Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The soft beep of machines was the first thing I heard when I woke up again.
The white hospital walls still surrounded me like a box I couldn’t escape.
The air smelled like medicine and something sharp— maybe bleach.
I turned my head slowly. My body felt heavy, like I had slept for a hundred years.
My mom was sitting in the same chair. Her head was bowed, her hair messy. She must have been asleep.
I licked my dry lips. “Mom?”
Her head snapped up instantly.
“Oh, baby, you’re awake,” she said, rushing to my side. Her hands cupped my cheeks gently. “You scared me so much.”
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my head. I let out a small whimper and fell back against the pillows.
“No, no, take it easy,” she said softly. “Don’t move too fast.”
I nodded weakly.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, brushing hair out of my face.
“Thirsty,” I croaked.
She reached for a plastic cup on the table and helped me take a few sips through a straw.
The cool water was heaven.
I closed my eyes for a second, letting it wash away the dryness in my throat.
When I opened them, my mom was still looking at me with so much worry that I felt guilty.
I hated being the reason she looked like that.
“Where’s Lena?” I asked, my voice a little stronger.
“She went home to freshen up. She’s been here almost every day, baby. She even slept here sometimes.”
I blinked, surprised.
“Really?”
“She was so worried. We all were.”
She paused, brushing my forehead like she was checking my temperature.
“We didn’t know when you’d wake up.”
I swallowed hard. “I... I feel weird, mom. My head is heavy.”
“That’s normal. You’ve been sleeping for almost two weeks.”
Two weeks.
The words still didn’t feel real.
It was like a whole part of my life had just... disappeared.
“And Rick? You said he helped pay?” I asked carefully.
She nodded. “Yeah. Rick Russell. He said he was your close friend. Lena confirmed she knew him too, so I didn’t think anything of it. He even brought food sometimes.”
My stomach twisted.
Something about that didn’t sit right with me.
I barely knew Rick.
Why would he care so much?
“Okay,” I said softly, not wanting to worry my mom.
She smiled weakly and stood up.
“I’ll call the nurse to let her know you’re awake. They’ll need to run some checks.”
I watched her leave the room.
The moment she was gone, I let out a long breath.
Alone again.
I stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to remember what had happened.
Bits and pieces floated through my mind like broken glass.
The rain.
The soft smell of coffee.
Alex’s hands brushing my face.
His lips on mine.
His voice whispering my name.
"You can’t forget me, Nell. We promised."
I shivered.
I pulled the thin hospital blanket up to my chest and closed my eyes.
For a moment, I was somewhere else.
---
We were lying in bed.
Alex was stroking my hair gently. His chest was warm against my cheek.
“I’ll always find you, Nell,” he whispered.
“No matter what?” I asked sleepily.
“No matter what,” he promised, kissing the top of my head.
---
A soft knock on the door jolted me back to reality.
It was Lena.
She rushed in and nearly tripped over the wires connected to my machines.
“Careful,” I said with a small smile.
“Nell!” she cried, ignoring my warning as she pulled me into a soft hug.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again. You hear me?”
I laughed a little.
It hurt, but it also felt good to laugh.
“I missed you too, Lena,” I said quietly.
She pulled away and wiped her eyes quickly, pretending she hadn’t been crying.
“You look like crap,” she teased.
“Thanks, I missed you roasting me.”
She smiled and pulled up the chair closer to my bed.
“So... what do you remember?” she asked carefully.
I frowned.
“I remember dreaming,” I said slowly. “About... someone.”
“Someone?” she pressed.
I hesitated.
Should I tell her?
Would she think I was crazy?
“His name’s Alex,” I said in a whisper.
“I don’t know who he is... but he feels real.”
Lena’s face softened.
“You were mumbling that name in your sleep sometimes,” she said gently. “I didn’t know if I should tell you.”
I closed my eyes.
I wasn’t crazy.
I wasn’t crazy.
“I keep seeing him,” I said.
“In my dreams. It’s like we had a whole life together.”
Lena reached out and squeezed my hand.
“Maybe you did,” she said, half-joking.
I gave her a small smile, but deep down, a part of me wasn’t joking.
Maybe I had.
---
The doctor came in after a while.
They checked my vitals, asked me some questions, poked and prodded until I was too tired to even care anymore.
Finally, they said I could go home in a few days if I continued getting better.
I nodded, pretending to listen.
But my mind wasn’t here anymore.
It was with Alex.
It was trapped in memories that didn’t make sense.
After the doctor left, Lena pulled out her phone.
“Want to catch up on some gossip?” she asked with a grin.
I smiled.
Maybe some normal girl talk was what I needed.
We talked for an hour about school, about Mike, about how Rick had apparently been super nice while I was in the coma.
Too nice.
“He even asked about you yesterday,” Lena said casually. “Wanted to know when you were waking up.”
I frowned.
“What did you tell him?”
“That I didn’t know.”
I nodded, but inside, a seed of doubt grew.
Why was Rick so interested?
---
Three days later, they finally discharged me.
I wore the loose grey sweater Lena brought for me and my oldest pair of jeans.
I didn’t even care how I looked.
I just wanted to go home.
My mom was sorting out the bills at the front desk while I stood near the hospital entrance.
I leaned against the wall, my head still pounding lightly.
That was when I saw him.
Alex.
He was standing across the hallway, near the elevators.
Wearing a simple black hoodie and jeans.
His hair was messy, his hands tucked into his pockets.
My heart stopped.
It was him.
It was really him.
The man from my dreams.
The man I loved.
I felt my feet move on their own.
I took one step forward.
“Alex?” I called softly, barely more than a whisper.
He looked up at the sound.
His green eyes met mine.
My heart shattered.
Because there was no recognition in his face.
None.
He looked at me like I was a stranger.
Like I was nobody.
He glanced away almost immediately, pressing the elevator button and stepping inside without a second look.
I stood there frozen.
Like someone had ripped a hole right through me.
My mom’s voice calling my name sounded far away.
Everything blurred.
I clutched the wall for support, willing myself not to fall again.
He didn’t know me.
He didn’t remember.
But I remembered him.
And I had to find out why.