Our Way Home

Chapter 17

This can't be happening. This can't be happening!
This situation feels familiar but why?
I'm frozen in place until I realize what I witnessed.

The windshield is shattered. There's blood gushing from his head. Annalise is lying near the curve of the road with scraped knees.

"JARED!!!"

I run to his unconscious body with tears overflowing. "ANNALISE GET MOM AND DAD!" I stroke his head.

"You're gonna be okay Jared! Please wake up! Please don't leave me yet!"
A few minutes later I hear sirens wailing. The entire time in the ambulance to the hospital I held his hand. He was rushed to the emergency room the moment we got there I wasn't considered family so they didn't let me stay with him.

About two hours in the waiting room, his foster dad showed up. How do I know who he was?

"I'm here to see Jared Riverton I'm his legal guardian." His dark raspy voice gives me chills.

"Alright I'll need you to sign some papers then we can talk about his condition." My blood is boiling. I can't sit here anymore.

"How dare you." He turns his head.

"Excuse me?"

"How could you come here and act like you actually care about Jared?! You didn't care crap about him when you were abusing him!" He gives a cold stare.

"What nonsense are you spouting?! Who are you to make these assumptions?!"

"I'm his girlfriend and if you don't believe me you can see for yourself! The cigar burns, the bruises on his chest, and the bald spots in his hair!"

Before he can lay a hand on me the security arrests him. At least now Jared won't have to worry about it when he wakes up.

"Excuse me?" I turn my attention to the lady at the desk. "Dr. Shepherd the man who treated Jared would like to have a word with you."
"Oh thank you so much."
"I'll lead you."

I'm taken to the room he's staying in but when I walk in he's still asleep. Tubes are pouring out of his mouth.

"Miss Hayes?"

"Ah yes!"

"You may want to sit down. I have some unfortunate news for you." My heart drops. "I treated his broken leg and collar bone but there's more to it than that. After the hemorrhage, he had from the accident he hasn't woken up which leads me to believe he's in a coma. If he does wake up he most likely will have severe damage to the brain. Worst comes to worst he could become brain dead at any given time. I'm so sorry to put all of this on you so suddenly but I need you to understand what you need to prepare for."

This is a dream, right? More like a nightmare. Of all the people in this world, why does it have to be him?
"I'll give you a minute to process."

He leaves the room but there's a ringing in my ear.
It's my fault.
It's all my fault.
If I had just dropped the subject and let him leave he wouldn't be here now. It should've been me in a coma and not him. He's already suffered so much. Why him?

I spent the day and night by his side waiting for him to wake up. But he didn't. Every day after that I went to see him but nothing changed.

Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. He still hadn't woken up. After each passing day, I lost hope of ever seeing life in him again.

Then after a whole year and a half in the hospital, the doctors wanted me to sign the papers. I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just wasn't prepared for it. I took a lot in me the walk in that room and say my last goodbyes.

"Hey, they gave a few minutes to do this but.."
I have to stop myself from crying or else I...
I've been numb up until now by the number of times I cried myself to sleep. The tears won't stop.

"It's been so hard without seeing your smile your laugh. Gosh, I miss your voice more than you know. You know how much I love you right? I could never love anyone else as much as I loved you. But if there's even an ounce of fight left in you give me a sign that you're still fighting Jared. I'm not ready to lose you.

You know I realized something that day when you got hurt. That person that pushed me out of the way when I was little, it was you. It was you this whole time and I had no idea. I feel like you're always saving me when I'm in trouble. But who's saving you? I wish I knew you sooner just to be there for you when you were alone.

I can't keep you here much longer. I used this chance to say thank you for all the things that you've done for me. You changed me for the better genuinely. Honestly, at this point, I'm trying to take as much time as I can to remember what you look like. You'd probably think that's funny since I had all this time to do that." A nurse walks in.

"I'm sorry to tell you this but it's time."

"Yes I know thank you." I turn to Jared.
"Well, I guess this is it huh?" I caress his cheek and give him one last kiss on his forehead. "I love you. Forever...and always." I silently sob into his shoulder. God, please wake him up I'd do anything just to spend one more minute with him.

I faintly hear a groan, "Jared?" I anxiously look at him. His blue eyes flutter open. "Oh my gosh, you're awake!" I immediately wrap my arms around him. Relief shoots through my body. "Thank you, God." I whisper. His hands push me away from him.

"Who...are you?"