Darkness

Haruna didn't know how it had happened. One moment, she was sitting at a celebration party next to her fiancée. The next moment, she had found herself laying on the pavement, half-awake as shattered glass surrounded her. Her body was numb, not a single movement present in the broken limbs that laid flat against the pavement painted red.

She could remember a man appearing over her barely conscious form. She knew the outfit, he was a paramedic. But how? She could hear him say something to head but the words came out as mere murmurs, nothing hearable to the broken brunette. She turned her head to the side only to see the remains of the mangled car as the firefighters carefully extracted her fiancée’s limp body from the wreckage.

Life sprang back into Haruna at that moment. Her body was hit by immense pain. Her heart shattered into pieces when she saw them lay Tomomi down onto the blacktop, her head falling to the side as if she were a lifeless doll. Haruna could see the blood that dropped down her forehead, splashing onto the black concrete as a small pool of blood formed underneath Tomomi. She could see the cuts on her arms, littering Tomomi's once milky white skin.

It was at that moment that Haruna heard someone scream. She could feel the paramedics holding her down instantly and she realized the scream was coming from her. She could see the paramedic call something out but her hysteria had deafened her. Only her anguished screams and the buzzing of the pain she endured was what she heard.

Now here she was, some hours later, laying in the trauma room of the hospital. Her vision was blurry as she looked around the pure white hospital room. A small beeping rang out through the room, constantly reminding Haruna of the machines she was hooked up to. The only things keeping her alive. Her eyes found their way to the door, seeing a small red sign outside on the wall that read two simple letters. E.R.

The Emergency Room.

How had she gotten here? She'd been innocently celebrating with her bandmates and management. She was getting married in two weeks. She was preparing to start a family with the one woman she loved more than anything else in the world. But now.... Now she laid in the hospital, barely alive. Everything had finally starting working out for Haruna; it had started looking up. Why now, of all times, did fate have to be so cruel?

The broken brunette could feel the cool liquid slip down her cheek, her eyes fluttering shut. Where was Tomomi? Was she alive? Haruna would never forgive herself if she wasn't. Haruna was the one driving. She should be the one dead. She should have gotten the worst of the crash. Tomomi didn't deserve this.

She did her best not to think about the oxygen tube snuggly hooked into her nose or the IV drip that was stuck in her hand. She tried not to think about the aching cuts across her arms and legs or the pounding in her head. She tried not to think about anything.

Haruna could hear the sound of a door opening break through the silence in the room. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, her still blurry vision peering at the doctor who had walked in. He closed the door, hugging his clipboard to his chest as he walked over to Haruna's bedside. He checked her vitals, the broken and bruised patient staring at him the entire time with watery eyes that spoke of her pain.

“You’re awake sooner than I expected, Haruna.”

His voice held a sincere tone but it meant nothing to Haruna. It didn’t soothe her aching body and it didn’t take away the pain that stabbed her heart like knives. It didn’t change what had happened. The doctor coughed lowly, checking her oxygen before continuing.

“Your car was hit by a drunk driver; it wasn’t your fault. You’re very lucky; most wouldn’t survive a crash as bad as this.”

Lucky? Haruna didn’t feel lucky. She felt the exact opposite. Was it luck to be laying half dead in a hospital? Was it luck to not know the whereabouts of your fiancée? Haruna desperately wanted to ask him where Tomomi was but she couldn’t. Her body was too weak to even speak. She could only lay there, silently suffering in an agony that was slowly killing her inside.

“We will do everything we can to save your fiancée.”

That was all it took. Haruna didn’t know what she was doing when her body attempted to sit up, ignoring the blinding pain that shot through her over and over again at the littlest movements. The doctor moved fast, pushing Haruna back to the bed as the broken girl flailed as best as her bruised body would allow. She screamed and cried, begging for Tomomi back – begging for their lives back.

Haruna’s tears came out heavier as the doctor called for a sedative. So it was true. Tomomi had ended up worse off than her. The innocent passenger of her car was worse than she was. It wasn’t fair. She should be worse. Tomomi didn’t deserve this.

She saw the nurses come in. She felt the needle penetrate her skin. She felt the doctor lay her back down flat, one of the nurses gently stroking the top of her head and whispering sweet words that held no meaning for the sobbing girl. She could feel her body slipping and sliding away, off into a word of unconsciousness.

***

Haruna awoke in the hospital again. She wasn’t sure of how much time she had been out for this time but she could notice one thing… She wasn’t in pain. The agony that tore at her body was gone and the sorrow that marred her heart had vanished. The hospital glowed with an angel white color, the soft beeping no longer present. The oxygen tank she had been hooked up to was gone as was the IV drip. It was like Haruna had never been taken into the trauma ward.

“Haruna.”

The brunette’s body shot up, no pain happening when she did so. Her head turned to the side, her eyes widening when she saw her girlfriend standing against one of the walls. The brown haired beauty pushed herself off the wall, walking over to Haruna. Haruna turned her head to the side, curious of the almost angelic glow that seemed to surround her fiancée.

“I’m so happy you’re alive.”

Tomomi reached out, her hand gently brushing the porcelain skin of Haruna’s face. The older girl leaned her head into Tomomi’s touch, nuzzling her hand and relishing the warm feeling that washed over her. Her hand reached up, grabbing onto Tomomi’s wrist but the younger girl pushed her hands back down.

“I can’t stay, Haruna. I have to go, but I wanted to see you one last time before I left.”

“Don’t leave me,” Haruna croaked out. She didn’t recognize her own, scratchy voice that didn’t seem to be her own. Tomomi gave her a smile, leaning forward a placing a kiss on her forehead. She rubbed her fingertips against Haruna’s cheek one last time before pulling her hand away.

“I must but someday we will see each other again. We will see each other again in a place where there is no darkness.”

Haruna felt something slip from her eye. She reached up, slowly touching the salty water that was rolling down her cheek. She looked up at her fiancée’s sweet smile just as the younger girl leaned down, brushing her lips against Haruna’s.

“I’ll love you forever, Haruna.”

***

The battered brunette awoke with a start, her eyes snapping open with labored breathing shaking her body. She looked around, noticing a nurse in the room tidying up. She tried to push herself up but found a pain that shot through her body, causing her to fall weakly back down to the bed. The pained groan she let slip out alerted the nurse.

“Oh no! Please don’t try to sit up, dearie.”

The nurse rushed to Haruna’s side, giving her a sweet smile. She quickly checked Haruna’s vitals, nodding when she saw that Haruna had not dangerously hurt herself from attempting to sit. Haruna looked around the room, confusion setting in. The pain… Tomomi… The light… What was it?

“You’re awake so soon, you’ve been out for an entire day.”

“Where is Tomomi?” Haruna croaked out, speaking for the first time since the accident. The nurse was shocked by her voice, not expecting her to have the strength to speak yet. She gave Haruna a sad smile.

“I’m so sorry, you have my deepest condolences.”

Haruna could feel the tears slipping into her eyes and the familiar pain beginning to burn in her heart. Her head slowly shook itself back and forth as the nurse sighed. She felt sorry for Haruna. The patient should be lucky but she knew Haruna wouldn’t feel anything but guilt.

“We couldn’t save her.”