Two hours later, Jen opened her eyes. If only she could wake
up and have it be yesterday. She’d tell Stan not to ride. She’d hide the keys,
puncture the tires, if she had to. She yawned, shifting around, stretching her
legs After checking the time, she jumped up, downed the leftover coffee and
dressed. She had to get to the hospital. Maybe Stan was awake? Maybe he was
fine, up, talking, eating, and wondering where she was.
Hope
grew in her heart. She kissed Willie goodbye and flew out the door and into the
first taxi she found. When she arrived at intensive care, Stan was lying in bed
with tubes going into and coming out of all sorts of places. He appeared the
same as when she’d left him. The most noticeable difference was the untouched
breakfast tray that sat on the moveable table. Also, his left leg and wrist
were in casts. She approached the bed. It was Monday and the reality of Stan’s
motorcycle accident punctured her brain for a second time.
“Good morning, darling,” she whispered,
leaning over to kiss him.
He was
unresponsive. Grabbing her purse, she padded down the hall to the coffee
machine. She needed another jolt of caffeine. The brew tasted bitter and stale,
but it was the only stuff available. Back by his bedside, she pulled out a comb
and ran it through her long hair. One glance in the mirror at home had told her
she looked like hell. She added lipstick, but it didn’t help much. Jen needed
to look as good as possible when Stan woke up.
Staring
at her handsome husband, she longed to crawl into bed with him. Was it silly to think that if she could
snuggle up under his arm, hear his deep voice, she’d know everything was going
to be okay. Stan was the rock, not her. Freshly thirty, Jen had never had to
cope with serious illness or death. Oh, sure, grandparents, but that’s always
expected. Not a husband, not a boyfriend, not a lover – no, no, no.
You did a fantastic job of bringing out her heartache and agony. I was almost in tears reading the scene. Excellent scene.
ReplyDeleteSuch accurate wording-- punctured the brain-- regarding the shock to her of his horrible accident. Such a weighty subject, and so well done.
ReplyDeleteUgh, my heart is breaking for her. I can feel her pain and uncertainty when it comes to his condition. Great job!
ReplyDeleteSorry. It’s Tricia
DeleteOh this is so hard for me to read. My best friend lost her husband the end of May from a motorcycle accident. She was two hours south, helping her sister who was going through chemo and she never even got this chance that Jen has here. This is so realistic and heartbreaking. Great snippet.
ReplyDelete