Author: Teresa Mummert

“We’ve just landed, dear. We should arrive in an hour or so.” She said ‘we’. My heart sank.

“Great. I look forward to seeing you.” I was lying. It’s not that I didn’t want them to come; I just didn’t want to deal with that asshole while dealing with all of this.

I paced the floor for a bit, then finally, exhausted, sat down.

When the door cracked open almost an hour later, I felt my heart seize.

“Good news. The swelling appears to have subsided and we may be able to wake your fiancé soon enough.” The nurse beamed at me and I smiled back, wanting to jump for joy.

“Thank you!” I clasp my hands over my mouth to keep from shrieking. Just as I began to forget my nerves, the door pushed open wider. In walked William’s parents. His father was mumbling something about the substandard conditions of the hospital and Mrs. Honor looked sad. Her eyes were swollen and red like she had been crying the entire flight.

Gerald eyed me while he entered the room but didn’t say anything.

“Oh… sweet dear! How is my son?” Martha asked as her hands rested on either side of my face.

“He is doing much better. They think he is well enough to wake… soon.” I smiled as she pulled me in for a hug. It was awkward hugging someone I barely knew, but it felt good to be held. I let my arms slink around her back and squeezed her to me.

“So, what did he do this time?” Gerald sneered and glanced over at the bed.

“It was an accident.” I sniffed as I tried not to let my emotions take over. It would be too easy to take my frustrations out on his father. I was having a hard time containing my emotions. William was the one person who could make me feel in control when I was absolutely powerless. Now, I felt lost.

A doctor entered the room and turned his attention to Gerald. Martha looped her arm in mine and tugged me towards the door.

“Come on, dear. Let’s let the men talk.” She smiled up at me. I was hesitant to follow. I wanted to know what was going on and man or not, I deserved to know. She patted my arm and I let her pull me out into the hall. We made our way to the elevator and waited for the doors to open.

“I can’t leave him.” I said, taking a step back.

“We aren’t going anywhere. I just want to grab us a bite to eat. You must be starving.” She smiled and the doors slid open. I placed my hand over my stomach. I really could use something to eat. I stepped inside.

We made our way to the lobby and I glanced over the sign to find directions to the cafeteria.

“This way.” Martha tugged me in the direction of the food. I was grateful to have a mother figure around. We stood in line and ordered our meals.

“I’m really worried,” I confessed. Martha glanced over at me and picked up a bottle of tea.

“No need to worry. William is strong, just like his father.”

I flinched. “They don’t seem like they are anything alike.”

She looked over at me, her eyebrow raised. She didn’t say anything and I wished I had never opened my mouth. William hated his father and I was certain the feeling was mutual. Even I couldn’t deny that they both seemed to love power. Still, William was really caring when you got to know him. I couldn’t picture Gerald being affectionate.

We made our way to a table in the back corner of the room. Martha gestured for me to sit and I did. She slid in a seat across from me as awkward silence filled the room.

“He’s not so bad, you know? Gerald…” Martha said, shaking her head as she unwrapped her sandwich. I had the sudden realization that I was staring into my future. Is this what I had to look forward to if I stayed with William? A controlling, cold and cruel man? No… she was wrong.

I took a bite of my food and grabbed a little orange pill bottle from my purse. I pushed down on the lid and dumped one of the small white ovals into my hand.

“You in a lot of pain, dear?” Martha asked, cocking her head to the side.

“A little,” I shrugged as I popped the pill in my mouth and took a drink. It was awkward sitting across from my possibly ex-boyfriend’s mother. I couldn’t think of anything to say. I knew he blamed his father for many things, but in my eyes, his mother was just as responsible for his unhappiness. Why didn’t she try to protect him from him? Why did I care? William wasn’t mine anymore.

“You know, sometimes emotional pain can manifest itself into physical pain. They say depression can actually hurt.” She took another bite of her sandwich and made a face of disgust at the sub-par meal.

What the fuck was she talking about?

“I’m pretty sure my headache is a direct result of my head bouncing off a car window.” I didn’t mean to sound snippy, but I couldn’t help it. Everything in my life was just wrong. I was angry and bitter.

“Of course it is. I didn’t mean to offend. I just… I know a relationship… can be difficult.” She was assuming my relationship with William was like hers.

I sighed, feeling like the biggest jerk on the planet. She hadn’t done anything to me. She was scared for the wellbeing of her son and here I was, having an attitude with her. “I’m sorry. It has been a long week.”

She waved it off and we both ate for a few moments in silence.

“You’re good for him,” she said as she picked up her drink and took a long sip. I pulled my eyebrows together as I watched her. “I know how he can be, but you’re still here. That says something about the kind of woman you are.”

I smiled slightly. It felt good that we had someone’s approval, even if it was at the end of our relationship.

“Come on, dear. Let’s go see what the doctor has to say.” She stood and waited for me to gather my things. I dumped them in the trashcan and held open the door for her to leave the cafeteria.

