Page 11 of Remember Me

The waiting room door opens, and Dr. Carter finally comes in, letting me know Lottie is out of surgery and is being taken to the ICU. Once the nurses have got her settled, I can go and sit with her.

About half an hour later, a nurse appears to take me to Lottie’s room, and I am so unprepared for what I see that I have to grasp the side of the door to hold me upright. There she is, my best friend, the love of my life, hooked up to every machine known to man. There are tubes everywhere: in her arm, up her nose, down her throat. Covered in cuts and bruises, she looks unrecognizable. Her tiny body dwarfed by the hospital bed.

I know I need to be strong for Lottie, and for Wren when she arrives, but my heart feels like it’s being butchered by a machete right now, and I’m struggling to stay in control of my emotions.

The sound of beeping from the various machines pulls me out of my thoughts, and in a weird way, the noise soothes me. It lets me know Lottie’s alive, and at the moment, that’s the best I can hope for. I take her hand in mine, kiss her palm, and whisper, “I love you.”

Chapter 7

Jake

Time seems to move differently here; it feels like I’ve spent weeks waiting, when in fact it’s only been hours. Checking my phone, I see an incoming call from Wren, and I step out of Lottie's room to answer.

“Hey, I’m here,” she says.

And as I turn around, I notice her coming out of the elevator with a mountain of a man covered in tattoos, who I’ve never seen before. I hang up as she comes running toward me, and we collapse into each other's arms—our tears soaking us both.

“Oh my god, Jake,” she sobs. “What if she doesn’t wake up?”

I need to try and be the positive one here, even though the thought has crossed my own mind. “She’ll wake up, I’m sure of it. She won’t leave us like this,” I grit out, pulling her to me tighter. “Come on, let’s go see her.” I begin steering Wren toward Lottie’s room.

“I’ll just go grab us some coffee,” the giant says, and before I have time to even ask who he is, he’s gone.

“Sorry about him. That’s Sawyer, my uhm boyfriend.” Is she trying to convince me or her? “It’s new,” she tacks on.

Entering Lottie’s room, the beeping from the machine continues and I let the sound wash over me. Wren gasps at seeing the state of her best friend, which breaks me again; it’s like I’m reliving the horror for the first time.

“I’ll give you some privacy, I’m going to give my mom a call.” I nod at Wren, who scoops Lottie’s hand in hers as she cries next to the bed.

Taking a seat in the small waiting area—that’s thankfully empty—I dial the one person I need most in this world. I don’t care how old you are, a guy always needs his mom. She answers straight away, obviously waiting for an update.

“Jake, sweetheart, what's going on? I’m getting in my car to come down there,” she says, brokering no room for argument.

“She’s in an induced coma and they don’t know how long it’ll be until she wakes up,” I sigh, yanking at my T-shirt. The damn thing feels like it’s strangling me round my neck. Everything feels so damn constricting. I can’t breathe.

I tell her about Lottie’s parents, and my mom breaks down. They were good friends, trusted us to take care of their baby, and now we’re all she has left.

“You need to stay strong, Jake; she’s going to need you when she wakes up.”

“If she wakes up, what if she doesn’t?” Yanking at my hair, I start pacing the room as I talk.

“Jake Nathaniel Smithson, don’t you dare think like that, you hear me?” My mom may only be 47, but she is a force to be reckoned with.

“Sorry, Mom, but if you could see what I’m seeing, you wouldn’t feel very positive.” My nose is tingling, and my eyes are burning; a fresh onslaught of tears is on its way, and I need to get off the phone so I can cry in peace. Flashbacks of being in this very same hospital with my dad flood my mind and a strangled sound leaves my mouth.

“Do you need me to bring you anything? A decent coffee, some fresh clothes?” she asks, and I can hear the jingle of keys in her hand.

“That would be great, Mom, thanks. Wren arrived not long ago either with her new boyfriend. Could you bring something for them too?”

“Of course I can, sweetheart. I won’t be long; Alyssa will stay here with Bella so she’s not alone.”

“Thanks, Mom, appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, honey, I’ll see you soon, ok? I love you.”

I pace around the waiting room for a few more minutes, gathering myself before I go back to Lottie.

Straightening my shoulders and cracking my neck, I head back inside the room to be with my girl.