Save Me

Matt was miserable. Twenty-four hours had passed and there were still no signs of RaeLynn waking up from her coma, which started to take its toll on Matt. He hadn’t showered and eating was out of the question. He’d missed band practice with the guys again and his friends were becoming worried. They had never seen Matt as depressed as he was then and it was devastating. They hated seeing their friend in emotional pain, which was what they were currently witnessing in Matt’s bedroom.

“Matthew Charles Sanders, you’re gonna get your ass outta bed right now, take a shower, brush your teeth, put on some clothes, do your hair, and eat something. You’ve been cooped up in this house for the past day and, damn it, we’re worried about you! You haven’t been to band practice in days and we haven’t seen our best friend. We’re worried about you, man. Just get outta bed.” Zacky ordered Matt, who was currently laying face down on his bed. His hair needed a good wash and a five o’clock shadow began presenting itself. A shower was definitely in question because the odor was seriously burning his friends’ nostrils. Matt silently flipped them off and Zacky let out a frustrated sigh. Jimmy walked over to Matt and bent down in order to be eye level with the lead singer.

“Matt, look at me.” Jimmy demanded. Matt grumbled a refusal, causing the drummer to sigh and roll his eyes.

“Damn it, Matthew! I said look at me!” Jimmy growled and he pulled up the distressed lead singer and made him look him in the eyes. Jimmy’s face softened when he saw the amount of pain and loss expressed in Matt’s eyes.

“Listen to us, Matt. RaeLynn is going to be okay. She’s going to wake up from that coma and everything is going to be perfectly fine. Do you hear me? RaeLynn is going to be fine.” Jimmy reassured Matt, who was slowly shaking his head. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

“What if…what if s-she doesn’t m-make it, guys? What if she d-doesn’t w-wake up?” Matt questioned miserably, his bottom lip quivering which signaled that tears were beginning to fill his eyes. A lone tear managed to escape and Matt furiously wiped his eyes. Jimmy looked back towards the guys who all showed signs of sympathy for their broken friend. Brian glanced at his watch and smiled slightly.

“Visiting hours are still going on, Matt. How about we all go visit RaeLynn?” Brian offered. Matt glanced up at his friends, looking each one of them in their eyes. They each smiled at him and he shrugged.

“We can stay the entire time if you’d like. I’m sure RaeLynn would really enjoy your company.” Johnny proposed as if Matt were a child being bribed. Nonetheless, Matt’s eyes twinkled at the thought. His friends smiled at each other when Matt pulled himself from the bed and began to get himself together. He emerged out of the bathroom half an hour later with his hair done, clothes on, teeth brushed, and smelling fresh and clean. His lip ring was gleaming proudly and the smile on his face was genuine. Brian, Jimmy, Johnny and Zacky tackled their uplifted friend in a bear hug and for the first time in days, Matt laughed.

“Come on, Matt. Let’s go see your girl.” Jimmy joked, causing a blush to creep into Matt’s cheeks. Matt followed his friends out to Zacky’s Ford Edge and climbed in. Matt sighed and smiled.

“It feels good to be out of the house.” Matt thought to himself as Zacky zoomed out of Matt’s driveway and down the highway to the hospital. Matt practically jumped out of the vehicle before Zacky properly parked in the parking lot of the hospital. He sprinted into the waiting area and nearly screamed the receptionist half to death.

“Hello, sir, you seem to be in a hurry. How may I help you?” The receptionist asked politely, slightly out of breath. Matt, having scanned her name tag, genuinely smiled.

“Hello, Anne. My name is Matthew Sanders and I’m here to see RaeLynn Meadows if that can be arranged.” Matt stated calmly, although his insides were doing backflips and somersaults from overwhelming anticipation. He began drumming his fingers on the desk and bounced slightly on the tips of his toes while the receptionist looked up RaeLynn’s information.

“I am not authorized to give you permission to see Miss Meadows.” Matt’s hands balled into fists at the news and his anxiety quickly became an emotion of anger.

“What the hell? Why can’t I see her?” Matt asked through clenched teeth. The receptionist, having put up with uncooperative visitors all day, rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Miss Meadows is located in the Intensive Care Unit, Mr. Sanders. Therefore, I do not have the right to give you the green light to see her.” The receptionist explained, trying to get Matt to understand the reasoning as to why he couldn’t see RaeLynn. The receptionist sighed when she saw the hurt flash in Matt’s eyes.

“Mr. Sanders, please understand that I am not purposefully keeping you from visiting Miss Meadows. Our hospital policy states that visitors who request to see patients who are placed in the Intensive Care Unit must have a physician’s consent. Dr. Mitchell should be here momentarily, but until then, please take a seat in the waiting area and I will get back to you shortly.” Matt simply nodded and turned to walk into the waiting area. His friends, having heard everything, gathered him in an embrace and waited with him. After thirty minutes of intense patience, Jimmy nudged Matt’s arm to inform the singer of the doctor’s arrival.

“Hello, I see you’ve come back to visit Miss Meadows.” Dr. Mitchell pointed out. Matt, Brian, Jimmy, Johnny and Zacky all collectively nodded and followed Dr. Mitchell to the Intensive Care Unit.

