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I swam for the surface, my arm outstretched, trying to reach it.
“Wake up, Olivia,” it pleaded, “open those pretty brown eyes.”
I kicked my arms and my legs, my lungs about to burst with the need to inhale oxygen, but I was still too deep in the water.
I kicked faster.
“Come on, Olivia. Open your eyes. You can do it.”
My eyes came open and air rushed out of my lungs in a mighty exhale.
The pain was excruciating, and if I had the energy, I’d yell at the person who had woken me from my peaceful depths where there was no pain.
“Oh God, Olivia,” the voice cried and gently took one of my hands in their own.
I slowly turned my head and found Trace bowed over my bed, sobbing.
“I thought I had lost you,” he cried. “I’ve never been so scared in all my life.”
I wanted to
comfort him, somehow, but I couldn’t get my body to work. Tubes and wires seemed to run from every part of my body into various machines.
I tried to say his name but no sounds came out of my mouth. Finally, he looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. “You’ve been asleep for a week, Olivia. I thought you were never going to wake up,” his voice cracked. “They told me to keep talking to you, so I did. I’ve talked about anything and everything, trying to get you to wake up,” he took a deep shaky breath. “I thought I was never going to see those pretty brown eyes ever again.” He gently brushed my hair away from my eyes, carful of my injuries. “I watched you die, Olivia. I watched your heart stop beating.” He swallowed thickly and I knew this was hard for him. But there was nothing I could do but listen. “I vowed, after watching my dad die, that I would never witness anyone I loved dying, ever again,” his voice was fierce and carefully contained tears shimmered in his green eyes. “I felt so helpless, Olivia. I couldn’t do anything but watch you drift away from me. When I thought you died,” he choked, “I wanted nothing more than to die too. I know that sounds dramatic, but when you find the person that completes you in every way, when something happens to them…it happens to you too. I can’t live without you, Olivia.” He placed his hand gently in my open, bandaged, palm.
I squeezed my hand around his slightly, offering him as much comfort as I could muster at the moment.
“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry,” the words were forced between my lips and the effort of forming them left my throat dry.
“God, baby,” he kissed my fingers, “don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.”
A single tear leaked from my left eye and skated down my cheek. Trace gently swiped it away.
“Please, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I was upset. I thought I lost you,” his eyes were full of remorse.
“E-e-every-t-t-thing hurts,” I confessed.
“I know,” he hung his head. “I didn’t get there in time. The back of your skull was fractured and you have three broken ribs, one of which punctured your lung,” he looked at me sadly, a frown marring his face. “Not to mention the beating your whole body took.” He looked me over and I knew he was wishing he could take away my pain.
“I m-m-must l-l-look a-a-awful,” I said tiredly. The effort of speaking was beginning to take its toll.
“You’re always beautiful, Olivia. Even battered and broken, you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever set my eyes on. And most importantly, you’re alive,” he licked his dry lips.
He looked so tired and thin. This past week had obviously drained him. His hair was a mess and his red-rimmed eyes had gray circles from lack of sleep, beneath them. His clothes were rumpled and I was sure he’d been wearing them for days, heck, maybe even the whole week.
The door to my hospital room opened and the nurse jumped in surprise when my eyes met hers.
“You’re awake!” She exclaimed, striding over to me, and quickly checking the machines I was hooked up to. “You,” she glared icily at Trace, “were supposed to let me know if she woke up.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized to the nurse but the quirk of his lips told me he didn’t mean it. “I got distracted.” He rubbed his thumb softly against the spot where my thumb and index finger connected.
“Mhmm, I’m sure you did,” she hummed. Looking at me, her face softened. “You’re a lucky girl, Olivia. You nearly lost your life. It’s nice to see you awake, and maybe this one will eat something now,” she pointed to Trace. “He hasn’t left your side since you came out of surgery.”
“S-s-surgery?” I croaked.
Changing my IV she explained, “You had to have surgery to repair your lung.” I watched as she shot medicine into the IV tube. “Sweetie, you’re going to start to feel very sleepy. Just let your body relax. We need to keep you sedated for as long as possible to speed up the healing process.”
I nodded, already feeling drowsy as the medicine hit my veins.