The ride up the elevator was the longest of my life. I couldn’t handle the stress of not knowing if he was going to be okay. I hated him, but I missed him.

We reached the room just as the doctor was leaving. Gerald was running his hand through his hair as he watched us enter. He gave me a quick glance and turned his attention to his wife. It was obvious I hadn’t won his approval. I rolled my eyes without thinking. I glanced back up to see his glare as his muscles flexed over his jaw. I swallowed hard and made my way to the seat next to William.

“Any news?” Martha asked, regaining Gerald’s attention.

“These doctors are incompetent. I’ll make a few phone calls and see if I can’t get a real specialist in here.” Martha lovingly stroked Gerald’s arm in an attempt to soothe him.

I turned to William and slipped my fingers into his. Tears pricked my eyes and I closed them tightly, pleading with myself not to break down and show weakness in front of his father.

“I’ll make arrangements for a hotel,” he said as he pulled out his phone and headed into the hallway. Martha came to join me at William’s side.

“He looks so peaceful.” She placed a hand on his leg and smiled. I sniffed as I stared at his face.

“I booked us a suite over at the Plaza. Let’s go get settled in,” Gerald announced, not bothering to reenter the room. Martha shot me a small smile and turned to join her husband.

“You take care of my boy, Emma,” she called over her shoulder before she disappeared, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

His own parents didn’t bother sticking around to make sure he was even okay. Sure, they would call some doctors, but that paled in comparison to being by his side when… if he woke.

Chapter Eighteen

The next two days were the longest and loneliest days of my life. William’s parents stopped by from time to time, but it was always on their way to somewhere else.

The new doctor they had had flown in took over William’s case with expert care. I was thankful and it was a great relief to know that he was in the best hands possible.

William’s parents only stayed in town for another day. Gerald had a new movie that would begin filming soon. I couldn’t imagine how anything could be more important than your own child’s life.

I never left his side. I felt lost without him. Day and night I stayed by him, pleading with him to get better. Finally, the day had come that William’s condition had improved significantly and they would be allowing him to wake up. I used all of the samples and trials I could find to make myself look half-decent as I waited for him to regain consciousness. The hospital bathroom was less than luxurious but I made it work.

The first time I looked into his beautiful deep blue eyes, my heart was beating out of my chest. He squeezed his eyes closed and looked around, adjusting to the light. I shifted my weight nervously from one foot to the other. I didn’t know if he even wanted me around after the argument we’d had.

The doctor checked William’s vitals as I held his hand.

“Where am I?” he asked as he ran his hand though his hair and down over his face that was no longer clean-shaven.

“Kippling Hospital.” My voice cracked as he eyed me, his eyebrows pulled together. I shoved my hands in my back pockets as I chewed on my lip.

“Welcome back to the world,” the doctor said cheerily. William smiled and winced like he was in pain. “Can you tell me your name?”

“William… Honor.” He groaned as he rubbed his head. The doctor scribbled a note on his paper.

“Great. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?” He stared at William, pen in hand.

“Ughh… yeah, sure…” His eyes darted to me and then back to the doctor. “I remember… shit…” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“It’s okay.” The doctor patted him on the arm. “You’ve been through a serious trauma. It may take a little while to come back to you. In the meantime, we will do our best to keep you comfortable.”

William squeezed his eyes shut.

“What happened?” William asked.

“You were in a car accident. You’re very lucky to be alive. You and Emma.” The doctor glanced at me. “I’ll give you two a minute.” The doctor turned and left the room. He had warned me that William may not remember the accident, but he assured me that it would most likely be temporary. Head injuries were tricky, though, and they couldn’t guarantee me anything.

I pulled my hands from my pockets and began to wring them together. I was afraid to look William in the eye.

“William…” my voice trailed off.

“Call me Will.” He pushed himself up into a sitting position and raised the bed to meet his back. I cringed at the nickname. That is what his ex-wife used to call him. I wondered if he remembered her, but I was too scared to ask.

“Will… ugh... Do you remember me?” I stole a glance in his direction. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to place me. Tears began to cloud my sight and a swallowed, struggling to push the lump from my throat.

I nodded, knowing the answer. A tear fell down my cheek and I wanted to turn and run away but my feet refused to cooperate.

“Hey, don’t cry. Come here.” He motioned for me to come closer to him. I sat down on the edge of his bed and he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. “Shh…” he whispered into my hair as his hand rubbed my back. I held on to him as tight as I could, and let my tears flow freely onto his hospital gown.

“You said you would never forget me,” I sobbed.

He didn’t hold me as if I was his lover. He held me like a stranger comforting a crying child. I felt like an idiot and more importantly, I felt alone. Maybe this was better. I was ready to leave him, now he didn’t know who I was. My heart was crushed. I got exactly what I deserved. I pulled back from him, placing my hand on his chest. He used his hands to push the hair from my face. His stormy blue eyes searched mine as his heart began to beat double time under my fingers. I looked at his chest then back to him. Hoping. The doctor rounded the corner with his clipboard, followed by a nurse holding some sort of medicine.