How I Love You (Zac Efron & A Non-Famous Girl)

Chapter -38

Zac was in Coma from the past week and so was Grace. 
Grace somehow regained her senses and came to conscious state. She was on the hospital bed, Meg was sitting beside her bed on a chair and Mark was beside Zac's bed in their private room. They shared the room.
Grace opened her eyes and realized that all of her body was still sore and she couldn't move her back and it would hurt to even breathe because Alex punched her on her ribs on that day.
"Grace, Sweety... How are you? " asks Meg in Relief.
"Where's Zac?" asked Grace intently..
"He's right beside you.*points at his bed*.... There..." says Meg.
Grace turns her head towards the direction and sees that his head was wrapped in white cotton plaster to cover the wounds.
Grace was just broken to see Zac like that. He saved her and put himself to vulnerability. He risked his life for her. He fought for his love. He sacrificed his everything and was brave enough to protect her. His love is selfless and his love is undying. 
Grace cried looking at Zac like that. She blamed herself for putting Zac in such a position.  She thought it was all her fault. 
"If it weren't for me....he'd still be safe and happy...it's all because of me" thought Grace.
As of now,she couldn't do much about it. She looked at Zac with all of her heart praying he should come back to consciousness and silently kept saying how much she loved him. "I'm sorry, Zac" said Grace closing her eyes in grief and letting the tears roll down her cheek.
Meg just put a hand on Grace's hand and squeezed it gently.
"Everything is gonna be okay,kiddo!" said Meg in a comforting voice. 
Grace just nodded still crying silently.

After 3 days....

Zac came to conscious state and realized that his head was still hurting. He saw the bright light in the hospital and blinked his eyes a couple of times to adjust to the lights.  Mark was beside him.
Mark saw that Zac opened his eyes.
"How are you, man?" asked Mark in a soft voice.
"I'm fine... Where am I?" asks Zac not understanding where he was at and why.
"Alex hit you hard in your head. You were in coma from over a week now. You're in a hospital now" answers Mark.
"Who's Alex?" asked Zac not understanding what Mark was saying.
"Alex... Is Grace's ex boyfriend?  She told you about him, right? " answered Mark.
"Wha-- Grace?  Who's Grace? " asks Zac completely puzzled.
"You don't remember Grace? " asked Mark startled.
"No...who is she?" asked Zac still not understanding what Mark was trying to say.
"This is not the time to joke around, Zac." says Mark.
"I'm not...who is Grace? " asks Zac in puzzle.
Mark points at the bed beside Zac's and shows Grace.... She was sleeping, with an I.V on her hand under a blanket showing only her face.
"Who is she?" I don't know her" says Zac clearly. 
Mark was completely shocked to see Zac's condition.  He immediately calls the doctor, this was the same doctor that treated Zac earlier when Zac was saved by Grace.  The doctor immediately comes to check on Zac with some other doctors.
Doctor: Mr.Octavia... How are you? 
Zac:I'm good.
Doctor: Who are you?
Zac: I'm Zac...Zac Octavia.
Doctor:Good....now... Who is he?
*points at Mark*
Zac:Mark...
Doctor:Good....now who is she?
*points at Grace*
Zac: I....I don't know.
Doctor: Are you sure you don't remember that lady?
Zac:No... I don't remember her, Doc.
Doctor :What about her? *points at Meg*
Zac:No doctor, I don't know her.
Doctor:What date is today?
Zac:Um..today is 15th of July.
Doctor :year?
Zac:2015
Doctor:What do you think why you're here now?
Zac:I was in a car crash... Someone saved me and brought me here.
Doctor:Who was it? Who saved you? 
Zac:I don't remember...
Doctor:What's the last thing you remember?
Zac:I was brought to this hospital by someone who gave me a cushion and put it under my head.
Doctor:Is that all?
Zac:yeah...that's all I remember.
Doctor:You can discharge in a day or so Mr.Octavia.
Zac:Thank you, Doc.

"Okay we're done here...Mark please meet me in my office" says Doctor taking off his gloves and walking out of the room.
Meg was startled to see Zac not recognising her and Grace. Mark was just as shocked. Zac was puzzled.
The nurse asks Mark and Meg to meet the doctor at his office.
There were other two nurses, middle aged,who were there to help Grace and Zac.

In the doctor's office...
The doctor was looking over Zac's reports and X-ray again to make sure.
Meg:Why can't Zac remember anything about Grace? 
Mark:Why was he thinking that today is 15th of July? 
Doctor :Zac had a momentary short term memory loss.
Meg:What?
Doctor:This is a common problem with memory loss cases.  A person can forget a sequence of memories when the person goes through an extreme stress or in this case physical injury on the part of head where brain stores this memory.
Mark:But...how does he remember all of us except Grace and Meg.
Doctor: He remembers everything that happened before 15th July but nothing after that. It's like his memory is erased after that date.
Meg:Then what's the solution? When is he going to recover?
Mark:will he ever remember?
Doctor :He can remember everything from now. He just forgot a sequence of memory.  He remembers everything before the 15th of July and he can perfectly remember everything from now except he can't remember what happened between 15th to now.
Mark:Shit! will he ever remember those days again? 
Doctor:Yes he can.
Meg:Well,how long?
Doctor:a day,a week, a month, a year,never... We'll never know. It's all upto him.
Meg and Mark were stunned by what they just heard from doctor. 
Meg and Mark walk out of the office and walk towards Grace and Zac's room in the hallway.
Meg was crying.  Mark was really sad and upset.
"Why?" asks Meg to herself calmly.
"It's not a why now you should be worrying. It's a "How ". Says Mark looking at ground.
"Poor Grace, her heart is gonna break... " says Meg crying out loud.
"We have to do this... For them." says Mark. 
Meg nods but still cries.
After a while she wipes her own tears and walks towards their room. Mark followed her.
Meg takes a deep breath before opening the door. 
She sits beside Grace and looks at her innocent face.
"Why God? Why did you do this? " asked Meg to herself.
"Meg, don't cry. Be brave. For her." says Mark.
He looks at Zac who was still sleeping peacefully. 

Mark knew what this meant. 

Zac is not going to remember anything soon. Grace has to go through a lot of heart ache and accept the truth . Fate tore them apart. True love is hard to get but even hard to keep.