Arugmentative

Short story based off Hemingway's style, about a boy in a coma and the girl who sat by his bedside for three days out of love, that he knew nothing of. From the point of view of a nurse on duty.

"How could you!?" the girl bawled, her face masked by her hands.

Her question was met with complete silence. She cried even harder, muttering incoherently about his idiocy. I stood in the doorway, watching intently. She said she was his wife but I know it was a lie; there were no rings on her finger. Still,I could tell how much he meant to her so I let her pass, turning a blind eye. She held his hand much too tight but no complaint passed his lips. His comatose eyes fluttered every time she would squeeze his hand or choke out another sob, but it was a meager response, not significant enough for the charts. His parents stood in the corner, teary-eyed but quiet, watching the girl break down.

"Only one of you can stay with him overnight," I informed them, as gently as I could.

The mother opened her mouth to reply but the girl shot her an icy look, and her mouth quickly snapped shut. I almost laughed as the parents exited his room. She was a plucky thing at a mere five foot two. Nothing anyone would normally be scared of but, had you seen her face, she'd have sent you running for the hills.

"Miss, I'm going to need you to move."

Her eyes snapped up ferociously, and she looked feral. I thought for a moment she might actually growl at me.

"I need to check his vitals," I added.

This seemed to pacify her, and she stepped back. I quickly checked his heart rate monitor and re-bandaged his head wound. He had a busted eyebrow as well and several bruises, but surface wise, he was pretty much fine. It was inside that was turmoil. Several organs were bruised, and he had two sites of internal bleeding. The worst, however, was the undiagnosable.

"How is he?" the girl whispered hesitantly.

"Besides the obvious, I'd say he's doing well."

"Will he wake up?"

I sighed, knowing there's no way to answer her question.

"There's no way to know."

She nodded solemnly, as if she'd expected my response. She probably had. I stepped back to record his vitals and progress. The girl returned to his side immediately, entwining their fingers reassuringly. But I don't know who she was trying to reassure.

For three days, seventy-two straight hours, the girl and I stayed with him. I stayed because I had a job to do. I left only every once in a while to get new supplies or food. The girl left only to use the bathroom. She slept in the chair she'd moved next to his bedside, her face uncomfortably laid on the bed. Dark circles under her eyes had become a permanent fixture on her face along with a small frown. Still, she never gave up hope. She sat and told him stories, ran her fingers through his messy hair, and cried when she didn't get a response. I'd become fond of the girl and found myself harboring a secret hope that he would wake. One day, it seemed he might. All because of an argument.

"Who are you to him?" I finally asked after setting her sandwich down in front of her.

She opened her mouth but I interrupted quickly.

"Really? I know you're not his wife."

She grinned, a rare occurrence, and her dull eyes sparkled a little in the grim room.

"Of course you do. You're brilliant, Mary."

"So," I prompted, "who are you to him?"

Her grin faltered but never left her face.

"I guess I'm his best friend. Maybe more. He was never one for titles," she replied, almost angrily.

"You love him."

It wasn't a question but I'd expected her to respond. Her cheeks faintly turned red and she glanced at his face, her smile softening.

"I always have."

I turned around to leave but halted as she burst into tears.

"Justin, I swear to God, if you don't wake up, I'll leave, and I won't ever come back! This doesn't count. I can't tell you I love you if you're not going to say it back!" she screeched, tears streaming down her enraged face. I moved to comfort her but stopped myself as I watched his heart rate pick up.

Was he actually scared of her? Or the thought of losing her?

I almost laughed at the thought but held back when I thought of the look on his parents face when she merely glared at them. She wasn't one to be trifled with.

"How dare you!? I told you to stop texting and driving because this would happen! And I'll be damned if I don't see you smirking at me every time I close my eyes," she continued, ranting as if her life depended on it.

Though, it seemed his did. His heart rate had picked up again amidst her rant, almost up to a normal level. The girl didn't notice, but I silently begged her to continue as I recorded this furiously on his charts.

"You call yourself my best friend!? You left me alone, and I didn't find out until you'd already been here for two days!! I thought you died, Justin! Is that what you want, to get away from me?!"

She never noticed his heart rate pick up to a normal level, or the fact that he'd been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last minute or so.

"No," he mumbled.

I silently pressed the call nurse button on the wall, and scribbled down what had happened on my clipboard. Seconds later, Dr. Callahan and another nurse appeared at the door. I stopped from them from entering, and waited for the girl to start again. I was not disappointed.

"Don't deny it! There's no other reason that's plausible. You don't want me in your life! But you're too much of a coward to say it so you went and wrecked yourself to get away. Why am I still here?! I should just leave but here I am, still caring even though I'm pissed!" she cried, shaking with fury.

I bit my lip, silently chuckling. She hadn't registered his response but countered it nonetheless. She also hadn't moved, even after threatening to leave. As soon as I thought that, however, she began to stand. His heart rate hammered, steadily picking up as she detangled their fingers with slight hesitation. Dr. Callahan again moved to check on him but I blocked him, silently telling him to watch. The girl began to walk away but froze as his hand slowly wrapped around her wrist.

"Don't," he whispered, eyes stll closed.

Her free hand flew up to cover her mouth as she silently sobbed, finally realizing that he'd woken up. She flopped back into the chair by his bed, in shock. I moved my away and allowed Dr. Callahan, who was also in shock, to finally enter. We all watched hopefully as Justin's eyes fluttered open, squinting at the bright light. A small smile flitted across his lips at the sight of her. He slowly raised their now entwined hands and brought them to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her hand. Tears filled her awestruck eyes but a dazzling smile was situated on her face. In that moment, she had never looked more beautiful.

I reminisced on these memories as I opened the letter I received from her earlier today. Inside was a handwritten note, attached to a card.

"Dear Mary,

You are the most wonderful woman I have ever had the fortune to meet. You let me stay with Justin when I wasn't allowed, even though you knew I lied, because you knew I loved him. You watched hopefully as I ranted at him, watching him slowly wake up. I'm still mad you didn't tell me what was going on. You are a lovely person, a great nurse, and a great friend. Justin says thank you for watching him but thank you for also watching over me. Inside this envelope is another card. I won't tell you what it reads because I'm sure you already know, wise woman. I hope you'll be able to make it.

With love, 

Chloe"

I pulled out the other card and read it with a wide smile.

"You are formally invited to the wedding of

Justin Chase Reed

and

Chloe Mae Winters

Please bring this card with you and R.S.V.P. if you are able to make it."

The girl had been right. I had known. But I'd known for much longer than she had.

I'd known since the day she stormed into one-oh-five, still wearing a backpack, with her high school I.D. hanging around her neck.

Reviews

[Emily]

I really liked this!
Keep it up!