by Rachel Ryan
Brody hadn’t been wearing his helmet at the time of the accident and if he had been, we probably wouldn’t be staring at him lying in bed in an induced coma. But because of the lack of a helmet, both of his eyes are black and swollen and there is a massive graze down the right side of his face. Ava lets go of our hands and walks closer to the bed, her little body trembling as the emotion takes over. Just as she reaches out to touch his hand a sob bursts its way out of her and she cries, silent, but heart wrenching tears, her shoulders shaking as another sob escapes. Tears are running down my cheeks as I watch this beautiful girl give in to the emotion that she has been holding in for the last twenty four hours. She has been so strong and now the walls are crumbling down around her as the reality of it all hits her. Wrapping my arm around her, I wipe my tears with the back of my hand and offer her as much comfort as I can. Glancing down at Brody again I can’t help but feel angry at him for getting into this mess. I know it’s unfair of me to feel that way as he is the one lying in the bed all busted up. If only he had worn his helmet. Sure, he would have still been injured in the accident, but nowhere near as badly as this. Then my anger shifts toward his Mother. What the fuck was she trying to achieve by getting him to meet up with her? I bet she was after money. I would bet my life on it. Finally, my anger shifts to the person that could have avoided all of this shit by just saying ‘no’. Travis. What the hell was he thinking giving out Brody’s personal number? And, to his parents of all people. The people that have caused him the most pain and heart ache in his life; the people who still have the ability to cause more pain in his life. His Mother has nearly cost him his life. The selfish bitch.
***
I wake up and rub my eyes as I look around the room and remember where I am. I am sitting in a chair beside Brody’s hospital bed and Ava is in the chair on the other side. My body is stiff and my neck is aching from the awkward angle I slept in. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but as I look toward the window, I notice the light of day is fading fast.
Luke, Hunter and the girls had come back to visit around lunch time and after they realized there was nothing they could do, they went home, taking Jo with them. She wanted to stay with us but I insisted that she go home and get some rest. I slowly rise from the chair stretching my body and rubbing my neck with my hand. Ava doesn’t even notice my movement as she is holding Brody’s hand and staring down into his face. Her eyes look vacant and her face blank.
“Ava, I’m gonna go and get you another coffee and some food. You need to eat, even if it’s just a little, okay?”
She shakes her head gently. “I’m not hungry.”
“I know, Baby. But you need to keep your strength up. All you’ve had while we’ve been in this place is coffee, you need food. I’ll run down to the cafeteria and I’ll be back soon.”
She nods once and I walk out the door.
When I return ten minutes later with a couple of coffees, sandwiches and muffins, she hasn’t moved from the spot she was in before. I place the coffees and food down on the trolley beside her chair and force her to eat. She eats half a sandwich and picks at the muffin. It’s something I guess.
Over the next couple of hours, we sit in silence listening to the steady beep of the machines and the sounds of the hospital. Every hour a nurse comes into the room and checks Brody’s vitals and makes sure the machines are still working. Ava doesn’t talk, she doesn’t move, only getting up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. She hasn’t slept at all and I’m really worried about her current state of mind.
“Ava, I think you should go home tonight and get some sleep.”
“Jer, I can’t. I can’t leave him.”
“Baby girl, you need to get some rest. Brody would hate to see you sitting here all day and night and not eating or sleeping.”
“I can’t leave him. What if something happens and I’m not here for him? What if he wakes up? What if…?”
She doesn’t finish that question, but I know exactly where it was going.
“Ava, Brody is recovering. You need to make sure you take care of yourself so you are still here when he wakes up.”
Her eyes tear up again. “I can’t leave him, Jeremy. Please don’t make me leave him.”
Sighing, I settle back in my chair. It’s going to be a long night.
Ava
Looking down at Brody’s face I study the bruising, it makes him look like a totally different person. His eyes are all swollen, the bruising is darker and the graze on his face looks painful. Someone comes in to the room and I don’t even raise my head. People have been coming in and out for days. Well I think it’s been days. I don’t even know what today is; I think it has been three or four maybe five days since the accident. In all of that time I have only left his side to go to the bathroom. Jeremy has been bringing me food and coffee but I have only been picking at it. I just want Brody to wake up and come home with me.
Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Jeremy. He has been in several times a day and has even stayed a few nights. He tried to get me to go home a few times but I just can’t leave. If something happens and I’m not here I’ll never forgive myself. Pushing my chair back I mumble to Jeremy.
“I’m going to the bathroom”. Standing up I go to take a step when I feel weightless, my head spins and I just look over to Jeremy. In slow motion I watch Jeremy move towards me as I feel my body falling toward the floor.
“That’s it Ava I’m taking you home.”
“What, no Jer you can’t.”
“Ava you almost passed out I’m taking you home, Brody will not forgive me if something happens to you. He would hate to see you like this. You need to look after yourself so you are here for him when he wakes up.”
“I can’t go home. What if he wakes up and I’m not here? He will think I don’t care.”
“Ava, look at you, you haven’t had a shower in five days and you haven’t eaten a decent meal since Brody’s accident. You need to take care of you.”
“Please let me stay.”
“Ava, have you even slept at all in the last five days?”
“A little.”
“I’m taking you home.”
“He’ll think no one cares if he’s alone when he wakes up.”
“I’ll call the guys and one of them will come and stay with him. You need to sleep.”
“I can’t go to my house. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Fine I’ll take you to Brody’s. You can stay there with Jo.”
Watching Jeremy slide his key into Brody’s front door my body seems to freeze up. The apartment smells just like Brody and it makes my heart ache. I take a step back. I need to go back to him. Jeremy looks over his shoulder at me, holding his hand out he wraps his fingers around mine and pulls me into the living room. Hearing the door close behind me I look around Brody’s place, it’s a mess; Jo must be taking this hard. Jeremy still hasn’t let go of my hand and he pulls me straight towards the bathroom. Pulling the curtain back Jeremy turns the water on and adjusts it to the right temperature.
“Jeremy, is that you?”
“Yeah, we’re in the bathroom Jo.”
I can hear Jo walking around in the lounge room; she must have arrived home from class.
“I thought you went to the hospital?”
“I did baby but Dundee almost passed out.”
“What? Is she okay.”
Jo appears in the doorway.
“Oh you’re here.”
“I made her come with me. I’ve asked Hunter and Luke to stay at the hospital tonight so Ava and I can get some real food and rest.”
“Good, looks like you could both use a good feed and a decent night’s sleep. At the risk of sounding rude, you both look like shit.”
Jo draws her eyes down to Jeremy’s fingers that are holding the bottom of my shirt. Pain shoots across her face and she mumbles something about leaving us to it. Jeremy doesn’t see it and continues to remove my
shirt. Standing there in my bra and pants I look at him.
“Jeremy I can do this, go and give Jo a hand cleaning up.”
“What if you pass out and hit your head?”
“I’ll be fine, just yell out if you get worried Jer.”
“Okay but if something happens to you Brody won’t forgive me.”
Placing my hand on his shoulders I smile, “I’ll be okay.”
Jeremy walks out leaving me to myself and my thoughts. Getting in the shower I close my eyes and allow the water to flow over my head.
After finishing my shower I’m feeling a little better. I find some of my clothes to wear and sit down for dinner with Jo and Jeremy.
“Have you heard from the guys tonight?”
“Yeah, they said the Doctor ran some tests this afternoon and discovered that the swelling has gone down considerably, so they will begin to reduce the medication to help him come out of the coma. However, there’s no guarantee of when that will be.”
“Okay.” Cutting my chicken breast into small pieces, I slowly chew. Jeremy and Jo seem to be passing glances between one another and I can’t help but wonder what’s going on. After eating a few vegetables I can’t eat anymore.
“I’m full thanks for dinner.” Picking my plate up I walk over to the sink and fill it up with water to wash the dishes. I hear a chair scrape across the floor and heavy footsteps that stop behind me. The cloth gets taken from my hands and I turn to look at Jeremy.
“Ava, stop. I’ll clean up. Just go to bed okay and sleep.”
Nodding at Jeremy I walk out of the room and mumble “Goodnight” to Jo.
Pulling the covers back on Brody’s bed I feel everything coming to the surface again. Sliding in I pull the covers up to my chin and roll onto my side and allow the tears to fall once more. His scent is everywhere, surrounding me, reminding me of what is missing. I would give anything to have him lying in this bed with me, holding me.
Jeremy
As soon as Ava disappears into Brody’s bedroom, Jo walks into the kitchen and starts helping me clean up.
“I’m really worried about her, Jeremy.”
“Yeah, I am too.”
“She is so out of it and she hardly ate a thing. She’s lost weight, and her eyes just look…blank. Like there’s no life behind them anymore.”
“I know. The only thing we can do is support her, Jo. We need to reassure her that he is going to pull through this and be fine.”
Jo looks up at me with sad eyes.
“But what if he doesn’t pull through? What if he isn’t fine? I was doing a bit of research and I discovered that there can be permanent damage after a brain injury like Brody’s.”
“Jo, don’t even think like that. He will be fine. He’s tough. He won’t let something like this tear him down. Not after everything he’s been through.”
“I hope you’re right Jeremy. I really do.”
Seeing the tears sliding slowly down her cheeks¸ I pull Jo into my arms offering as much comfort as I can. Her body trembles slightly and she slips her arms under my jacket, wrapping her arms around my waist. The feeling of having her in my arms feels nice and I rest my chin on the top of her head as my hands rub circles on her back. We stay like this for a few minutes until Jo pulls away and says she’s going to bed. I give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then head toward Brody’s room to check on Ava.
