To Love Again

Didn't want to keep you hanging for too long. Here's a short chapter. Thanks for all your reviews!

Kellie was lost in a world of darkness and reams. She couldn’t tell the difference between what she was hearing and what she was dreaming. She remembered being at the club, dancing and drinking. She remembered the good looking stranger that had bought her a drink. She usually didn’t accept drinks from strangers. Why had she? Then there was the nausea and feeling like she was floating. She felt things poking her and weird sounds. It would get quiet and then she’d hear muffled sobs and Jenna begging her not to leave. “Where am I going? I’m right here!” She tried to scream. Her mouth wouldn’t open and the rest of her body felt like lead. Of all the voices she heard none were Orlando’s. Where was he? Why did it always come back to him? Kellie was still searching for him in the darkness when she thought she heard footsteps. She heard the Doctor talking. “I think we need to face facts.” He said. “Miss parks is not going to regain consciousness. The drug has caused extensive damaged.” What? Why am I not going to wake up? I am awake I can hear you! Again nothing was cooperating. Kellie felt the darkness start to swallow her again. All was silent, she lost consciousness.

Orlando walked into the darkened room. The only light was a dimmed fluorescent light over the bed and the various blinking lights from the machines that surrounded the prone form. There were various beeps and hums as they each performed their read outs and measurements. He took a deep breath and crossed the short distance to the side of the bed. He still hadn’t managed to look at her face. He started at her feet, which were covered, and traveled up her body. He finally got to her arms. They laid at her side and were home to IV’s with various fluids flowing into her veins. His eyes continued their upward journey until the rested on her face. Kellie was almost as white as the sheets she laid on. She was hooked up to a ventilator and the tube was taped to her mouth. The doctors hadn’t run any tests to check her breathing and assumed that unplugging her would result in her not being able to breath on her own. Orlando gently stroked her cheek. He was surprised at how warm it felt. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Someone had braided her hair. He touched the braid. Her hair felt soft and silky. It brought back memories, good ones. He clasped her hand in his. She didn’t respond when he gently squeezed it. “Hey.” He whispered. “I’m here and I think we need to talk.”

Orlando found the chair and sat down. He kissed her hand and continued to caress it as he watched her chest rise and fall. “I know you would rather rip my head off right now, but I need you to just listen to me.” He said. “I’ve made a terrible mistake and I need your forgiveness. I’ve spent the last few months confused and hurt, thinking you lied to me. Elijah finally managed to get me to read the articles. I’ve read and re-read them a hundred times and I keep coming to the same conclusion, I hurt you.” He paused to steady his voice. He’d been fighting back tears since he entered the room. “I realize now that I’ve been a real asshole. I didn’t deserve someone like you, I still don’t. I’m not willing to let you go though. I want to apologize and make up for the past few months. Kellie I love you and I’m not going to live with out you!” Orlando finished.
The tears ran unchecked know. He held her hand to his cheek as he sobbed. “Please wake up.” He whispered. It was then that her hand twitched. Not a lot, but enough for Orlando to noticed. He looked at it and then her face. “Kellie?” He said. “Can you here me?” Orlando still held her hand but had stood up and was leaning close to her face. No twitch this time. Maybe he had imagined it or maybe this happened occasionally and didn’t mean anything. Orlando dropped back into the chair. He continued to hold her hand and stroke it. Even when the nurses came into to check her IV’s he didn’t move and they didn’t disturb him. He eventually let his head rest on her bed and fell asleep.

The twitch had been real. Kellie had caused it. She had been asleep when he entered. She woke up when he touched her. Kellie had heard everything he said and felt his tears on her hand. That’s when she had willed it to move. “Orlando? I can hear you!” Kellie cried. She tried to move again when she felt his breath on her face. As usual her body refused. The darkness still surrounded her, but she could feel and hear everything. Her body ached from laying in one position for so long. Her mouth and through were dry and felt scratchy. If only she could managed to squeeze Orlando’s hand then he would know she was awake. She was alive