Chapter Six.

All the occurrences in the house over the week were becoming too emotionally draining for Aurora. And whenever she spoke about something she didn't like that her husband was doing, he'd tell her he paid the bills.

He'd even accused her of making his housekeeper take the blame for poisoning Juliet. 

Aurora did her best to contain her shock at his confession, she would never have thought that her husband would think that lowly of her.

She couldn't even hurt a fly, why would she hurt a human like her? 

Aurora decided to visit her friend Clara in the hospital. She did it whenever she felt out of place or emotionally drained.

Even if her friend would not be able to respond because of the state she's in, she knew her friend would support her no matter the condition.

This day wasn't like any other day she came to visit. Aurora was lost in the ocean of her emotion, she felt dejected, far off…withdrawn. The worst part was she couldn't cry in her home.

She didn't want Juliet to think she'd won.

But it was overwhelming, she contained so much and it had reached the brim about to pour out. But she wanted to cry around someone she felt safe around.

Someone like Clara.

As she walked inside the room, her friend still laid on the bed there. With machines plugged all over her body. 

The tears came out, now more than ever she wanted her friend to be awake. She wanted to tell her everything, everything she was going through. 

She wanted to talk to her Best Friend. It's been years and she hasn't heard a word from her. 

Clara wasn't there when she got married, she wasn't there when she gave birth, wasn't there when the child died and now she's pregnant again. And she wanted her friend to be there with her in all these beautiful moments.

They talked about it a lot before the accident. Even if they weren't sure how it was going to happen, because they didn't have any working relationships, a girl can dream, right?

All the letters, gifts, and cards Aurora bought for her friends each birthday for eight years were still there. The diary she kept on her bed stand where she wrote everything that happened in her life so her friend would catch up after reading them was still there. For the first time, Aurora started having thoughts. That her friend might not wake up.

She carried her friend's free hand "Clara, please wake up. I need you. I need you to wake up." Aurora's body wracked sobs.

"Please… I need you to wake up," Aurora sniffed. 

"I'm failing, I'm failing in my marriage. He doesn't give me attention anymore, he sees me as a nagging woman. He doesn't even know I'm pregnant. And that lady he brought home. She punches her fists in the air when he shouts at me. I don't like it. I don't like when we fight. I don't like when he shouts at me, I don't like when he looks at me like I'm his enemy. It breaks my heart. Because I love him," Aurora was lost in talking to herself she didn't even know when her friend opened an eye.

Aurora raised her eyes to clean her face, her friend noticed it and closed her eyes again. Pretending to not have woken up.

"Clara, please wake up, for me. I feel like I am alone. I don't want to be alone, please." 

"You're not alone, Rapunzel," Clara said, but her eyes were still closed. 

Aurora heard the voice but she was confused. She didn't know if it was her friend or her imagination. Her friend's eyes were still closed, and she looked around the room. Maybe someone was hiding somewhere.

"Are you looking for me?" Her friend said and this time Aurora saw it was her.

Aurora pulled her friend into the tightest hug she'd ever given anyone in her life.

"Okay, you have to ease up with the hug, I've not fully recovered." Clara pleaded.

Aurora didn't want to leave her but at the same time, she didn't want to complicate her recovery. She'll have enough hugs if her friend fully recovers so she let her go.

"Oh my God you're awake!" Aurora wiped the tears that stained her cheeks–the ones that Clara's hospital gown didn't clean.

"Yes," Clara chuckled.

"Were you pretending?" Aurora asked, her spirit was lifted. "Have you been awake for a long time?" Aurora wanted to confirm her suspicions.

"I woke up yesterday…" Aurora gasped, "The Doctor said I've not recovered fully, but I put on these…" she pulled off the oxygen mask, "...So you won't know I'm awake," 

"Why would you do that?" Aurora blinked.

"Because I knew you'd want to be here when I wake, so I want to wake twice for you," Clara said.

 Aurora playfully patted her friend's arm. "Don't do that next time, you made me scared." Aurora laughed, she knew her friend was right, "You're right, I was about to feel bad for not being here yesterday for you. Even after all these years you still remember me." 

"Why won't I?" Clara's eyes darkened as a thought came to her mind, "How did you keep up the bills all these years?" 

Aurora looked down, she'd planned to tell her friend how she got the money, and what she did to raise her hospital bills all these years but now, she was ashamed of telling her friend that she married a man for money. It made her feel terrible. It made her feel like the gold digger her in-laws called her when they first saw her.

"God helped me." Aurora gave her friend a small smile. She wasn't ready to open any wounds, she just wanted to fully live these moments without any interruptions. She waited for years for her friend to open her eyes and interact with her like this but she didn't want to spoil the conversation with any negative talk.

"I read your diary,"