Page 143 of Come Back to Me
The drive feels like an eternity, when in reality it was only about ten minutes away from my house.
We both pull into parking spaces that are close to the entrance. I rush out of the truck, catching up with Noah.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I say.
“I know. It’s going to be okay.”
“Please stop saying that.”
After we make it through security and receive our visitor stickers, I storm over to the front desk in the emergency section of the hospital. “My boyfriend was admitted here I don’t know how long ago, and I want to know where he is.”
“What’s his name?” the older woman asks me.
“Grayson Becker.”
She types away on her computer, making me more anxious and stressed out by the minute.
“He’s in room 220.”
“Thank you.” I sprint over to the elevators with Noah trying his best to match my pace.
When the doors slide open, I press thelevel twobutton repeatedly.
“Violet, you’regoing to break it,” he says.
“How the hell are you so calm right now?” I tap my foot over and over again on the hardwood floor.
“I may look calm on the outside, but I’m a mess on the inside. I’m trying my very best to keep my shit together, but it’s really hard.”
“I wish I was acting more like you, but the love of my life is lying in a hospital bed right now, and I have no idea if he’s ever going to wake up.” My eyes line with more tears, my chest heaving like there’s no tomorrow.
“My best friend is lying in a hospital bed! How do you think I feel?”
Taking several deep breaths, I realize how harsh I was. “I’m sorry.”
He sighs deeply. “I’m sorry, too.”
The elevator doors open to level two, and we scramble in trying to find room 220 where Grayson supposedly is.
Noah and I go over to one of the desks.
“I’m trying to find my best friend, Grayson Becker. We were told he’s in room 220,” he says.
“Keep going down the hall. The room will be on your right,” a middle-aged woman tells us.
“Thank you.”
We run like hell down the hall until we make it to Grayson’s room.
Barely peeking my head inside, I see him lying there with his chest rising and falling. He’s hooked up to a bunch of machines to keep him stable.
I take a step back. “I c-can’t go in t-there.”
This is all my fault.
If I didn’t say yes to sneaking around with him, this would’ve never happened. It was inevitable that Blake wasgoing to find out about us, but I didn’t expect him to send the love of my life to the hospital.
It’s only right if I vanish from his life. I caused this, so now I need to fix it. And if disappearing from Grayson’s life is the way to fix it, so be it.
