Fractured Fairy Tales: A SaSS Anthology
Page 144
Handing me her jacket, Elise turns to allow me to help her with it, “Ravanna has been gracious enough to offer her gardens for your wedding. We should coordinate some ideas so that we’re ready when Malinda wakes up, and people start asking questions.”
The last thing I want to do is plan a wedding. That’s usually best left to the women to make those arrangements, “I’ll let you take care of the wedding, and you would know what Malinda would like best. I’ll be sure to tell people that I gave Malinda free rein on the planning, and she was working with you. I’m sure that you and Ravanna can finish the planning.”
Leaving with her bag, I don’t expect to see her again today. Of course if Malinda chooses today to wake up that could destroy my peaceful afternoon. Settling in the chair by her bed, I take the lid off of my coffee. There’s a sipping hole in the lid, but I prefer to drink from an open cup.
“Things are moving along quickly, Malinda.” As usual she lies still without making a sound. Leaning in I take her hand rubbing her fingers as I softly speak to her, “We’re going to have a good life together Malinda, you’ll see that this is the best thing for both of us. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but it’s going to work out just fine though.”
Letting her hand drop to the bed, I pick up the remote to change the channel. Her parents are afraid to watch too much television while she’s unconscious, I don’t have the same worries. Turning on the news channel I listen to the financial report as numbers scroll across the bottom of the screen.
The afternoon flies by as various people come to check on Malinda. As the sun is dropping outside, I’ve reached the end of my patience with sitting here. It won’t be too long before Graham, her father, comes to spend some time with her. He likes to be here in the evenings with Malinda. They don’t expect me here in the evenings because I have children at home, although a few times I’ve brought the kids to the hospital.
As Graham enters the room, I stand up to shake his hand, “Graham, how are you doing?”
“Lou.”
Graham and I have always gotten along, we’ve worked together for about ten years now. He wasn’t too pleased with the announcement of my engagement to his daughter, it actually took some time to convince him that we’d been secretly seeing each other.
“How is she today? Elise said she was restless this morning.”
As I get ready to tell Graham, she’s the same; we both turn to look at her. To my surprise she’s opening her eyes and she seems to be staring at us standing at the foot of her bed. My moment of truth is closer than I thought.
Breaking away Graham rushes to her side, “Malinda, Malinda, can you hear me?”
She doesn’t say anything or even respond to him. Last week she opened her eyes; everyone was excited, thinking she would wake-up. Although the doctors agreed it was a good sign, she remained unconscious.
Watching Graham hold his daughter’s hand, I stutter, “L-l-let me get someone.”
Returning with a nurse, the monitors that we’ve been watching for weeks are beeping. Graham has tears running down his cheeks as he quietly whispers to his daughter. Her eyes are still open, she’s now turned her head to look at her father. Her lips are moving like she’s talking but with the noise in the room it’s impossible to hear her.
The nurse tries to clear us from the room, but neither of us is willing to leave. Over the next hour there’s a parade of people coming into the room to perform various checks. Watching the clock I want to make an escape, but the reality of my fiancé waking out of coma has me trapped at the hospital.
Standing in the periphery of the room, I wait. The nurses and doctors have all said this could be temporary. She might fall unconscious again at any moment, there’s no way to tell. With both of her parents here now they both sit vigilantly waiting for her to speak to them. She was whispering earlier, now her eyes close and open intermittently. The last place I want to be is in this hospital room.
Taking a turn to sit at her side, I hold her hand, wishing I could at least turn on the television. Even if I can only listen to it, at least it would give me hope that I’ll get out of here soon.
As I’m about to suggest turning on the television, I hear her say my name, “Lou, what are you doing here?”
This could be the end. After weeks of carefully constructing our stories, Malinda can throw it all away. She looks confused as she waits for me to respond to her. Taking charge of the conversation, her mother tells her, “Malinda, he’s been here every day watching over you. He hasn’t given up hope, not one little bit. In fact, Lou was telling me this afternoon that he bought you something you’ve been wanting.”
Clearing my throat, I smile for Malinda as I say, “That house we talked about, it’s going to be yours.”
Blinking away confusion, she says, “I can’t wait.”
About Sidonia Rose
Author- New Adult Romance
AUTHOR LINK:
http://www.sidoniarose.com/
Other books by Sidonia Rose
Love U Series
Love Shots (Book One)
Proof (Book Two)
Pierce Family Prank Rules
If There’s a Chance
Repairing Christmas
Jingle Spells Anthology-
The Witch's Shoes
I Love to Doodle
Collide
Exposed in Portland
Southern Run
Flashover