Six Months 9

Tora exchanged the wilted flowers in the vase with a fresh bouquet of mixed Zinnias, throwing away the withered ones as she did every Sunday morning.

"What more do you want? Did you want me to call you and cry about it? I had it handled, and I called the police," she said in a soft yet stern voice. "What could you have done?"

"I would have liked it if you'd at least put it in your mind to call me even after the fact. Now I'm only finding out about this the day later. Would you have told me if I hadn't called you?"

Tora frowned, almost ending the call when she heard his shouting voice in her ear. "I'm sure it would come up sometime during dinner. I don't think it's a big deal. My life wasn't in any danger and I can take care of myself." Tora smiled as she spoke. "You should see those other guys."

"That's not the point. The point is I'd like to know when my girlfriend is almost killed by gangsters," the man sighed over the phone. "I care about you, Tora. I wish you would rely on me more. We're dating. We're supposed to share life-changing events together. I want our relationship to go to the next step, but I'm not so sure if you want that too."

Tora remained silent watered the cacti on the window sill. She placed the pot of water down on a table. "I don't know," she admitted. "Let's talk about it tomorrow." She pressed the button on her earpiece, ending the call before he could respond. 'Ugh, boyfriends. Maybe I should dump him. He's fun but he's getting clingy.'

Tora sighed as she pulled the curtain back, only letting a sliver of sunlight in so the light would not hit Darren on the bed.

Tora had been coming to the hospital almost every day. Even though she wanted to stay by his side she grew weary. Walking down those white ceramic hallways almost every day was miserable.

Tora could no longer stand the beeping of the monitors, the sanitary smells, and the multiple lines attached to Darren's body. However, not once did she ever consider pulling the plug no matter what the doctors said. Having a private room allowed her to personalize the room for Darren. She brought his favorite flowers every week and raised her own baby cacti forest on the window sill. She had a humidifier on the side of his bed with photos on the counter.

Tora slowly approached the bed. She raised the head of the bed before fluffing his pillow. She pulled up the kilt to cover his shoulders. She sat on the edge of the bed before releasing a sigh. She passed her hands on his face, moving his now longer hair away from his eyes. She left her hand on his warm cheek.

Tora smiled as she thought, 'He's going to need another hair cut soon.'

Tora looked up when the beeping on the monitor changed. Darren's heart rate and SATS rose. She looked back down at him. With wide eyes, she looked closely at his face while holding his hand. Her eyes scanned his face and neck inch by inch.

Tora noticed the small muscles of his face moving. His brows drew closer together, his eyes moved under their lids, and his cheeks rose. A shallow gasp escaped Tora's lips as she stood up.

Tora placed her hand on his chest. She gasped when she heard him groan before she saw his hands move. Tora pressed the call button at the head of his bed as she sat near him.

"Darren? Darren," she said when she saw him again on the endotracheal tube. "Calm down." Tora placed her hand on his face.

Her heart clenched as she watched his blue eyes open slowly. She moved to touch the tube but stopped. "It's okay. The nurse is coming."

Darren's vision blurred, and his sound reached his ears in echoes as he heard Tora's voice calling his name. She sounded so worried. He wanted to call out to her, but could not. His voice was rough, and his throat felt sore. He saw Tora's silhouette before he felt a drop of water on his cheek. Soft sniffling echoes entered his ears. She was crying.

Darren remembered. He was struck by lightning in the park when he tried to save that little girl. He worried her.

Darren could not stand it when Tora cried. His chest tightened before he took a painful another deep breath. Just then, he felt the uncomfortable plastic tube in his throat.

"Hi. It's good to see those beautiful eyes again." Tora smiled at him before a tear fell on his face. Her hand was warm.

"Tor," he groaned. "Tor. Tora." His voice was groggy after a long time without using his vocal cords.

"Oh," she said with a sense of relief in her voice. "You're awake."

A team of nurses and doctors shuffled into the room, including Miriam.

Tora moved out of their way, letting them do a complete check-up on Darren. They gave him some medicine through his IV, took his blood, then recorded his vitals into a tablet.

Miriam stood next to Tora, holding her hand as they watched the medical staff finally removed the tube from Darren's throat. Once they finished, everyone left the room, leaving Tora, Miriam, and Darren alone.

Tora walked back to his bedside. She took his hand in hers as she sat beside him. "You're okay now."

"Darren, it's good to see you with your eyes open," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel really sore, and my body feels heavy. My back aches, but I don't feel any pain beyond that," he replied. He shifted his body on the bed but no matter which way he turned, it still hurt. He could barely keep his eyes open and his legs were like bricks. Darren held in a groan as he said, "I'm sorry to have worried you."

"You don't have to worry. You're like a son to me. I would have done the same thing even if Tora hadn't asked me. I'm glad you're awake. We'll talk more after your test results."

"Miriam, I'd like to ask, how long was I asleep?" he asked. He did not fail to notice the glance that passed between Tora and Miriam. "The way you talk and just how worried you look, I wasn't asleep for just a few days, was I?"

Miriam looked at Tora before she answered. "The date is Sunday, August 5th, 12040. You've been in a coma for the past six months."