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Strong Enough
Maia
Ineedtotalkto Braden.Actually, talk to him. Ever since he’s been awake, people have been in and out of his room. The doctors say he’ll make a full recovery, but he’ll have some metal in his legs and be down a spleen. Otherwise, he’ll be okay. Physically. In a few months, at least. But given how he got here, I’m more worried about the emotional. All the more reason we need to talk. Not about everything. That’s gonna takea while. But some of it, at least. The worst of it. And there are some things I need to say, too. I don’t want to let this sit between us any longer.
Determined, I push through his door and around the curtain to see him sitting up in bed, watching TV.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” His eyes soften when he sees me.
I walk over and gently kiss his forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty much like shit. But at least I get to eat a lot of pudding.”
I choke on a laugh. “I know how much you love pudding.”
“If only it was the Oreo stuff.”
“That was always your favorite.”
I drop into the chair next to his bed.
“Harper gone?”
“Yeah, my mom took her home. Thank God for a big family who loves to spoil her. She’s been getting lots of time being doted on by Micah.”
He nods and we settle into a tension-filled silence.
My eyes go to the window. Blue skies and bright sun. Looks like some people are in shorts. It was beautiful when I was out there this morning. It looks even nicer now.
Everything feels different inside in a hospital. You lose sight of what the world is outside of these walls. Rain, snow, sun, summer, winter… it all becomes a blur. And I’ve only been doing this for three days. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for the people who are here with loved ones, day in and day out.
Braden’s rough fingers graze my hand. “Hey.” My gaze snaps back to him and he bites back a smile. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t sayhey.”
I stare at him. There are so many complex emotions swirling inside me, but I can’t hold back my laughter as I remember that fight in the hallway of school.
“Hey Ya, Hey Jude, Hey There Delilah.”
He shakes his head. “Only you would deliver an epic verbal takedown with song titles.”
I laugh again, but the humor is fading.
“Talk to me,” he says softly.
My eyebrows shoot up.Did it take him smashing his truck into a tree to make him actually want to talk?
I bite at my lip before I start talking. “I’m still really mad at you. I’m so unbelievably happy that you’re okay, but you put us all through hell. And if you hadn’t woken up, I—I never would’ve forgiven myself for our last conversation. I—” He squeezes my hand tightly. “I’m pissed at you, Braden, but I’m done fighting against you. I made a decision standing in the waiting room. I’m fightingwithyou now. I don’t care if you like it, but you’re done pushing me away. We might not be a couple anymore, but we’re still in this together.”
He gives a slight nod, but doesn’t let go of my hand.
Filled with raw emotion, I ask the question that’s been twisting in my brain. “Why did you do it? Why did you drive when you were that drunk?”
His gaze snaps to me, but he quickly looks down. When he speaks, his voice is thick with tears. “Because I’m broken.”
His words make something crack deep in my soul. “You’re not—”
He sniffs and swipes away a tear. “I am.” His voice is firm, angry even. “Physically.” He looks down at his body, wrapped in casts and tethered to medical equipment. “And emotionally.” He turns back to me. “I felt like I was losing everything. My friends. You—”
