Love Like A Tidal Wave

~Lyla’s Point Of View

When I opened my eyes all I saw was white. The first thought to cross my mind was that I was dead, but then I remembered I had just passed out on stage in front of hundreds of people. That was only slightly better. I realized I was in the waiting room of a hospital. Jaime sat on the opposite end of an uncomfortable, blue couch and my feet were resting in his lap. He was talking quietly but very fast in Spanish into his phone. His hair wasn’t as spiky and had started to puff up into its natural state from sweat and lack of hair gel. The room was empty for the two of us on the tiny couch; we were surrounded by a sea of uncomfortable furniture, fake plants, and clocks that seemed to move impossibly slow.

I tried to recall the last few hours and the image of Mike carrying Vic off stage ripped through my memory. Then I pasted out, why didn’t I help him? I looked bad in front of everyone who idolized him, I was his fiancé! I looked down and saw my new engagement ring, amazingly still glinting in what little light it could find. I looked at Jaime, who was already looking at me, to keep from crying.

“Come here.” He nodded his head and I crawled to him so he could give me a hug. “The doctors came while you were sleeping, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

“W-what did they say?”My voice broke despite me trying to stay calm. I was always expecting the worst, which was what I was used to.

“Vic is in a coma. But he’s lucky. He was barely an inch away from hitting his main cranial nerve, and if that happened he would’ve been paralyzed. He could be asleep for a few hours or a few days, we don’t know anything beside that. But he’s alive.” Jaime spoke slowly and wouldn’t look me in the eye.

This couldn’t be happening. He could be gone forever, and what was I supposed to do. I couldn’t live without him, he was the reason I woke up every day. I couldn’t go back to how I was before him. If that happened I honestly couldn’t say how long I would alive. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on my knees. The scars that littered my arms began to itch and I felt the need to revisit them. They had all just healed and few were even beginning to disappear. I had made so much progress to throw that all down the drain.

I felt Jaime’s arm on my shoulder and I turned my face to meet his gaze.

“I know you love him, how you feel for him is probably impossible to put into words and something none of us would understand, but I love him, too. We all do. Mike hasn’t left his bedside since we got here. He hasn’t slept. We’re all hurting here, but we have to be strong for him. Breaking down and crying is not going to help. He can still hear us. He’s still here. When he wakes up he’s probably going to apologize for bringing pain onto us because that’s the kind of guy Vic is, he’s unselfish. Now we need to do the same and put aside our pain for him.”

I nodded my head; I just wanted to see him. “Can I see him?” My throat was dry and every time I pronounced something it felt like someone was raking my throat as merrily as they would their front lawn in November. Jaime nodded and I followed him down a series of halls. I grabbed a paper cup full of water as we rounded our third corner.

Mike was asleep, leaning forward with his head resting on the bed when Jaime unexpectedly stopped at a room. The room was just like any other hospital room, and I had been in plenty. The constant beep, beep, beep comforted me, only slightly, that Vic was still alive.

“Hey, Mike, let’s let them have a little time alone.” Jaime shook Mike gently and he stood. He looked rough. His eyes were rimmed with red and I had a feeling he wasn’t actually sleeping. As he stood Vic’s hand rolled back to his side and I noticed Mike had been holding his hand. He hugged me before he walked out. They closed the door as softly as possible and I was left alone with my fiancé for the first time since our engagement.

He didn’t look like himself. His hair was pushed off his face exposing a brutal black eye that had puffed up and turned purple in the late night hours. His lip was busted and twice the normal size. A bandage wrapped around his forehead that must have been protecting the injury on the back of his head and I didn’t want to imagine what that looked like. He looked fragile, like one touch could shatter him into a million pieces in this hospital bed.

I took tiny steps, my heels never going much further than my toes, until I reached his bed side. I took his hand and for the first time since I’ve known him, he didn’t hold it back. I sat in the chair that Mike had been occupying and kissed each of his finger tips.

“Hi, Vic. I’m… I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened last night, but I feel guilty. I should’ve been there for you instead of being weak and collapsing myself. I love you, Vic. I need you. I need you more than you probably realize. I know you need me to. Please, please wake up. Mike hasn’t left your bed side. We need you.” I was crying now. My tears fell onto his hand and I wiped them away into his tan skin. “I love you more than I love myself. I promised you forever and damn it you’re going to get forever, do you understand me. I’m staying right here, just like my ring says. Stay.”

~Vic’s Point Of View

I felt weightless. I was swimming in a sea of black and all I could feel was the pounding in my head. I could barely hear myself think over the repetitive wave of pain in my head and my heart beat that was suddenly broadcasted through my body. It seemed like every sound was suddenly ten times louder than it should be. I concentrated on counting my breaths to distract myself.

“Hi, Vic.” What was that? I knew that voice. But I couldn’t place it. I felt someone grab my hand and I knew the touch. It was Lyla. I felt soft, tiny lips on my fingers and tried to react. I couldn’t move. I wanted to grab her hand in return and extend my arms and grab her face, kiss her lips.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened last night, but I feel guilty. I should’ve been there for you instead of being weak and collapsing myself.” What was she talking about? I tried to think about what she could be apologizing for, but nothing clicked. The last thing I remember was her face, a million bright lights were behind her and a look of utter terror was spread across her face before I was thrown into this sea of darkness. This was none of her doing.

“ I love you, Vic. I need you. I need you more than you probably realize. I know you need me to. Please, please wake up.” I could hear the desperation and pain in her voice and it broke my heart a million times over. I loved her too, did she not know that?

“Mike hasn’t left your bed side. We need you.” Mike. My brother. I remember him being here to, crying just as she was. I had never seen Mike cry before. He tried to maintain the badass image as much as possible, and hearing him cry and not being able to do anything was almost unbearable.

“I love you more than I love myself. I promised you forever and damn it you’re going to get forever, do you understand me. I’m staying right here, just like my ring says. Stay.” I tried again to touch her, let her know I could hear her. But I couldn’t move. I loved her too, more than she would ever know.

It would be nice to have her here, to hear her voice in my head wherever I went. To have her tell me of forevers I could only dream of existing. I would make those forevers happen once I woke up from whatever was happening to me. I promise, Lyla. I’m here. Her voice suddenly ceased and quiet sobs replaced her angelic voice. I repeated our favorite word over and over in my head. I imagined my mouth and tongue working together to form the words. I would try and try until I could speak again.

Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay.