Afire Love

Tyler:

"Hey Ty, how is Nicole doing?" I looked up from tying my skates. "Um, look man I don't know. She spends everyday at that hospital waiting for the slightest movement out of Nathan, but I think she isn't gonna get it." "So you think he is gone?" "I'm just saying I don't see her getting the results she is hoping for." I put my helmet on and went on the ice for practice.

(After practice)

I showered and headed to the hospital to see Nathan. Nicole has been there everyday for the past 2 weeks. She keeps telling me he is getting better everyday, but I talk to doctors and they say nothing has changed since he first came in. I hate seeing Nicole like this, she is in denial, I don't want to think that he will never wake up but will all the injuries he suffered, it doesn't seem likely. I knocked on the door before I went in. Nicole was just waking up in the chair next to Nate's bed. She has slept her everyday since he was brought in. "Hey." "Hey Ty. How was practice?" She yawned and walked over and gave me a hug. I kissed her head and held her tight. "It was good, couldn't really focus too much. How's he doing?" I walked over to his bed and could hardly look at him. He has tubes and wires connected to him everywhere, he hardly looked human. "He is doing great. He's improving everyday. He held my finger today. I tried to get him to do it a second time, but he wouldn't do it. But that's okay, once is better than not at all." The smile on her face was so big, she truly believes Nathan is getting better. His heart monitor has had the same beat for 2 weeks straight, no change in pace at all. His body has been in the same position since he was brought out of the ambulance, nothing is changing, yet Nicole is seeing something we obviously aren't.

"Nicole, are you sure he grabbed your finger?" She looked over at me disappointed. "What you think I'm making it up? Tyler, I know what happened. Sure maybe it wasn't a tight grab, but there was something there Ty." "I'm not saying I don't believe you, but he has been in the same state for 2 weeks now, the doctors say-" "Forget what the doctors say! They are wrong! I know my brother Tyler." "Nicole, you said he grabbed your finger, but look at his hands." She looked at his hands. "They are fists." She had tears in her eyes. "Nicole, they have been like that for 2 weeks. His hands haven't moved once." "Tyler, I felt it, he grabbed my finger. I was sleeping and I felt someone grab my finger. I woke up and Nathan was the only other person in here and my hand was on the bed next to his." "Nicole, maybe you were wrong. Maybe he isn't getting better. Maybe it was just a dream." "No!" She got up and paced the floor. "It's hope Tyler. And I'm gonna hold onto that hope, with everything that I've got because." She looked over at Nate lying in the bed. "There is absolutely no way that my brother is dead." She walked out of the room and I sat down in the chair next to Nathan's bed.

"Hey Nate, it's me Ty. Look, you gotta wake up man. I can't stand seeing Nicole like this. She needs you man. We both need you. You can't leave us like this. It's not your time to go yet. Please just do something to show us that you are in there, something to prove to me that you will wake up. Please, Nate, just give us some type of sign." I wiped the few tears I had in my eyes then walked out and saw Nicole standing there. She gave me a faint smile and wrapped me in a hug. "Nicole, I'm sorry." "Ty stop, it's okay." We went and got some dinner and then visited Nate one last time before heading home. Still no change.

Nicole:

(A few weeks later)

After practice today Tyler had some media stuff to do, but his teammate Jamie Benn wanted to go with me to visit Nate. We got to his room and Jamie stopped when he walked in. "Wow, I mean Tyler has told me about his condition, but I couldn't have imagined it to ever be like this." I sat down next to Nate, and Jamie sat on the other side of the bed. "He is actually doing fine, it just looks bad." I smiled down at Nate and held his hand. "How do you know Nicole?" "What do you mean?" Jamie shifted in his seat. "Well, how do you know he is doing fine. How do you know he isn't dying on the inside and you just can't see it?" "Jamie stop, don't say stuff like that. He's fine." "Look all I'm saying is, you probably can't really see what's wrong with him cause it's on the inside. He might look fine to you, but there could be something really wrong. I mean what have the doctors said? Do they think he is doing fine?" I sniffled. "They don't know what's wrong. They haven't really said much." "Look Nicole, you know I love you like a sister, and I just don't want you to get your hopes up to only be disappointed in the end." I looked at him and sighed. "Can I get you anything?" He got up and walked toward the door. "No, I'm gonna sit here in case he wakes up." I gave Jamie a faint smile and he left.

Tyler:

Jamie called me and told me that Nicole had fallen asleep at the hospital and he would wait with her there until I got there. I walked in and Jamie was sitting next to Nate's bed. "Hey can we talk outside real quick Tyler?" "Sure." We stepped outside the room to talk. "How long has she been like this?" I sighed. "Since the day he was brought in. She hasn't said much of anything except that she is waiting for him to wake up." "Tyler, he's not going to wake up she knows that right?" I closed the door to Nate's room so Nicole wouldn't hear us. "Look, deep down, I think she has to. But were talking about Nicole. Who has been through this scenario with Nate too many times before. And she did only loose her parents what 3, 4 years ago? I think she doesn't want to believe that the only family she has left could be dying, or already dead." "Well she can't stay like that forever." "I know Jamie, but I can't get through to her." "Well, what is gonna make her realize or come to terms with the fact that Nathan is probably never going to wake up?" "I don't know, I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I just hope that it happens soon because I don't know how much longer I can stand seeing her like this." "Alright man, well good luck. I gotta head home." "Thanks for staying with her." "No problem." Jamie left and I went into Nate's room and Nicole was still sleeping in the chair next to his bed.

I walked over and picked her up. She looked up at me and yawned. "Ty? What time is it?" I laughed. "It's late, we're gonna go home now. you've been here like all day." She looked down at Nate and rested her head on my shoulder. "How's he doing?" She sighed. "The same as every other day." I looked down at her a bit shocked that she didn't say better or really good. Maybe she was starting to realize he wasn't well. I kissed her head and we headed out to the car. When we got home I carried Nicole inside and laid her down on our bed. I started to leave but I felt her grab my hand. "Ty?" "Yeah babe?" I turned back and looked at her. "Is Nate ever gonna wake up?" I laid down next to her and held her close. Tears started falling from her eyes. "I don't know Nicole, I really don't know." I kissed her head and held her until she fell asleep.