My Universe [a Roman Reigns story]

19 A million pieces

Roman POV

"Family of Miss Stefanie King?" asked a doctor who came into the waiting area at the hospital.

For 2 hours I sat here, almost going crazy with worry. So many different scenarios were running through my head. One worse than the other. Dean and Renée had come here after bringing Reese home. Leo will take care of him right after work, before she would come here as well. She wanted to come here right away, of course, but since we were just sitting around waiting anyway, there was no need to rush. At the moment it was important that Reese calmed down and was well taken care of. Because I knew that Steffi would never forgive me if something happened to the little guy.

I jumped to my feet. With only a few steps I stood in front of the doctor and waited for him to say something.

"How is she?" I asked tensely unable to wait even a second longer.

"Miss King has suffered a traumatic brain injury. We can't tell yet how severe the damage is. The consequences of such a repetitive injury has a wide range of possible outcomes. But on the bright side is that is alive and stable. We had to drill two small holes in her skull to relieve the pressure. She also has a small brain hemorrhage that we expect to resolve on its own." he explained calmly.

"What possible consequences are we talking about?" I wanted to know.

"After brain damage, psychological changes of any degree are observed. Thus, there may be a general slowing down, easy fatigability, lethargy, difficulty in attention and concentration, memory and thinking disorders, depressive mood, headache and dizziness. Speech disorders and disturbances in the realization of movements are also common.

Memory impairment can manifest itself both in the inability to remember past events and to store new memory content. This time span is in the range of seconds to months. The impairment of memory and attention can lead to orientation disorders. 

The mood of people with severe brain injuries can fluctuate widely, and they are often more easily irritable than before the accident. In addition to abnormalities in the emotional realm, disturbances in social behavior also become apparent. For example, they burst into tears even on minor occasions or laugh inappropriately hard elsewhere." the doctor replied, and when I heard that I almost felt sick.

"Oh God..." I muttered as I ran my finger through my hair. 

I felt despair spreading through me. All this could not be true. All because of this arrogant asshole who didn't pay attention to what he was doing. One day he would pay for it. I would make him pay.

"There's no reason to assume the worst, Sir. We have to wait and see how Miss King is doing when she wakes up. Only then can we assess the full extent of the damage. And whatever it may be, we will do our best to recover her fully." he tried to reassure me.

"Can I see her?" I wanted to know after swallowing hard to get rid of the lump in my throat.

"Of course. She's in the ICU. You'll need to put on a gown. After you disinfect your hands. Follow me." he replied.

"Guys, head over to our place and keep an eye on Reese until Leo gets here. I'm staying here." I said quickly addressing Dean and Renée.

"Okay. Let us know if there's anything new or you need anything." said Dean and then gave me a hug.

Then I followed the doctor. My footsteps echo loudly against the hallway walls. Or maybe it was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I did what the doctor asked me to do and then followed him into the room. There she lay. With her head heavily bandaged, surrounded by many different machines. Immediately memories came back of the first time I visited Stefanie in the hospital after the car accident. But this time she was not covered with bruises and cuts.

If I hadn't known how serious her condition was, I would have thought she was just taking a nap. Steffi seemed almost peaceful as she lay there. But this impression was deceiving, of course.

I took a chair from the corner and placed it as close as possible to the bed. Then I sat down. My eyes wandered again over the motionless body of my beloved. I looked for signs that she would wake up and smile at me. But her face remained unchanged. At least she didn't look like she was in pain. This was only a small consolation, but it calmed my nerves a little.

And so I prepared myself to wait by her side until she woke up again. No matter how long it would take. I wanted to be there and be the first to see Stefanie's beautiful blue eyes.

------------------

For 2 days I sat now by her side. 48 agonizing hours in which nothing happened. Every single minute was like a stab in the heart. The doctors said it was normal, but I was worried that Steffi might not come back to me. That the future I wanted with her was lost.

"Okay, Mr. Reigns. We have now reduced the amount of pain medication a little bit. We hope she will wake up in a few hours. Her body and brain functions are normal. Let's hope for the best." said the doctor when he was back to check on Stefanie.

"Try talking to Miss King. A familiar voice can help." he encouraged me.

And while I did nothing else whenever we were alone, I hoped it would finally work this time.

"Hey, baby girl. I'm here. Whenever you're ready, I'm here. Listen Steffi, I don't know if you can even hear me, but I want you to know that I love you. I need you. Please come back to me," I said softly, my voice brittle and full of emotion.

The hand I held the whole time twitched briefly, but nothing else happened. I really tried to be patient. I knew she needed more time, but it tore my heart apart.

And so another hour passed. My eyes never left her face and then I saw something. Stefanie squinted her eyes. There was the sign. I was sure that I had not just imagined it. I straightened up in my chair. Immediately my heart began to beat faster.

"Stefanie? Come on, baby girl. Open your eyes. I know you can do it," I demanded gently.

And she actually did it! She slowly opened her eyes. God, how I had missed this sight. My insides jumped with joy.

"Hey..." she breathed.

"How do you feel, baby girl?" I asked softly.

Her eyes found mine, but it took her a while to even answer me. And when she did, my heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces.

"Who are you?" she breathed.