A North Carolina Autumn

Chapter 14

3.21.22

The hospital smells like antiseptic, like the artificial smells of soaps and cleaners. It's a clean smell, but a bitter one that stings my nostrils and throat as I struggle to pull air into my lungs.

A nurse passes by, pushing a cart full of trays with cloths and instruments nearly spilling over. One wheel of the cart is wobbly, and a high pitched squeaking echoes down the long, mostly empty hallway with each turn the wheel takes.

Happy chatter and laughter trickles down the hallway to us from another room, and I wonder how anyone can be laughing right now when Rylie is dead.

At least, that's the only thing that makes sense as I see Brad, Kristen and Spencer.

"What happened?" I ask in a tiny, pain filled voice. "Is she..." I can't finish. The words refuse to leave my mouth. Even though only a few seconds of silence pass, it's too long for me. I needed to know.

Suddenly finding my ability to move again, I shove past Brad and Spencer, instantly coming into view of Rylie's bed.

"Rylie..." her name slips from my lips, followed by a sob and a fresh wave of tears.

Sharp, startling blue eyes lock on mine as a wave of emotions crash through my body. Rylie is sitting up in bed, awake, no longer connected to all the wires and tubes. Only an IV still sits in her arm. Her face is alert and almost completely back to its normal coloring. Her hair is resting on her shoulders, the soft blonde waves looking recently washed and brushed. I take a tentative step forward, and her eyes flick quickly to her mom's before landing back on mine.

"Do I know you?" Her voice is scratchy and her words soft as she gets used to using it again, but they hit me like a wall.

"I..." I try to speak around the tightness in my throat, but words won't come.

"I'm pretty sure my girlfriend had a cast on, last I saw. What have you done with Aspen?"

She's teasing. She's awake and she's talking, and she's teasing me.

"We'll give you two a few minutes." Brad says from behind us. I hear Kristen start to protest, but Dillon surprisingly shushes her, and everyone leaves the room.

"Hey, baby." Rylie says before carefully scooting over and patting the bed beside her. "Come here."

Is this another dream?

I walk slowly towards Rylie and sit carefully on the edge of the bed, never taking my eyes from hers. "You're awake."

"I am." She chuckles lightly, and a patient smile slides onto her face as my brain works to confirm that this isn't a dream. "Will you please scoot closer to me? Just because I was in a coma for two weeks doesn't mean that I didn't desperately miss your touch." Rylie says softly.

I finally snap out of my daze and scoot closer to her on the bed, and she quickly pulls me into her arms. I close my eyes and inhale, surprised to find that she smells just like I was used to. As soon as we're touching, the electricity, emotions and pent up feelings nearly overwhelm me, and I feel tears in my eyes again.

"I missed you so much. I was so scared you wouldn't wake up and..."

"Shh..." Rylie calms me. "I'm okay." Her hand slips to my cheek and she pulls back to look into my eyes. Without another word, she closes the distance between us to kiss me softly.

Of every good, exciting, happy, perfect, electrifying feeling and experience I'd had in my whole life, nothing would ever top this moment. Holding Rylie in my arms again, having her lips back on mine, was the most incredible feeling. I'd been without her touch for only two weeks, but it had felt like an eternity.