The Right Side of Tanner

Chapter 50

A/N:

Comment here. Do you think Tanner will wake up? If so, when?

Jenna

It's still a shock to my system to find out that Max is the one responsible for Tanner's accident. I can't believe it. Max is a lunatic, for sure, but homicidal? Even for him, that seems a bit much, but the facts don't lie.

Detective Oswald and Officer Renaldi told me that Max confessed to stalking Tanner and me after getting fired from ProteinMania for the shit he pulled against me. He told them he was angry at me and jealous that things with Tanner and I seemed to be going so well. He wanted to make us suffer like he was. He wanted to steal my happiness.

So, he did the one thing that was sure to accomplish that. He hurt the person I love. He tried to take him away from me. And he may just get his wish.

It's been two weeks since the accident, and Tanner still hasn't woken up. The doctors don't know at this point if he will ever wake up. And they seem to be sure that he won't be the same as he was before if he does. They can't find an explanation why he's still unconscious. His scans have all come back clear. There appears to be no lasting damage to his brain. He just won't wake up.

It breaks my heart knowing I may never get to talk to Tanner again, to hear his voice, and look into his eyes as he tells me he loves me. I don't know what to do. My heart is breaking more and more every day as I sit and wait for something to change.

I hate Max. I hate him so much for doing this to me. He took away the man I wanted to build my future with. He plowed into it recklessly and left it to wither. Max didn't want us to be happy because he wasn't happy.

I told the police about everything that happened between Max, Tanner, and me. They told me Max didn't deny anything. He owned up to it and knew he was going to prison. The only question left was for how long?

Tanner is the only one who can answer that. If he wakes up, it will then be a question of how much his life will be altered due to what Max did. Depending on the lingering side-effects of Max's actions, the sentence could be a few years, or it could be a decade. It could be even longer if the worst were to happen- if Tanner never wakes up.

I can't stomach that thought.

I can hardly stand to look at myself these days. Tanner wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for me. Max would have come after me instead, and Tanner would be safe. He'd be awake and thriving, probably living it up on a beach somewhere, celebrating the championship win.

This is all my fault. If I hadn't fallen in love with him, he'd be safe right now.

I broke down the other day and told Mel and Lindsey how I felt. They chastised me and told me I was wrong. They said that the only person at fault in this mess was Max. He's the villain. Mel looked like she wanted to slap me for saying such things. She told me Tanner would be devastated if he heard what I was thinking.

She's right. He'd be heartbroken to know the thoughts running through my head. He'd tell me to stop being stupid, and he'd probably kiss me into oblivion until I saw things his way. Tanner would stop at nothing to prove that our love is the only thing that matters, even if it meant he had to suffer because he chose me.

I try to push the self-deprecating thoughts out of my mind. I try for him. He needs me to stay strong right now. For him. For me. For us.

So, that's what I'll try to do.

My friends and family have been incredible through this whole ordeal. They've showered Tanner and me with so much love and hope every single day. The entire team, coaching staff, and support staff have rallied around us, trying to will Tanner awake.