Hope is a beautiful thing

I'm sitting there with a motionless, almost dead, Laureen. More like her body. She has bandaids on her arms, legs, and face. I don't move, let alone touch her. She's so lifeless, is she even alive? I just hope she's ok...

"H-hey Laureen," I start talking to her, I don't know why. I guess I just hope she'll at least hear me. "I-I wanted to mention I just came out to my dad. He accepts me! I know my mom won't, so it's kinda out little secret. But I'm feeling a little bit better now, I hope you're at least doing ok, hopefully, better. I just want to tell you thanks. You've made me happier. I know you can't hear me, but it helps to just talk. I wish you could hear me." I don't know why, but I stop talking. A piece of me feels better by just talking, but another tells me it's pointless.

"Well," I continue, "it doesn't hurt to talk. But hey, I wonder if Sam is also in this hospital. I haven't heard about her for a while, I wonder if she's doing better than us. I hope so. I guess I can only hope. It's fine though, we'll be ok in the end, right? Right?" My eyes burn like hell, my emotions scratching at me with each claw. I try to hold it back, but it's not working. "Please be ok Laureen. Please. I need you. I love you. Please, don't leave me already, don't leave me now." I'm crying now, but her heart's still beating. Why am I begging for her life when she's already alive?

"Laureen," I'm sobbing now, I'm still not sure why though. "why? Why were you late? You looked scared when driving towards me, there's no way that crash was a coincidence. What happened?" Still no response. She's still asleep. Some may say it's hopeless, but that's all I have. Hope. I can only hope. "Please," I'm begging once more, "please, be ok. Please live. I need you in my life, don't leave me now." The tears just keep flowing, and for what? Why can't I just accept the condition I'm in? Not everything's going to be ok, so why can't I accept reality? Why do I hope so much? I get it's all I got, but do I need anything? "Laureen, can you even hear me?" I ask this, knowing the answer. Knowing it's useless. She can't even hear me, right?

I'm wrong. "G-Gra-ac-ce..." Laureen mutters beneath her breath. I scoot up next to her and grab her hand. She's not done talking. "G-Grace, I-I n-need to tell y-you something..."

"You can tell me anything," My tears are not what they were before. No longer tear of sadness, but joy and hope. Hope is all I got, and it's worth it. I will never let you go, Laureen. "I don't care how bad it is, I'm here for you." I'm clutching her hand, now filled with nothing but hope.

She reaches up and says, "I can hear you." She's wiping away my tears. "It's great your dad accepts you. I'm not leaving anytime soon, it takes more than a crash to knock me down!" She's smiling now, and her smile is contagious. Now I'm smiling, and I can't get enough of it. I never will.

"T-Thank you so much," I'm still holding her hand, squeezing it. "I can't do this without you. I won't leave you either, I enjoy you too much. I hope we can get out of this place soon. We can only hope, but it's gotten us this far."

"Yeah," She's still smiling. Smiling despite being cut, bruised, and broken. Despite all of her ugly damages, she's still as beautiful. Her smile is evidence. "hope is a beautiful thing."

She's awake now, should I tell the nurse? I think to call by the buttons would make them panic, I don't think I should do that. I should tell them somehow, but did they leave us alone for so long? As if summoning the devil himself, the nurse bursts through the door, not happy.