Do I know you?

Chapter twenty-five

Landos sight

Song: Don't give up on me by Andy Grammar

„Mum, go home. You can't do anything here and it is christmas. I don't want you to spend it in the hospital." I say to my mum sitting next to me and almost falling asleep. „No, I can't leave you alone here." I that moment the door opens and a nurse is coming in. „I am afraid you will have to go now. The visitor time is up now." I look at my mum. „Is it possible that I can stay here?" „No Sir, you can't stay here." „Please, I can't leave her. She is my everything and I want to be with her." So I can make sure nothing is happening to her, but I don't say that out loud. „I will have to talk to a doctor about that." I nod and thank the woman. A few minutes later she is coming back in saying „You can stay but only as long as you are not disturbing anybody." I nod and say „Of course. Thank you very much." She leaves again and I turn to my mum. „Please, go home and have a fantastic Christmas dinner for Vally and me." She sighs defeated and says „I will bring you some clothes to change tomorrow morning." „Thank you so much." We hug and she leaves.

The night is horrible. I stay up most of it and just look at her. My beautiful girl laying here with scratches and bruises all over her face and arms. She didn't deserve to lay here. Never. And now she is. Why her? In the night I have noticed a few movements from time to time but I don't know if I just imagined them or if she really moves. She was also crying. First I thought it was just some shadows but when it happened again I was sure that she was crying.

When I open my eyes again it is already day and the nurse is coming in the room. „Good morning Mr. Norris. I hope you are okay. The doctor will be here soon but what I can tell you is that she is stable now. She just has to wake up." I look at her. She wasn't stable? „Thank you very much. Also for letting me stay here." She nods and leaves after she checked Vally. A few minutes later the doctor enters the room and checks her as well. „So, she is alright and she will be alright, as far as we know. She now only has to wake up again." „Do you know when she will wake up?" „Sadly I can't tell you. It can take hours, days weeks or,  in the most horrible case, years." I try to swallow the lump building in my throat. „Okay, thank you." „No problem, but you should go home. It is Christmas. Spend it with your family. You can't do much here. When your wife's  body is ready to wake up again, it will and then you will be immediately informed." „I can't, I have to stay. I owe her that." He nods and leaves the room. My wife, we aren't even a couple and now we are already married. I smile about that fact. We would be good together, probably perfect together.

A few hours later I hear a knock on the door and I see my mother step in. Behind her my sisters and my father are coming in as well. „What are you all doing here?" „We brought you some Christmas breakfast and wanted to keep you company." „But you guys aren't allowed here." „We know, that's why we sneaked in." Cisca says and I laugh lightly. „You guys are unbelievable but also awesome.

We have a small breakfast and talk a little. My mum takes me aside after I finished eating and says „Truth, now." I let my head sink down. „Well, she is stable now but they don't know when she will wake up and it is still not safe, that she will even wake up again." My mother sighs. „Don't look so sad. She is strong and she will make it. When she is awake, I know that she is going to come back stronger than she ever was. You two will be happy together, and don't deny it now but you like her, a lot and she does too." I smile and look down to my feet. „Truth? It is more than liking her already." She pulls me into her arms and says „I know." I sit back down and my family leaves again.

Valerias sight

Everything is still dark and I can't move but I can hear things. At first they were far away and not very clear but with time they get clearer and I try figuring out who is speaking. All of a sudden everything is silent again. I hear how a chair is moved and somebody sits down. I hear a deep breath and then he starts talking. The voice I crave to hear every day, every hour, every minute, if it is possible. He sounds sad and tired. Very tired. How long hasn't he slept for? I can't remember anything from the past few hours or has it been days already. I only know that it is very dark here and there is no way out. „Please, you have to fight, alright? You are supposed to explore so much more, and take so much more photos and find your family. Please, you can't give this up." He says and after that a lot more silent. „You can't give me up. We only started. There are so many things I want to show you, places I want to bring you to, people I want you to meet and so many memories I want to make with you. I don't know if you hear me but I want you to know that there is so much more than what we have right now. I like you, I really really like you. More than the rabbit can ever love the hedgehog. You are my hedgehog. I know you are guarded, I know you do not trust easily, I know there is a lot of hurt in you, hidden behind your beautiful eyes, but I, the rabbit, will take all possibilities to get through to you and we can find a way for you to not always have your thorns pointing towards the world." I am speechless, only that I couldn't speak before as well. I never needed a hug so much, as in this moment. I would love to tell him, that I want to take on this journey with him and that the hedgehog wants to change for both of us but I can't. No, I am laying here, not knowing what is going on, how this happened and how it will end. I can feel how tears are welling up but I don't know if I am really crying.

