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Her tears soaked through my shirt, as she sniffed and said, “I want the captain.”
“Okay,” I assured her. “We’ll get him here. I’ll call him right now.”
She nodded her thanks and clung to me with her face firmly plastered in my shirt, and we stayed like that for the longest time. I glanced over her shoulder at the nurse, who nodded at me to let me know I was doing okay.
When Raina went limp against me, falling back to sleep, I swallowed the knot in my throat and laid her back down on the bed.
More hospital staff arrived, and Darlene filled them in on Raina’s prognosis as I backed away from the bed, looking at the sleeping girl I’d fallen for.
The girl who didn’t remember our time together.
I thought the worst-case scenario would be that she’d never wake up, and her dad would unplug her, but having her look at me without remembering the past two weeks had been devastating.
Pressing a hand to my chest, I sat in the chair next to her bed and tried to catch a decent breath while doctors and orderlies swarmed the sleeping patient.
It took me a minute to calm down and think straight again, but when I did, I pulled out my phone to let my friends know she was awake. Then I rang Raina’s father and told him she was out of the coma but napping at the moment.
He made it sound as if he’d leave Galveston immediately, so it should only be a couple of hours before he hit town.
I also had to work today, so I called in, letting them know I wouldn’t be able to make it. And finally, I checked in with my family to make sure they didn’t need me for anything for the rest of the day.
And then I sat, waiting for Raina to wake up once more.
Oaklynn, Damien, and Jaylani showed up first, but Raina slept through their visit, and I had to promise them that she was truly and honestly out of the coma. When I touched her fingers to prove it, Raina jerked her hand away but kept sleeping.
After they left, her main physician stopped by, and he was monitoring her vitals when she stirred again.
“Hey, there,” he greeted with a soft smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Dr. Shannessy here at Westport Medical. You’ve just woken from a two-week coma. Can you still remember your name?”
Raina nodded and tried to sit upright, but he caught her arm. “Let’s wait a minute to do that. Alright, kiddo? Your muscles have atrophied after not using them for so long. It’s going to take some work, but you’ll regain the ability to walk again soon enough. I think we’ll try standing you up tomorrow to see how you do.”
Consulting his notes, he added, “Looks like your small motor skills are a little skewed as well. And I’m sure your equilibrium is off, which will affect your balance. But those are things that can heal. Can you tell me what the last thing you remember is?”
“I…” Raina winced and shook her head. “I don’t know.” Her voice was still so rough and hoarse, it made me wince in sympathy just to hear it.
“Alright. How about we start broader? Do you know what year it is?”
“2024?” she guessed.
He smiled and nodded. “Yes, ma’am, it is. What about the month? Do you know the month or maybe even the season?”
“January,” she answered, her voice still rough and hoarse. “Winter.” She eyed the cup of melted ice chips and I shot to my feet to help her drink. Her gaze lifted to mine when I stood, however, and she pointed at me in recognition. “Football,” she said. “There was a game. We won. National Champs. Second year.”
My smile spread. “That’s right. We did win.” My gaze shot to the doctor’s. “That game was on the eighth. Just four days before her accident.”
This was great. She remembered the game. It was a start that gave me plenty of hope.
The doctor nodded and kept watching Raina. But she furrowed her brow in confusion as she asked, “What accident? I don’t remember an accident.”
“You were in a car accident,” Dr. Shannessy informed her.
And she hissed in frustration before snapping, “I knowthat! Everyone keeps telling me that. But where was it? When? Whathappened?”
“How about we figure out what you remember first.”
“No!” Raina shouted. “I’m tired of questions. I want answers. I want to get out of here. I want to go home. I don’t like hospitals.”
When she tried to climb out of her bed again, I was too far away to stop her this time. Leaping forward, I saw my life flash before my eyes as her feet hit the floor and knees immediately buckled, unable to support her even a little.