As I approach the door, the sound of her sobbing breaks my heart. Pushing the door gently, I kick my boots off and slip off my jacket before climbing onto the bed. She has her back to me and is curled into a ball, so I tuck my body up behind hers and wrap an arm around her waist, feeling her slender frame tremble as another sob takes over her body. She covers my hand with hers as if she is silently thanking me for being here. I hate seeing her this upset. I wish there was something I could do or say to take away her pain, but I know the only thing that will relieve her pain is Brody waking up and everything going back to normal. I’m not a religious man, but as I feel her body relax and her breathing regulate, I pray that day will come sooner rather than later.
***
The next morning, after eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast, Ava and I head back to the hospital. She woke up looking a little better this morning, but has still been anxious about getting back to be by his side.
When we arrive Hunter and Luke are sitting in the room playing a game of cards on the little trolley table. Ava doesn’t even acknowledge them at first; she just goes straight to the bed, leans down over Brody and whispers something to him before placing a gentle kiss just below the bandage on his head.
She then looks over to where the guys are sitting and thanks them for staying the night. She sits down on the armchair beside the bed and I don’t hear another word from her until lunch time.
I’m sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed and playing a game on my phone and her words make me jump a little.
“Jer, his fingers moved.”
“What?”
“His fingers on his left hand just moved. They twitched. Do you think that means he is going to wake up?”
Leaning forward, I study Brody’s face for any movement, or sign that he might be waking up.
“I don’t know, Ava. I might go and see if I can find a Doctor and let them know what happened.”
After speaking with Brody’s Doctor, I return to the room to find Ava leaning over Brody, her hand stroking his cheek, as she whispers to him. I think that slight bit of movement from him has given her the hope she so desperately needed and I don’t want to take that away from her by relaying what the Doctor said about comatose patients having random, involuntary movements while unconscious. Instead, when she looks up at me with her beautiful golden eyes that look like they are begging me for good news, I tell her that the Doctor said it may be a sign that he is beginning to come out of the coma. The enormous smile on her face reassures me that I made the right choice.
***
Twenty four hours later and we are still sitting in the hospital room, Ava staring intently at Brody, scanning his face and body for any sign of movement. I tried to get her to go home again last night for sleep, but she wouldn’t even consider leaving now that she thinks there’s a chance he’s going to wake up soon.
My phone vibrates and as I pull it out of my pocket, I see Jo’s name on the screen. I stand up and quietly walk out into the corridor before accepting the call.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Jeremy. I was just calling to let you know I’ll be coming back to the hospital straight after class and I just wondered if you need me to bring you or Ava anything.”
Jo had brought in fresh bagels for breakfast this morning on her way to class, which was a nice change from the slop they call food in the hospital.
“No, that’s okay. We should be alright.”
“Okay. Listen, I have an idea and I know at this stage it probably sounds completely crazy. But, I remember Brody mentioning that Ava’s birthday is coming up this month and I know Luke’s birthday is in August too. Do you think it would be ridiculous to throw them a surprise party?”
Wow, I hadn’t even realized we were in August already. Days and dates have just completely slipped my mind over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a week since Brody’s accident and before that I was so distracted being drunk and angry and acting like a douche that I didn’t even think about the date.
“I think that’s a great idea Jo. When were you thinking of having it?”
“Well, you mentioned the Doctor said it still may take days for Brody to wake up, so I was thinking maybe two weeks away. That will be after their birthdays, but I don’t think it will matter. And this way, hopefully Brody will be released from hospital by then and everyone will have another reason to celebrate.”
“Yeah, hopefully.”
“Alright, well I’d better go. Have a think about a venue, I’ve got no idea. You will probably need to help me with the invitation list as well.”
“Okay,
Jo. I’ll help you with everything.”
I smile as I hear her sigh of relief.
“Thanks, Stone. You’re a really great guy, do you know that?”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“Haha. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“Okay, see you then.”
When I walk back into the room, the sight that greets me shocks me to the core. Ava is standing over the bed looking down at Brody, who is staring straight back at her. Holy shit! He’s awake. When my legs start working again, I rush over to Ava’s side. Brody’s eyes are still quite puffy and bruised but as he looks over at me, he smiles.
“Hey, man. You’re okay. You had an accident and you’re in the hospital, but you’re going to be just fine. I’m just going to go and let the nurse know you’re awake.”
I give Ava’s shoulder a quick squeeze when I see her body trembling as she cries tears of joy, then I run out into the corridor and alert the first nurse I see.
As I walk back into the room, I notice Brody’s eyes have closed again and a few seconds later a Doctor walks into the room. He checks all of the monitors and machines and asks us a few questions about what happened when he woke up and whether he said anything. When I told him that he smiled at me, he said that the fact he recognized us and showed some emotion is a good sign that there will be no permanent damage to his brain. He also explained that it is normal for patients coming out of a coma to only wake up for a few minutes to begin with, but gradually over the next few days, he will be able to stay awake for longer periods of time.
I reach out for Ava’s hand and feel her squeeze mine in response. Tears of joy are still streaming down her face as she smiles at me. I pull her into my arms and she lets it all go. The Doctor leaves the room as she sobs in my arms; the relief of seeing him awake has finally allowed her to release the emotions and stress that have taken hold of her for the last week.
