The next day, Zac returned to the hospital, and sat by Aurora's side. All day he sat, with hope gleaming in his eye. The day after that, he came back after a brief promotional concert, and when his mom was finally satisfied that he understood the math homework.
Zac sat by her side, clutching her hand, but slowly his hope began to fade. He was so busy that he was unable to come the following two days, but he came back the sixth day since the accident. Gently holding her hand, Zac waited patiently for any sign of recovery.
But Aurora's body remained still, unmoving. Finally, Zac grew restless and decided to go down the cafeteria for a burger and Dr. Pepper. After stopping twice to sign autographs for nurses or patients that recognized him, he reached the cafeteria, bought his food, then sat down at a table to think.
As he slowly chewed his cheeseburger, he wondered if Aurora would ever wake up. Then he silently scolded himself for thinking that. Of course she'll wake up, he thought, I know she will, but I don't know if I can handle seeing her like this anymore. But why do I care so much? I barely know her, but I feel like I already do...I just care about her so much now...
Zac got up, threw away his trash, then went back up to Aurora's room. When he walked in and saw her like that, he nearly broke down. "Why won't you wake up?" he whispered. Zac went to the other side of the room and stared out the window with his back to her. After a few minutes, the turned to look at her with a tear rolling down his cheek.
Move! Wake up! He silently willed her.
Just as he was about to turn back to the window, movement caught his eye. Movement! It was...the finger of the quiet body on the bed, slowly, slowly, inching away from the starched white sheet where it had laid for nearly the past week.
"Oh my God," Zac raced to her side and grabbed her hand. "Aurora! Come on! Wake up! Just squeeze my hand, let me know you're okay...please..." In return she gently applied a slight pressure to his hand. But that was enough.
"Yes! Come on, just wake up now, come back Aurora..." Zac pleaded. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open. A set of pale blue eyes stared deep into his. Zac bit his lip to keep from crying.
"Zac?" Aurora scarcely whispered.
"Aurora...I'm so glad..." he said. But before he could continue, Aurora slowly sat up, lifted her face to his, and placed a kiss on his soft lips.
"Thank you Zac," she said, "thank you for waiting."
******************************************
~*Alexandra*~
I stumbled along the sidewalk. My ankle was killing me. I had sprained it jumping down the ladder on that night. My ankle was still wrapped in a brace, and I limped very noticeably. As I slowly made my way down the sidewalk to Tay's house, I bumped into someone I recognized.
"Oh hi Mrs. Verelley," I said cheerily. This was Amber's mother.
"Oh, hello Alexandra, were you at Amber's party? She's been grounded for throwing that thing you know, since her father and I weren't home and she didn't have permission. We're lucky the house wasn't destroyed!" Mrs. Verelley told me.
"Oh, um, I was there, but I had to leave early," I said. That was the truth. I DID leave early.
"Well," she said coldly, "how did you manage to hurt your ankle so badly?" She seemed to be implying something.
"I, um, had an accident," I told her quietly.
"Oh," she said, her voice dripping with suspicion, "you didn't, by any chance, happen to hurt it jumping out of a window, did you? Let's say...a window in MY house?" She glared at me.
Her eyes seemed to penetrate through mine and read my thoughts.
She knew.
All The Way To Albertane
You Are My Hope
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