6"Zach? You were with Zach? But I thought you two were broken up."
I took her hand off of my forehead. "We were…we got back together this morning…I think." I looked down at the sling on my right arm. "How badly did it break?" I asked the doctor. He looked at his charts. "It's only in two places. We should be able to get a cast on it by tomorrow." "But where's Zach?" I asked the doctor, again. "Ah yes, the young man that was in the car with you." The doctor shut the door and proceeded to sit down on my bed. He looked at my mother, and then again at me. "Zach received severe brain damage…he's in a coma." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You must be joking right?" I tried to pull back the covers and get out of my bed. My mother and the doctor both stopped me. "Ella you need to stay in bed." "But Mom!" I cried. "I need to know how he's doing!" My mother grabbed her purse and kissed me again on my forehead. "I'll go check for you honey. I'll be right back."
It seemed like it took hours for my mother to come back. She walked into the room and shut the door. I was trying my hardest not to fall asleep. She looked like she had been crying. "What's wrong Mom!" I cried. She sat down on my bed. "April said that they expect him to wake up." "Oh that's great Mom!" I exclaimed. My mother still didn't look happy. "But if and when he does wake up, they don't expect him to have any memory of the past seventeen years of his life. He's going to have to go through physical and speech therapy, Honey."
I fell back on my pillow and shut my eyes. Maybe if I go to sleep, I'll wake up from this horrible nightmare.
After getting out of the hospital, I visited him everyday, in hope that he would wake up. Deep down, I prayed that he wouldn't forget who I was. He couldn't forget who I was. He was my best friend. He was the only guy who had ever truly loved me.
After a few months of being in a coma, he finally woke up. I remember the day like it was yesterday. "Nurse, come quick!" April, Zach's mother, jumped up from her chair in the corner. I moved over, to let her in. The nurse ran in and pushed the call button for the doctor. She smiled, and looked at April. "It's about time."
April ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me. "This is the first time he's opened his eyes Ella!" I began to cry. I couldn't be in this room. All I could think about was the fact that he would not remember who I was. I couldn't bear to look into his eyes…empty eyes.
A month later, I was in the grocery store helping my mother shop, when April rounded the corner. Our carts ran into each other. April and my mother hugged each other. And then April did something I didn't expect her to. "Zach! Don't worry about that…come here!" What? Zach was here? I thought he was going to forget how to walk…and talk… what was he doing talking and walking? What was I going to do? It was too late. He was standing behind his mother. "Yeah?" April gestured towards my mother and me. "Zach this is Mrs. Parker and her daughter Ella…you know about Ella, remember? She's the girl I told you about." I looked up into Zach's eyes. They still had that quality that captured me. He smiled. "Yeah. It's nice to meet you." I looked away. "You too." "Umm, Sharon, I was wondering if you all wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow night, around seven." My mother looked in my direction. I remained expressionless. "We'd love to come, but…" My mother now gestured towards me with her head. I laughed inside. April nodded her head. "I know Sharon…but we haven't gotten together in forever!" I had to hand it to April. She seemed optimistic about the whole arrangement. "I guess it will be alright." The two women hugged and went on their way. My mother had to break me out of my trance. "Come on Ella, let's go pay." I turned around to follow her, but not without one last glance behind me. Zach stood there staring in our direction, at me…he was staring at me…and there was something in his eyes that wasn't there only a few moments before…and yet I couldn't place it.
The next night, my family arrived at Zach's house for dinner. April and her husband greeted us at the door. "Come in!" Zach's youngest brother, Michael met me at the door and hugged me. I bent down and hugged him back. "Hey little man!" He jumped up in my arms. "Mommy bought me a new book today. Will you read it to me? Please? Please?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Why not? Lead the way!" Michael dragged me up the stairs and into the playroom.
I had gotten so into reading Michael the book that I had barely noticed the time, until I heard someone cough behind me. Michael and I both turned around. "Hey!" Michael jumped up and ran to hug Zach. Zach stood there, staring at me. "Dinner's ready." He told us. I stood up and readied myself to leave, but he caught my arm. "We're friends, right?" He asked me. I bent my head down to divert his gaze. "Yes we are." I told him.
