Leslie

"We don't know if he'll make it, honey." The nurse laid her finger on Alex's neck, checking his pulse. I don't know why she did it, though. He was hooked up to a million machines. ONE had to check heart rate.

"If he doesn't come out of this coma soon… we might have to let God take him."

The world froze. You could've told me it was all a dream, and I would've believed it.

It was at that precise moment that the world was swirling around me, all the colors; or should I say SHADES of the same color, white, painted my vision, along with flashes of bright light… I felt so, happy. And odd feeling for someone standing in a hospital, with one of your best friends almost lying dead beside you.

…I was alive.

Free.

Things I haven't felt since last Tuesday, when one stupid decision, like deciding to drive faster when the light was red, ruined my life.

I wasn't there.

But he was.

I felt myself stumbling, falling. But I didn't try to catch myself. What was the use anyway? Everything was moving so slowly.

Would it hurt if I hit the ground?

You know, I have no idea. I'm about to find out.

I didn't put my hands out to catch myself, only let gravity lead me.

Slowly, I hit the ground. It didn't hurt after all; I just felt my consciousness slipping away from me. Its ok, I'll get it back later.

I can't remember how long I lived in the darkness, without the guiding light of my eyes.

But I do remember waking up.

"…Leslie? Lessslliieeeee… wake up, please?" I recognized the voice.

It was Alex's voice, it HAD to be. I fought back the drowsiness enough to open my eyes.

"Jonathan?" I asked, seeing my other best friend's face staring back at me. He had my head in his lap, stretched out on one of the uncomfortable bed-type things in the hospital rooms. A quick glance to my right showed me that Alex was still here, hooked up to life support, his breathing labored and slow.

It killed me seeing him like this… in this, coma.

He's been under for five and a half days. Each day that he doesn't wake up is just another wasted.

Another day that I won't hear his voice, a day that won't be filled with pointless arguments between Jonathan, Alex and I over the stupidest things: music, dates, TV shows… anything.

"Yeah, I'm here." Jonathan absently stroked my hair out of my face. "You took quite the fall. You ok?"

"Does it matter?" I mumbled, closing my eyes again.

"Duh." Jon's voice lit up, ever so slightly. "You don't want Alex to wake up to YOU being all fucked up. You know what will happen then, right?"

He offered a smile. He was trying so hard to hold it together for the two of us, even though he was just as heartbroken as I was without Alex.

He wanted me to smile. I could tell that the thought of losing his other best friend would kill him. I sucked it up and played along. "What, Jon? What's gonna happen?"

"Alex will kill ME. And then we can all have matching 'BFF' casts that everyone can sign."

I chuckled softly, a hollow sound. Jon's face relaxed.

"Do you want to… go somewhere?" he asked.

"Jon, I can't leave…" I whispered. "What if he wakes up?"

"Leslie, c'mon. I think we both need this."

The same nurse from earlier knocked on the door.

"Come in." Jon flatly answered.

She was a pretty woman, short and stout, with wispy blonde hair pulled up in a bun. I'd guess that she was around 40, with the temperament similar to a grandma's.

"Kids, it's almost 7, visiting hours are gonna be over soon." She said softly, leaving the room once more.

Jonathan and I rose without protest. We slipped on our coats and stood by Alex's beside.

He looked so pale, so unlike himself. His hair was messy, and his face was covered in stubble, a product of not shaving for almost a week. The hospital gown he wore accentuated his bony structure, making him look like a skeleton.

"Hey Jon?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" he answered, at the same level.

"Can I… have a minute alone… with Alex?"

"Yeah." He kissed me on the cheek and walked out of the room.

I took a deep breath, hoping for a sign from Alex.

…Nothing. He hadn't changed at all.

"Alex…" I started. I knew that I probably looked crazy, but I had to try.

It always works in the movies. The girl takes his hand and cries over her love's lifeless body, and somehow, magically, he wakes up.

It's worth a try.

We're running out of ideas.

I reached out and touched his hand softly, almost afraid.

My fingers recoiled at the touch, but I forced them to wrap around his warm hand.

"Wake up." I whispered.

I felt the bitter sting of tears, threatening to overflow.

"Alex." I repeated.

Nothing.

I shuddered as I sucked in a breath.

"Wake up!" I said loudly. My voice was cracking and a few tears escaped the confines of my eye.

"ALEX! God dammit!" I stamped my foot on the linoleum and started sobbing.

Probably drawn from all the noise, the nurse and Jonathan rushed in.

The instant he saw me, Jon wrapped his arms around me.

"Shh…" he whispered, stroking my hair.

"But Jon-" I started.

"Shh!" he ordered. He held me tightly, and I felt his body shake from silent sobs.

I just stood there. I had to be Jonathan's rock. He was there for me.

The nurse was busy checking one of the monitors, and writing something furiously on her clipboard. I was about to ask what she was doing, but Jonathan beat me to it.

"What is that?" asked Jonathan, obviously composed again. I'll take the fact that he cried to the grave with me. He's too tough to cry.

"It's an electromagnetic graph." She replied, writing furiously on a clipboard. "It measures brain activity."

"What's the red mean?" I asked. The screen showed a lot of pink and red blotches on it. Just a second ago it was dark blue.

"It means…" she started. "He's thinking. He's reacting."