Just Can't Ripen Underwater

Sometimes you open your eyes and realise you’ve been going through life with them closed, and what you thought was the world was just the inside of your head all along.

Keira wasn’t dead, but not from lack of trying, we apparently saved her.

Jon had driven us to the hospital, the car journey was silent and awkward, there was nothing that anyone could have said to lighten the mood.

We were now stood in the hallway, drinking rank, scalding ‘hospital’ coffee, blinking under the strip lights like lab rats.

‘Jeezz, I’m so sorry Ry.’ Spence smiled up at me, he looked so hollowed out and unhappy, I smiled back, but I bet I looked the same.

‘Yeah, me too, I could have prevented this.’

‘What? I don’t get it… why? Keira had all of us, she could have talked to any of us.’ Brendon questioned himself.

My head was aching too much for me to even answer Bren, anticipation was getting the better of me.

******************************************

I must have fallen asleep because the nurse woke me up talking to the guys. As soon as I saw her uniform I was alert and my eyes shot wide open. Sitting up a sudden burst of dizziness hit me, she was explaining about ‘possible nerve damage’ and ‘intensive care’ all of which blew over my head.

I was anxious to see her, to see what state she was in. It was when the nurse was explaining that Keira was now sedated and that the psychiatric people would be assessing her as soon as they could when I built up the courage to ask the infamous question.

‘She will be alright though after all that, won’t she?’

Her smile didn’t budge, and she carried on looking at me a second too long. She responded monetarily,

‘There is a possibility like with every case that she may not recover fully’

I could feel my face falter and decided to close my eyes and pretend I wasn’t there until she was gone.

*************************************

‘Christ! That can’t be her, I don’t think I want to go in just yet,’

Brendon retreated from the blank room that we had been allowed into. A fragile, pale girl lay solemnly on a single metal bed, wires extending from her skin.

Her auburn, damp hair curled around her face delicately, make up smudges shadowed her closed eyes. This was not Keira.

I didn’t know how to react. What was I supposed to say?

I broke down right there at the foot of my girlfriends hospital bed.

Tears flew from my eyes, dribbles of snot fell, wiping it away from me I stood and walked to her side.
Dexterously I laced my fingers with her numb ones.

Jon and Spencer had gathered opposite me. They just stood there unable to make sense of the situation.
This was never to happen again, I would not let it!

******************************

I lay torpidly on the side of the bed. I hadn’t left since she was emitted. It had been 3 days since she…did it. Lifting my head I rubbed my tired eyes.

A cough escaped Keira’s lips, my heart stopped.

Slowly I felt pressure on my hand, her fingers were moving. My eyes darted from our fingers to her eye lids and back again. Slowly her lids quivered open. Her usual bright blue eyes were now dull and lifeless.
I smiled softly at her but she didn’t respond. Keira simply closed her eyes again, when she reopened them a trivial tear glided down her check. Slowly she croaked

‘Ryan, you came,‘

I nodded, doubt was present in her voice which immediately made me nervous. Had she expected me to just forget her?

‘Don’t let him do this to me again,’ Fear rose within her .

Then she slipped away back to her dreamless sleep, leaving me bewildered yet infuriated.

I knew who the root of this problem was.