After eating dinner, my family stayed for a while to talk with Zach's. I was sitting on the couch with my brother when Zach tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped. "Oh hey Zach. Did you want something?" "I just wanted to talk." He said to me. "Do you want to go upstairs to my room?" I nodded my head. What was I getting myself into?
His room had changed, just like he had. Everything was in order. His bed was perfectly made, and there were no more layers of dust encasing every square inch of the room. "Your room is clean." I acknowledged. Zach sat down in his computer desk chair. "What? Is it not supposed to be?" I laughed. "No…this is how it's supposed to be. It's just that you never used to keep it clean." I stood up and ran my hand along the trophies he had stored on the top shelf of his cabinet. "How long have we known each other?" He asked me. I had to hold back the tears. He really didn't remember me. "Seventeen years…our whole life." "I'm sorry that I don't remember you." He said quietly. "What? No! Don't be sorry!" Zach stood up and walked over to me. "But you're crying Ells." I froze. He called me Ells. "You called me Ells, Zach." "I'm sorry, was I not supposed to?" He again questioned his decision. I, unthinkingly, took his hand in mine, lacing my fingers through his. "Only those close to me call me Ells…you always called me Ells." He took my free hand, the one in the cast, and laced his fingers through it. "How close were we?" This moment was getting a little too comfortable. "Very close." I said. "This close?..." Zach leaned in, his lips readying to touch mine. We were so conveniently interrupted by a knock at the door. A sigh came from both of us. I slowly let go of his hand as he ran to answer the door. It was my mother. Oh my mother knows the exact time to come and find me. "Sweetie we're leaving now. Are you coming?" I stood up and looked in Zach's direction. I saw sadness in his eyes. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" I walked past him to leave. "I can if you want me to." I told him. "I want you to." I smiled at him and continued on my way to the stairs. "I'll be here after school."
For the next few weeks I met up with Zach every single day, filling all of the gaps that he had questions about. But somehow I wasn't ready for any questions about the accident.
"How did you get that cast?" He asked me one day. I looked down at the green mass of plaster and bandage surrounding my arm. "I was in an accident." He ran his hand across it. I shivered. "I was in the same accident wasn't I?" He didn't remove his hand from my arm. Zach didn't give me a chance to speak. "Why did you leave that day in the hospital?"
I was confused. "What day Zach?" I asked him. "The day I woke up…I remember seeing you in the room…but then you were gone. I thought I was dreaming."
"You weren't. I was there."
"Why did you leave?"
I sighed. "I left because I couldn't bear to look at you…I was afraid you wouldn't remember me…and you didn't." "I'm sorry Ells." Zach looked away, ashamed. "I wish I could remember everything. I pray every day that God will let me remember you…everything we did together…everything we ever talked about." We were lying next to each other on his bed. I rolled over so that I was looking into his eyes. "One day you will."
He never took his eyes off of me. He took my hand and laced his fingers through it. "Can I kiss you Ells?" He asked, inching closer towards me. "You don't even need to ask Zach." I reached him before he had a chance to reach me first. I backed away from him and smiled, running my hand through his hair. It was like an explosion went off in his brain. "Ells?" He said my name. "Yes Zach?" I asked him. "I think I remember everything…at least some of the stuff that happened before the accident." "Ok…tell me then…slowly…" I tried not to get too excited.
"You broke up with me…"He paused. He knew what happened. "You broke up with me because I cheated on you with some girl." Zach must have seen the pain in my eyes, because he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. "I'm sorry." "Don't worry…I've already forgiven you." I whispered softly. He went on. "But then we made up...and we went somewhere…to the beach…" "Right." I said to him, rubbing his arm. "I can't remember much after that." He looked tired from all the hard work of remembering.
"You called me that morning to talk to me. And I couldn't bear to go on like I was anymore. So you picked me up to take me to work. And yes, we made up. We drove to your parent's beach house and talked for hours…and then that night we were in the accident."
"Where you broke your arm, and I was in a coma? That accident?" He questioned.
"Yes, that accident."
Author's note::::::Sorry about any mistakes! I proof read it all the time...i can never catch everything though!