Chapter Two: How It Happened

Chapter Two: How It Happened

26-year-old Ryan Gordon sat in the same waiting area of the same hospital, in the very same chair that he'd been sitting in for six weeks now. He was beginning to hate coming here; it felt like a cage not only for him but for her. He was tired of seeing Doctor Walker. All she told him was the same old bullshit and he was getting fucking sick of it.

He looked down at the photograph nestled in his large hands, the ache returning.

"My Melly. I'm so sorry." He whispered, eyes filling with tears all over again. "Please wake up. I need you."

Melanie Gordon, or Melly as he called her, had been in a coma for the past six weeks ever since her 24th birthday.

How he hated himself for what he did that day. Birthdays were supposed to be happy, joyous, and celebratory. Not deadly, life altering and hurtful like hers had been.

He could remember the never ending nightmare perfectly as if that night were still happening...

Melly had wanted to spend her birthday just the two of them at home; she hadn’t felt well all day and had said plenty of times she was tired. She hadn't wanted any big party, she never had, or to be around lots of people; she just wanted to stay home and relax alone with him. But instead, Ryan had taken them out to a bar where their friends had set up a surprise party. They'd had a good time he thought, and on the way home she had seemed in a decent mood even though she hadn’t a sip of alcohol.

On the way home, however, every thing changed.

A man driving without his headlights on had collided with their car by running a red light at 85 MPH. The oncoming vehicle had struck their car on Melly's side. The collision caused an eight-car pileup. EMTs from all over were called to the scene and the six surrounding hospitals had taken in the victims of the car crash.

Ryan and the other driver had walked away with no injuries other than a few cuts and bruises. The two of them had sat side-by-side, watching in shock as bodies were cut free from the pile of steel.

The guilt he felt was overwhelming. He'd do anything to take it all back, to have stayed home just like Melly had asked him to do over and over again. They would’ve cuddled on the couch, watched a movie; well he would have, Melanie would have dozed off before they were 20 minutes into it.

She always does. Ryan thought with a bitter smile.

He raised the old photograph to his lips and kissed it before absorbing the scene in the photograph.

It was Melly's favorite photograph of them together; the first photo ever taken of them together. She'd sent it to him while he was overseas, insisting that he carry it with him everywhere he went.
It was from their second date. They'd visited the park where a photographer was taking pictures. He'd offered to take theirs and give them a copy for free. Melly insisted on it and at the time, Ryan was trying desperately to get her to like him. They'd ended up taking the picture under a weeping willow tree with the sunset over the pond in the background. He had been sitting on a boulder with her leaning against his chest, his arms around her slender waist. Her long, honey-blonde hair was forever caught in the wind, cobalt eyes shining bright. His chin was on her shoulder and they both smiled happily.

His blue eyes reflected her happiness, his own, and yet gave the look of a harsh Marine. Ryan remembered, with a smile, when he'd gone to pick her up and how upset she'd been when she had seen for the first time his Marine-issued-buzz cut dark brown hair. She'd pouted and complained for a while, but eventually let it go after he did a lot of sucking up.

He remembered that they'd shared their first kiss that very day. He'd pulled her into his arms as she laughed at some joke he'd made. He hadn’t thought it was that funny but to this day she still laughed over it. As she calmed her laughter, which he thought she looked even more beautiful when she was laughing, he'd leaned down and nuzzled her cheek. He remembered the soft gasp that'd slipped from her lips, a gasp he heard many nights after that day when they made love, and then saw the soft expression in her eyes. Their lips met in the most perfect kiss he'd ever had. When he pulled away and looked into those soft, slightly dazed, blue eyes, he knew she was the one for him.

And now?

She was comatose. Barely alive. He was unharmed and she was broken, maybe not even going to live. Head injury, broken ribs, torn leg muscle, and in a coma...he wished he could take it all away. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her.

When would he get to hold her? To talk to her? To make her laugh, smile even. To kiss and make love to her? To cry with her-

"Mr. Gordon?" Nurse Amy came to a stop in front of him and looked down at him with a friendly expression. During the past six weeks, she had been the one nurse that had been a constant companion, a go-to. "Melanie is awake and asking for you."

~~~Want more? Continue on! "Chapter Three: Guilty"