of the elevator. I was just thinking about how his eyes make me calm. He stepped out after me and I refrained from letting my eyes drift to his again.

"Come on," he whispered.

I followed him as he led me around the floor. I could tell we were in the pediatrics floor because of the children and the colorful paintings on the walls. We finally stopped in front of a large room. The door was closed and probably locked, but there was a large glass to look into the room. I stepped closer to the glass, and now I can see why Douglas brought me here.

Inside the room were newborns, about ten of them. Each of them were lying in a crib, and they were either sleeping or just moving their little arms and legs. I tried not to smile, but it was difficult not to because they were all so cute. They're adorable little babies.

I miss being a baby. They don't have anything to worry about. When they poop or pee, someone cleans it up for them. They have someone to feed them food and water. They even have someone to wash them. And that's all they do. They poop, pee, eat, drink, watch tv, takes a bath, and sleep.

I am actually jealous of a baby right now.

"I like to go up here and look at the newborns," Douglas broke the quietness between us. I listened as he continued, "It's actually a perk of volunteering at a hospital."

"What do you do here?" I asked.

"I entertain the kids and help them a little," he answered.

"That's nice."

"Yeah, " he smiled, "It is."