15. Courageous
"Please... Lary please... wake up... please! Baby..."
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"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to step back."
"Please..." "Doctor, please tell me he's going to be okay... please..."
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Courageous. A way for describing someone or something for being "brave."
I've always thought, "Am I brave? Or am I just a coward?" I've never even known the answer. Many questions have crossed my head before. Those are examples of them.
What are dreams? Are they figments of one's imagination, or are they another form of reality?
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"How many times has this happened, ma'am?"
"Three."
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And three times I have fought, yet suffered while struggling to stay alive.
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1
2
3
BANG
1
2
3
BANG
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My heartbeat is the only thing that crowds my ears, yet I can still hear her crying.
This is the third time this has happened and the third time she has suffered with me. She has never bothered to give up on me or leave my side. She struggles with me to keep me alive.
"... YOU are
MINE to PROTECT."
And I am forever grateful for that.
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My eyes flutter open at the sound of her voice whispering, "You're going to be okay. I'll stay with you as long as I need to." I smile as I see her face light up. "Oh my Gods, Thank the Gods..." She says and wraps her hands around me. I feel like I melt in the warmth of her embrace and she plants kisses all over my face.
"Baby, I will never let you leave me. This may have happened three times, but I swear we will keep fighting."
"I will be RIGHT HERE."
I nod, understanding. My smile begins to widen as she backs up. My heart suddenly starts to break inside because I see tears coating her face. "Darling, I will fight for you." I whisper as she wipes her tears. She nods, but starts to sob.
As I motion her over to me, I start to think, "How does a guy like me deserve someone so sweet and special?" I kiss her cheek and pull her into a hug. She starts crying onto my shoulder and I swallow. "Look at me." I whisper and she nods, backing away from my strong hold. "I'm never going to leave you. I've made that promise and I'm sure as hell that I'm going to keep that promise." I state and she nods. I wipe away her tears and kiss her once again.
"The doctor said that she didn't think you were going to wake up. I didn't want her to give up on you so I kept on telling her that there's still hope. Then... there you were, opening your eyes right after she left." She said through her tears. I nodded, feeling her sadness. "You were asleep... f... for," She starts to sob again, "F... for... t... two months..."
I look at her, shocked. "Two months?!" I ask. She nods and I sigh. Two months? I was asleep FOR TWO MONTHS?! I left... her alone... for two months...
I close my eyes, trying to breathe and take everything in. She had to be suffering to stay here in this hospital for two months looking after me. I open my eyes and look over to her. "Y... you stayed here... with me... for two months?!" I say and she nods. "Did you even sleep?" I ask and she sighs. "I tried but... you were always running through my mind, baby. It was hard to even blink, not knowing if or when you're going to wake up." She tries her best to stop crying, but I can tell it's hard. If I was her in this situation, I probably wouldn't even stop crying.
"Wh.. what even happened?" I asked as she stares at the floor. She looks up to me and nods. As she walks over, she starts talking, "That night. You were extremely exhausted. N... now I know why." I stare into her eyes, not knowing where this is going. "The last time you fell asleep, you almost ... passed." She continues, but I interrupt in confusion, "Passed? As in.." I look down. I can't bare the thought of dying.
She nods and continues, "After a day of you sleeping, I just thought nothing of it. I knew you were tired, so I let you sleep. But.. the next day, I got worried. So, I called an ambulance. They came and took you off to the nearest hospital. I told your mom and we both met up to see what's wrong with you." She stops to take a breath. "The doctor informed us that your brain was damaged... I assumed it was from when you got shot." I nodded as she continued, "They performed surgery so now you're good... but when you didn't wake up after a couple of weeks, we were all worried. I'm just glad you're alive and safe in my arms now." I smile as she begins to hug me. As I kiss her, mom walks in.
"My baby!" She yells and runs up towards me. She kisses me all over and I smile. "You're awake! We were so worried!" She whispers and, once again, I smile. She sits down on the chair beside Alaina as the doctor walks in. Shocked to see me awake, she hides it with a smile. "Good morning, or may I say afternoon!" She jokes and I nod. "You're lucky to be awake. Let me run a couple of tests and then you'll be all set!" She says as she types in her computer. I hear mom whispering to Alaina, but I'm not sure what it's about. I try to ignore it as the doctor walks over to check my heartbeat. "Your heartbeat has turned back to normal!" She says with a smile and I nod.
After a couple of tests that could be ran for checkup purposes, the doctor runs out to get some prescriptions. "If things like this keep happening, you're gonna end up with enough medicine to fill a cabinet!" Mom jokes, "Stop catching up with me!" She laughs.
"The doctor said you might need to exercise for a bit. Like, walk around." Alaina says. I nod and sit up. "Makes sense, I've been in a wheelchair for... three months." I reply as I lay back on the hospital bed's headboard.
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Riding back home wasn't really a difficult task. The real problem was trying to get out of the car and walk without a wheelchair. I kept feeling like I was going to fall down even though Alaina helped me.
Getting into the bedroom, though, felt so much better. The bedsheets were so comfortable that someone could pass out from laying underneath them. "Should we watch a movie?" She asks and I nod. I look at the television as she lays down beside me.
"Just don't fall asleep on me now." She jokes as she searches through channels. I chuckle a little and lay on her chest. She kisses my forehead as the credits roll from the last movie. I smile as I look up to her. "I love you." I whisper and she looks down at me. "I love you too, baby." She replies, kisses my forehead again, and looks back at the television screen. I smile and think, "How can someone be as lovely as she?"
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The movie is about a boy who lost his way back home. Walking down a road, he spots a girl walking alone. "Friend?" He asks the girl and she nods. Soon enough, they become best of 'mates' and the more we watch the movie, the more they start to fall in love with each other.
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"Home," the boy states, "Who needs a place to belong when someone can make you FEEL like you belong?"