“She awoke from the coma about an hour before your arrival; however, she is not talking right now. She has been responding very well and she writes on a whiteboard that we provided her with. There are no signs of amnesia and yes, she very much remembers each and every one of you…especially Mr. Sanders.” Dr. Mitchell informed. Matt blushed when the doctor mentioned his name. A smile broke out on his face when he looked into RaeLynn’s room and saw her reading a book. His smile became bigger when RaeLynn’s eyes locked with his own. It took every ounce of self control in Matt’s body to refrain from bursting into RaeLynn’s room.

“She requested a book about ten minutes ago. I think your company would really be good for her. We’re going to keep her for a few more days for observation just to keep an eye on her. We want to make sure that there are no underline problems that could bring her down, but her recovery has been phenomenal. The concussion has worn off tremendously and she can’t wait to be released.” The doctor added as he punched in the code to RaeLynn’s room.

“RaeLynn, as I’m sure you already know, there are some visitors here to see you.” Dr. Mitchell stated to RaeLynn, who was placing the book back on the stand beside her.

“Since visiting hours are over in about half an hour, I give you all permission to stay for the rest of the night. I’m sure you have a lot you would like to talk about.” Dr. Mitchell stated before turning swiftly and exiting the room. Matt rushed to RaeLynn’s side as soon as the door closed.

“I was so worried about you, RaeLynn. I never thought I would see you again. You’ve been the only thing on my mind lately and I don’t know where I would be without you.” Matt whispered while gently stroking RaeLynn’s cheek. RaeLynn leaned into Matt’s touch and closed her eyes.

“God, I’ve missed his touch.” RaeLynn thought to herself. She opened her eyes and smiled at Matt. She grabbed her marker and whiteboard and began to write.

I’ve missed you guys. Sorry for not speaking. It really hurts to talk right now. How are you? RaeLynn wrote and the guys chuckled at her question. Zacky spoke first.

“We’ve been good. We’ve been recording some songs as a band and there’s one song that we’re thinking about recording. We’ve kept is somewhat underground. It’s called Dear God.” Matt tensed slightly at the mention of the song. He didn’t like discussing it, let alone singing it. The song made him think about RaeLynn, which it turn made him emotional, and being emotional was not something that Matt Sanders particularly enjoyed.

RaeLynn’s eyes beamed at the mention of the song. She missed singing desperately and she couldn’t wait to be released in order to sing the duet with Matt.

Will you sing it for me, please? I really wanna hear the song. RaeLynn responded and Matt gasped slightly. He looked towards his friends for help, but their eyes told him that he had to make the decision on his own. Matt cleared his throat and looked back at RaeLynn.

“How about we sing the song for you after you get out of the hospital?” Matt suggested. RaeLynn shrugged and Matt’s friends rolled their eyes. Brian caught Jimmy’s attention and motioned towards the door. Jimmy nodded and signaled to Zacky and Johnny that they were leaving. They tried their best to leave silently while Matt and RaeLynn were indulged in a conversation.

I’ve missed you, Matt. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. I owe you. RaeLynn complimented Matt, who smiled slightly when he read what was written on the whiteboard.

“You don’t owe me anything, RaeLynn. All that matters right now is you. You’re alive and you are okay. That’s all I wanted. I just wanted you to be okay and…I want you to know that I love you and I always will no matter what. You’ve become my everything in a short period of time.” Matt confessed, causing RaeLynn to blush. She looked Matt in his eyes and connected their lips, tangling her fingers in his hair. The kiss was simple, but held their passion and love for one another. Matt pulled away gently and rested his forehead against RaeLynn’s. RaeLynn sighed and stroked Matt’s cheek.

“It’s getting late, sweetie. I have to leave. The guys and I are having band practice tomorrow morning and I can’t miss this one.” Matt told RaeLynn, who frowned from the thought of Matt leaving.

Please stay. RaeLynn responded on the whiteboard and Matt smiled. He wanted nothing more than to stay with RaeLynn for the rest of the night. Just as he was about to respond to RaeLynn, Dr. Mitchell walked in.

“RaeLynn, it’s getting late and I’m sure Mr. Sanders has to leave.” RaeLynn huffed and pouted much like a five year old child which made Matt and the doctor chuckle at her childish antics.

“Actually, doc, I was wondering if I could stay overnight with her. That is, if it’s not too much trouble.” Matt offered. Dr. Mitchell pondered his request for a minute, and then silently nodded. A smile broke out on RaeLynn’s face. A nurse brought in an extra bed with pillows and blankets for Matt, who was ecstatic about being able to stay with RaeLynn.

“If you need anything Matt, don’t hesitate to push the blue button on the remote next to RaeLynn’s book. I’ll be back in the morning to check on you, RaeLynn. Goodnight, you two.” The doctor stated before leaving the room.

Over the next few hours, Matt and RaeLynn indulged themselves in various conversations about anything and everything. Around one o’clock in the morning, Matt heard RaeLynn’s steady breathing, signaling that she had fallen asleep. Matt chuckled before pulling the blankets over RaeLynn and moving hair out of her face. He smiled when he saw the look of peace on her face. She looked calm and serene and he planned on keeping it that way. Matt pressed a feather-light kiss to RaeLynn’s forehead before stroking her cheek.

“I’ll protect you with my life. I swear.” Matt whispered before kissing her forehead once more and climbing into the bed that was provided for him. Thoughts of the sleeping girl beside him floated around his mind before he drifted into a peaceful sleep.