Chapter Twenty Six

She could hear him calling to her. A deep fog had settled itself around her, making it impossible to find her way back. But she could hear him. She wanted desperately to call out to him, to let him know that she was there, and for him not to give up on her. But her voice was gone. She was lost.

~*~

Memories continuously flooded JC’s brain. The last couple of days had been a blur for him. He scarcely remembered being brought into the emergency room and immediately whisked away from Alana’s side. He had cuts and bruises that needed to be tended to, according to the nurse who had pried him away from Alana.

He’d received a total of seven stitches in the wound on his forehead and two in his lip where it had been split. His wrists had been rubbed raw by the rope that had bound him to the chair in the hotel room and he’d had a raging headache that just wouldn’t quit.

But he was alive. He was safe. And he had not left Alana’s side since she’d come out of the surgery. The doctors had told him numerous times that now, they were just playing a waiting game. She had made out wonderfully in surgery. The bullet had been easily removed and had not pierced anything vital. She had been expected to make a full recovery.

But then why wasn’t she awake? She had shown absolutely no signs of life, other than the incessant beeping from the machine monitoring her vitals and the slow rise and fall of her chest.

“Please wake up, Alana,” he pleaded, a single tear finding its way down his cheek. “Please.”

~*~

The rain fell mercilessly upon the city. The city was unusually quiet due to the late hour and to the usual night owls choosing to take cover rather than to venture out into the nasty weather.

The dark night gave the hospital room an eerie glow, casting shadows on the sleeping man. True to his word, he had not left her side, choosing instead to fall asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair, his hand still grasping hers gently.

It had been a long week with each passing day bringing about a new disappointment. She had not yet awakened from the deep sleep that had claimed her and though the doctors had not said so to his face, he knew that with each passing day, the chance grew slimmer and slimmer. All that was left to do now was to hope and pray.

~*~

“How long are you going to sit here?”

The question startled JC. He hadn’t even realized that anyone else was in the room with him. He turned his weary head and offered Chris a weak smile before he spoke. “As long as it takes.”

The others had been in to see him over the course of the week. They were heading back to Florida. The rest of the tour had been cancelled in lieu of the events that had happened in the hotel. They had all tried to persuade him to return with them, but all they’d succeeded in doing was pissing him off.

He couldn’t quite read the look in Chris’ eyes. It wasn’t long, however, before Chris closed the distance between them and clapped his hand down on JC’s shoulder gently. “Just keep talkin’ to her man,” he encouraged. “She’s in there somewhere. She just needs some help finding her way back,” he said. He offered JC a smile and pulled him up for a brotherly hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Anytime, C. You know the number if you need anything,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want one of us to stay with you?”

“I’m sure,” he said, pulling away. “Thanks for the offer.”

“No problem. Call me the minute anything changes,” he said. “And if…” he couldn’t bring himself to say it. “If you need me, I’m on the next flight here,” he promised him.

Lowering his head, JC wasn’t quite sure he trusted himself with his words. He let out a sigh and walked Chris to the doorway to say his goodbyes. He was going to miss his friend horribly, but this was where Alana was. This was where his heart was.

He headed back over to the bed and took his seat in the chair, reaching for her hand before letting out a sigh. “Come back to me.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand before looking over her face. “You’re gorgeous Al,” he said softly. “I know… that I said some pretty hateful things, and if you ever wake up then… then I’ll apologize properly. But I need you to… I need you to know that the things I said… they were lies, Al. You weren’t a mistake. You were the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I love you. And I know you’re there baby,” he said quietly. “I know you are. Maybe you’re just… being stubborn or something, or maybe you just… can’t—no, won’t face me right now. But I’m begging you, Alana. Please. Please Alana. I need you. I don’t… I don’t want to go back to the way I was before I met you.”

He let out another sigh and shook his head. Was this some kind of a horrible punishment for the way he had treated her? Was this someone’s way of showing him that he’d taken Alana for granted—that he’d been so ready to toss her aside when the first little thing went wrong in the relationship?

He dropped his head back, staring up at the ceiling before he spoke again. “I get the picture,” he said quietly. “I get this. I made… a horrific mistake. Instead of cherishing her, I tossed her away like she was nothing. I get it. Just please… please bring her back. I promise I’ll do her right this time. Please just give me another chance to love her… the RIGHT way.”

For what seemed like an eternity, the only sound in the room was that of her machines. It was the sound that he had grown quite used to over the course of the week. He glanced up at her monitor, looking for a sign… anything. And then he saw it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted it. Her hand had twitched. It was slight, but it was more than enough to give him a glimmer of hope. He needed to alert the nurses! He pushed his chair back and jumped up before heading towards the doorway. However, before he even made it to the door, he heard it.

Her machine had started going crazy. He glanced back, his eyes wide as he slowly watched her heart rate climb and again, her hand twitched, though this time more pronounced! She was coming around!

He found that he didn’t even need to alert the nurses. In no time at all, they had poured into the room, surrounding her bedside as he was shoved aside. He gladly stepped back, steering clear of the professionals as they did their job.

“She’s awake!”

~*~

“You can come and see her now, Mr. Chasez.”

Glancing up from his cup of coffee, JC had offered a small smile to Dr. Henson, the man who had been overseeing Alana’s care since she was brought in. He had been shoved from the room earlier that afternoon after she had started coming around so that the she could be thoroughly checked over. He would have protested under normal circumstances, insisting on being in the room with her, to be the first one she saw when she woke from the deep sleep that she was in, but he had gone quietly. She was back. And that was all that had mattered.

He pushed himself to his feet, tipping his head back to down the last bit of coffee before tossing the cup in the trash can beside his seat. He brushed his hands off and followed Dr. Henson down the hallway, to Alana’s room. He was just about to go in when the man put his hand up, stopping him.

“Now please keep in mind… she’s gone through a horrible ordeal. Much of her memory is still hazy, though whether due to the medication or due to the sheer trauma of the shooting, we are not sure. But do not be surprised if she seems… distant and disoriented. It is to be expected.”

JC nodded, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. He knew all of this! The girl had just come out of a coma after being shot! He didn’t expect her to be little Susie Sunshine… not that she ever was, or anything.

He stepped into the room and a bright smile was immediately on his face as he made his way over to the bed. She was awake!

“Hi,” he greeted quietly, careful not to startle her.

Alana turned her head towards him, managing to muster a small smile. “Hi,” she responded, the greeting coming out as nothing more than a hoarse croak. She made a face at the sound and cleared her throat. “Hi.”

He took his seat and reached for her hand, pleased when he she didn’t pull away from him. She squeezed ever so gently.

“Alana I—“

“I know,” she told him. “I heard you. I couldn’t… there’s no way to explain the place that I was… but I was here and I heard you.”

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I never meant to hurt you Al. I just… I need another chance,” he pleaded softly. “I was angry and I was… I was being pig headed and I was stupid and just—“ He saw her hold her hand up. “Don’t interrupt me.”

“Oh, I wasn’t planning on it. Keep going. You were pig headed, stupid and what else? A jerk? A brat? An asshole? A—“

“Okay, okay. I get the picture,” he said, giving her a laugh. “It’s nice to see you haven’t lost your spunk, kid.” He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss there. He noticed her eyelids were drooping. “You’re tired,” he observed. “I’ll get out of your hair but I just wanted to let you know… I love you.” He stood and leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her forehead before he turned and headed towards the door.

She watched as he walked away, biting her lip. “Josh!” she called, as he reached for the door. He turned, giving her a small smile.

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.”