Landos sight

The second day in the hospital has come to it's end and still nothing has changed. I am still sitting next to Vally and hope for any movement of hers but nothing, only crying is the only thing she is doing. I somehow want to know but also don't want to know what she is dreaming while she is crying. Imagine you have to relive the moment of the accident over and over again and you cannot wake up.. The doctor was here a while ago and before he left he looked at me with a look full of pity. I have seen this look today already. My father was here with Cisca and before they left my father looked at me the exact same way.

In the middle of the night I get a call. When I look at my phone I see it is Carlos calling. I answer the phone with a confused look. „Carlos, hey. Everything alright?" „Hey Lando, yes everything alright. I wanted to ask in which room Valeria and you are?" „Why? We are in room 24 at station 3." „I am standing in front of the hospital." I smile confused. „But you aren't allowed here at night." „ I know that's why I need you to come down and get me in here." „I can't. If they catch me, I am also not allowed anymore. I am in here because of a lie anyway." „By the way, it is six o clock in the morning, not night. So get your ass down here. And what do you mean you are in there because of a lie?" „Carlos you don't understand I cannot leave her." „Alright, I will find a way." He hangs up and I let my head fall into my hands. „Seems like we are getting company." A few minutes later I hear a knock at the door and I see my mum and Carlos walking in. „What are you doing here already?" „I wanted to bring you some clothes and also something to eat. We are driving to grandma and grandpa later. Oh and i also brought you some company." I nod. Right thats what we wanted to do today. I wanted to introduce, well no matter. „Thank you mum." I say and hug her tight. She leaves the room again and Carlos and I sit down.

„What a crazy situation. Are you okay?" „Well, as alright as I can be, with my luv laying here in the bed and me not knowing if she will wake up again. I see a little smile on Carlos' face. „What is so funny mate?" „Nothing, just the fact that you called her luv, but alright." We stay silent for a while until Carlos asks „What lie brought you in here? I am so curious." I nod. „Well, it seems that Valeria and I are married and I am here as her husband." Carlos looks shocked. „How?" „They wouldn't let me in and only because I was the only number she had with her, they called me. My mum knew how much I needed to see her so she said „That is my daughter-in-law and we want to see her right now." „The doctor was surprised but brought us to her. So that's how I got here and I never left since then." Carlos laughs „That is a interesting story to tell. Since then nothing has happened?" I shake my head, no.

We sit there in silence for a while. Carlos breaks this silence and says „Lando you should go home and shower, eat something proper and rest a little bit." I look at him and in the first second I am mad but when I think about what he said I agree with him. I know she is in good hands and I really need to shower and eat something. „Alright I will go home. Please take good care of her and when they ask what you are doing here just say you are her brother." „I will." he says and I see a quick shadow rushing over his face. I really hoped she would have been his sister but you can't force something that is not meant to happen. When I arrive at home I quickly shower and then eat something. Before I make my way back to the hospital I quickly take a hoodie of mine and put it in the bag I packed with stuff for Vally. When I walk by the door I see her car key laying on the little board next to the door. The car that will never park in my front yard anymore, the car that we took our first ride in, the car that nearly killed her. A shiver is running down my spine when thinking of, how she could've died due to her accident. I take my keys and quickly leave the house.

Back at the hospital Carlos has moved his chair next to Valerias bed and is silently talking to her. „Hey mate, everything alright?" „Yeah, nothing happened. Can you please tell your girlfriend that it is very unfriendly to not answer when people ask her questions. Oh, and also that she has to wake up now because we are gonna have to go racing again soon." I know he is joking but what he said is making me feeling sad and lost as well. I sit back down next to Vally and Carlos leaves, probably to get some sleep in his hotel.