Page 800 of Not Over You

I sit in silence for a minute and allow the beeping noise from the heart monitor to fill the room. “Anyway, you’ll never guess what I finally watched last night. The Notebook. Remember you tried to get me to watch it? Well, I finally did, and you were right. I cried. Can you believe that shit? Me? Crying over a movie?” I shake my head as I chuckle at the memory of tears escaping my eyes last night no matter how much I resisted. “I know you would have never let me live that down.” I glance around her room at all the reminders of the life she once lived. Pictures of her parents rest on the nightstand to her left. A photo of us sits on the nightstand to her right, next to her vase of flowers. Her high school graduation picture is mounted on the TV stand, along with pictures of her with family and friends. “This wasn’t supposed to be your life, Summer.” I choke as I speak. “I hate myself for what happened to you and my sister.” A tear slides down my cheek.

Doctor Hailey walks in, and I quickly wipe the tear away. “It’s good to see you, Jaxon.”

I nod. “Is she tolerating her new diet?”

“Yes, although we did have to treat her for an infection around her feeding tube.”

I stand. “Is she okay?”

She raises her hand. “She’s fine. It was nothing an antibiotic couldn’t fix.”

I relax with relief. “Do you think she can hear me talking to her?”

She smiles. “I can’t say for sure. But I have seen instances where people wake up and remember every conversation.”

“So, it’s still possible she can wake up?”

Her smile disappears. “We’ve tried all we can. We even brought in some of our top specialists. At this point, we’re certain that this will be her only quality of life. I’m sorry.”

* * *

A quality of life that I caused. I want to scream. I want to punch a wall. “I understand.”

She takes a step forward. “Jaxon, anything at this point would be a miracle. Are you sure you want to keep her here? Keep her like this?”

I nod. “Yes.”

She looks over at Summer. “Coma patients still remain a mystery in the medical field. Some wake up after years. Some don’t. We’ll do our best to keep her as healthy as we can.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

I turn around to face her. “What is it?”

“It’s about your bill. You’re behind a month, and as you know, the facility is extremely strict about on-time payments.”

“Yeah, I know. You can charge the card today. The money should be there.”

She nods. “Okay, then. I’ll give you some privacy.”

She leaves the room, and I rub the back of my neck with frustration. Summer was due to inherit a small amount of money from her grandfather once she turned thirty years old. But the accident happened before her thirtieth birthday. Summer was declared incapacitated, and I petitioned the court to give her the money despite her age and condition. They approved my petition, and as her beneficiary and power of attorney, the money was left to me. There was only one reason why I needed that money. Why I fought so hard to convince the court that it was in her best interest to receive it, even though she’s not of sound mind or body. Too pay her medical costs. That was over a year ago, and the balance is getting smaller and smaller. It’s becoming expensive to keep her here, and quite honestly, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to continue to manage it once the money runs dry. All I know is that I’ll have to find a way. “I’m doing my best to keep you here, Summer, but I need you to come back to us. The doctors say there’s no hope. They say I should take you off life support instead of racking up medical costs and offering you no quality of life. If that’s what you want, I need you to give me a sign. Squeeze my hand or something. I’m losing it here, and I don’t know what to do anymore. Do you want to keep fighting? Or do you want me to let you go peacefully?”

I wait. I wait for a sign. Any sign. But instead, I get nothing. I move a strand of her hair and kiss her on the cheek before I leave her. “I’ll be back soon.”

KAI

The meeting is over by the time I return to my office. I plop down in my seat and take a deep breath before unlocking my computer. I was supposed to review the budget for this quarter, and I’m sure my boss is not happy I was absent. There’s been tension between management and the board of directors for months now. We just can’t seem to come to an agreement regarding the budget, and me missing the meeting today doesn’t help the situation. They already have it out for me because part of my proposal is to cut their bonuses by half. As the finance manager, it’s my responsibility to make sure the company is making a profit. And right now, it isn’t. My phone buzzes. “Yes?”

“Kai, it’s Paul. I need to see you, please?”

“Sure. I’ll be right there.”

I stand and walk slowly to his office. Paul is our finance director, but he’s also a member of the board. I walk inside his office, already knowing what he needs to speak to me about. He’s seated at his desk with his head in his hands when I enter. “You wanted to see me?”

“Please, close the door behind you.” I close the door and take a seat in front of him. “What happened today?”

“I’m so sorry. I had an important doctor’s appointment that I couldn’t miss. It took longer than expected.”

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