“So I’m guessing you know about Elijah and me?” I asked nervously.

“When you told me what college you were going to, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for you two to hook up.”

“What?” I arched my brows in confusion. “You were hoping we would hook up?”

“I knew you were perfect for him, and he was perfect for you. Though we have rules against dating each other’s sisters or cousins, I knew that he would go against it if he really fell in love with you. And I was right. He knew, without a doubt, that you belong together. It would be the only reason he would risk our friendship.” Jimmy turned to Elijah. “You better get up so I can kick your ass, Ellie. Do you hear me?”

I had never seen Jimmy tear up like that. Jimmy turned away from Elijah and cleared his throat. “Does your mom know about Elijah?”

“She knows we’re together, but I didn’t tell her what happened.”

“Alex, we need to talk about something. Elijah doesn’t have a family, so I’m on his emergency contact as his health care proxy. If the swelling doesn’t go down in his brain and there are more complications….” He paused. “I don’t want to think about this, but—”

I knew what he was trying to tell me, but the thought never crossed my mind until now. “No,” I said softy before he could finish his words. “He’s going to be fine,” I said with conviction, almost angrily. “Talk to him. I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be back soon.”

I left the room, heading away from the waiting area so the gang couldn’t see me. Walking down the hall gave me some peace and it was exactly what I needed. After passing the patient rooms, I came upon the dimly lit open room. I hadn’t been inside a church since my dad passed away, but I decided to go into the chapel anyway.

Sitting in the last row, I glanced around. It was small, with ten pews on each side, lit candles off to the left, and statues of Saints off to the right. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do as I stared at the cross. I felt so guilty to be in here to pray for something for myself when I hadn’t prayed in so long, but I needed hope.

“I know it’s selfish of me to be here and to ask something of you when I don’t even pray like I should. There are people with worse problems than me, but right now, this is all I can think of. You took away my dad, who meant the world to me, and you’ve already taken so much from Elijah. I don’t mean to question why, but I’m asking you for a second chance…please. And Dad, I know you can hear me. I miss you. I know you’re watching over me, and I know you’re listening right now. Please don’t let anyone take Elijah away. I need him. If God takes him, I don’t know how I’m going to survive. My heart can only take so much.”

That was all I could say before I lost it again. The tears poured, taking every ounce of strength I had left until my eyes hurt like hell, until my muscles felt like they were on fire, and until I could feel nothing more. I don’t know how I got back to Elijah’s room. I could only recall how heavy my body felt and how tired I was. Jimmy reached out for me. I think I collapsed in his arms.

Chapter 39

Alexandria

Voices spoke to me as I drifted in and out of consciousness. They were mostly mumbled sounds, but I heard words like—swelling is down—breathing on his own—full recovery. They all sounded so good, I was afraid the dream would end. I wanted to wake up and hear it from the doctor. I didn’t want it to be a dream.

Lexy and Jimmy woke me up a couple of times to eat. I tried to take a bite here and there, but my stomach couldn’t handle solid food, so I drank some juice instead. Sometimes I drank coffee when I wanted the caffeine, but it didn’t help much because I was utterly exhausted. Besides, after drinking the same hospital coffee day after day, it left a lingering bitter taste in my mouth.

Though they already knew the basics from Lexy, I had to call into work and let them know the full extent of my situation. There was no way I could even function right now. As another day turned into night, I got as comfortable as I could in a chair by his bed, still wearing his jacket.

It was my fourth night here. Many of the nurses stopped by and reassured me that he would be fine since the swelling had gone down. I was comforted by all their positive words. I really needed to hear them.

Lexy came back with some clean clothes for me so I could shower and wash up in the bathroom that was in Elijah’s room. Getting the good news that there were no further signs of swelling in his brain and that they had stopped the medication to induce his coma made me practically giddy. He was expected to wake up any time now.

Being as impatient as I was, I started to kiss every part of his face and his hands, trying to coax him into waking up. It was easier to do now that the tubes were out of the way. I even threatened to sell his leather jacket. I tried everything to get him to open up his beautiful eyes, but—nothing.

Elijah made it through the most critical stage, but the waiting was driving me crazy. Even with the good news, I would have to see him with his eyes open to know for sure that he would be okay. Slipping in the bed beside him, even knowing I shouldn’t, I wrapped my arms around him gently. I missed laying with him like that.

As I breathed in his scent, I felt his chest rise and fall. It put me in a hypnotic state. I found myself drifting off to sleep.

Elijah

I tried to get my eyes to open, but they were so heavy. It took some time to clear as I blinked numerous times. Every muscle in my body felt achingly painful, like I had been hit by a truck—wait—no. I had been hit by car—my poor bike. I realized I was in the hospital. What happened? Then it all became clear. It was like a scene from a movie. I was thrown off my bike and landed on the cement.