Page 61 of Wanted

“Unfortunately, yes, I’m awake.” Without warning, I burst intotears. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. All I wanted to do wasjoin Alek in his coma, only awakening when he’d finally come back to me. Myheart broke a little bit more each day he stayed wrapped up in whatever worldheld him captive.

Alexa immediately approached, seized my shoulders and gave me abig hug. “Come on, Sara” she pleaded, trying her hardest to convince me tostand. “You need a break.”

“No,” I said, fighting against her. But it wasn’t much of astruggle. I barely had enough strength as it was.

“Yes,” she demanded more sternly. “I brought you a change ofclothes, and some toiletries. You need to take a shower and get yourselftogether.” She plopped a bag full of stuff onto the chair behind her. “Is this thefirst sight you want Alek to see when he opens his eyes?” she asked, waving herhands up and down my body.

“I’ll take one later, Lex.”

“No the hell you won’t. You’ll take one now. All you do is sit byhis bed, Sara. You don’t leave except when you’re made to. You don’t eat ordrink anything unless you’re forced.” She placed her hand on my arm in comfort.“You’re not taking care of yourself, and it needs to stop.”

Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and forced me to myfeet. Snatching the bag she’d brought with her, she dragged me into the smallbathroom, placed my necessities on the sink and pulled the door closed behindher as she left me by myself. I heard her say something from the other side butI couldn’t quite make it out. Maybe something about keeping watch until I wasdone?

I was hesitant to leave his bedside, but I knew if Alexa had gonethrough so much trouble, I surely looked a fright. Glancing into the mirror, Ihad my answer.

Holy hell! I look likeshit!

I allowed the water to work its magic, washing away layer uponlayer of hurt and worry, pain and distress.After ten long minutes, I finished up andwrapped a towel around my thinner frame.

As I brushed my hair in the mirror, I thought about how Alek wasgoing to scold me for not taking care of myself. But those thoughts gave meinstant comfort. I would welcome every last worried word which fell from hislips if it meant he would wake up and come back to me.

When I was finished, I headed back to his bedside.

Nothing had changed. Alek was still the same. Still lost to me andeveryone else who loved him.Alexa wassitting in the chair I had vacated minutes earlier, holding his hand and pleadingwith him to wake up, that her best friend was broken and she didn’t know whatto do. It was then I realized I wasn’t the only person who was affected by whathad happened. I had a family of friends who cared about me as much as theycared about him. They all saw how much I was hurting, and it was devastating tothem they couldn’t do anything to help ease my pain.

~39~

Alek

Dreams had quickly become my solace. In them, I would simply letgo and allow my unconscious self to run wild. I dreamt of when I was a boy goofingoff in school with my friends. But when the teacher turned around to scold us,it was Sara. Then all of a sudden, the dream switched to my childhood home. Again,Sara was there with me, holding my hand as we ran through the house. I thoughtsomething was chasing us because I’d become panicky, clutching her fingers inmine as I pulled her behind me from room to room.

She was in all of my dreams, some of them in the past whileothers were in what seemed to be the future. I saw her pregnant with my child,which was odd because I knew how adamantly she didn’t want to have kids. I sawher dancing around our kitchen to some crazy song she liked. As I was about toengulf her in my arms, she would slip further and further away from me, callingout to me while she continued to laugh and sing her song.

But there was something wrong with her. She appeared to be ingood spirits, but her eyes told a different story. They were lifeless. All of asudden, my dream turned on me and I was the one sitting by her bedside, holdingher hand as I prayed for her to return to me.

Was it a memory or a premonition?

I heard her voice again, but I was no longer dreaming. I wasawake. Well…my version of awake, at least. Her smooth voice drifted over me asshe cupped my hand. Her touch was so cold I instantly became worried, but withthe state I was in, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

I overheard Alexa practically yelling at her to take a shower. I knewshe hadn’t been taking care of herself, and I was going to make sure to giveher an earful the first chance I got.

Hearing her friend plead with me to wake up was heartbreaking. Shewhispered how afraid and worried she was about Sara, and assured me I was theonly one who could fix her. I wanted to scream that I was trying my hardest tocome back to her, but my treacherous body wasn’t listening to me.

“Everyone keeps telling me I need a break, that I need to go homeand sleep, but I can’t,” Sara whispered, running her thumb over the top of myhand. “What if you wake up when I’m gone, then slip away from me again?” Shebroke my heart with every word.

I tried to will my mouth to move, to allow words to pass over mylips and give her comfort, but nothing happened. I attempted to force my bodyto move, but it betrayed me yet again. My efforts soon exhausted me and I hadto rest. I needed my strength to try again soon.

~~~~

It was warm. I wanted nothing more than to throw the blanket offme, but I couldn’t. I was restricted to endure whatever fate the doctors andnurses deemed necessary. Being increasingly frustrated and angry was becomingquite the norm for me now. If I didn’t wake up soon, I was going to be onepissed-off man to contend with.

Deep down, I understood my predicament was my body’s way ofprotecting itself, but fucking enough already. According to my sweet angel, ithad been a week since I’d been stabbed.

A week without touching her soft skin.

A week without tasting those delectable lips.

A week of not having her body wrapped around mine while we movedin sync toward ecstasy.

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