Hi, here is something you don't know about me, I don't like the number 6, so I made a number 7. LOL Um, I don't know how this is gonna be, so you'll have to let me know.
It had been a long year for Teresa. She sighed as she pulled into the hospital parking lot. What a year it had been.
She would never forgive herself for sending him out to try and catch this crazy cleaning lady that came in their building and assaulted them, and to make matters worse, she ran over him, that's what sh had told the police.
He had been in the hospital for over a year now, busted up broken and bruised, he was in a coma for ten months, and recently came out of it.
She was so happy, the only thing was Patrick didn't remember things, a lot of things.
The doctors told her he had a lot brain damage, but with time it would return.
He was very happy, never sad anymore, which she was grateful for.
The nurses all loved him, even his doctors had took him under their wing as well.
She would come and see him everyday, even spent the weekends with him, she would read to him, and talk to him, the doctors had told her it would help him come out of it sooner, if he heard familiar voices surrounding him.
The whole team had been in to see him, bring him flowers, visiting, and talking to him.
He wasn't the same though, in many different ways, the doctors told her it was a miracle that he was alive, they had brought him back.
It took several different surgeries to repair the damage that had been done to his brain, the rest were broken bones, and torn muscles, and damaged nerves, and blood vessels.
They were going to start his therapy as soon as he was able to try, he couldn't walk.
A lot of the bones had healed, and some of the casts were off, but he was so bruised and swollen, and the biggest and strangest thing to see, was his hair, she hated that she noticed something like that, but it was different to see him with his head shaved, it was a little longer now, little curls all over, just shorter than usual.
She took a deep breath as she got out of her car, she headed to the gift shop, and bought him some flowers, today would be the first time she would see him awake.
As she got into the elevator her nerves got the best of her, what if he didn't remember her? She hadn't been by lately, because of this horrible case they were working on.
What if he was upset she didn't come, she shook her head, she had called everyday and every night for the past four days, keeping up with him, and sending him messages.
When she got off the elevator, she was met with one of his doctors.
"Miss Lisbon, its nice to see you again, Patrick has been asking for you."
She smiled.
"Has he, how has he been?"
"There's some things you need to know."
Her smiled faded, she was met with more worry.
"What is it, I thought he was coming along, that's what his nurses keep telling me."
"Oh no, Patrick is doing great, everyday, a bit better, his strength will come back too, he's just not in his head."
Teresa answered him to the only thought she had at that moment.
"Memory loss, yes I already know about that."
"No, that's not it, he isn't who you knew."
Teresa's heart sped up, why couldn't this doctor come out with it already.
"What do you mean?"
"In Patrick's mind, he is a child."
Her heart sank, and she tried, but failed at hiding the worry that seeped in.
"He will come out of Teresa, I just wanted you to be prepared."
"Thank you Dr. Moore, can I see him now?"
"Sure, let me take you to him."
She followed him to Patrick's room, she didn't go in but watched him, one of his nurses was playing checkers with him, she noticed how he acted, and sounded, he seemed like he didn't have a care in the world, until she heard him talking to Rachel, his nurse.
"Well Patrick, you have beaten me seven times."
She saw him smile, it melted her heart, how could he be so innocent?
Then she heard him speak for the first time in in months, tears came to her eyes as she listened to him.
"I am good aren't I?"
He smiled bright enough to light up a Christmas tree.
"Yes you are!"
She smiled at him as she walked around his bed to give him a drink of water.
"Where is Teresa, I thought she was coming to see me?"
There it was, that innocence again.
"She's coming Patrick, here drink some water."
She watched as she held the cup to his lips for him to drink, his left hand he put on the cup with hers, he didn't have any use out of the right one yet, his left one was very shaky, but he wasn't giving up, she could tell.
"Patrick, don't be sad, she's coming."
She looked down at him and gently ran her right hand through his short little curls, and smiled at him, to which he smiled back.
"I'll be right back, I gonna check your vitals, okay?"
"Okay, that's all the important stuff I hear you talking about with my doctor right?"
"Right."
She smiled at him as she walked away, Teresa noticed something, he looked so sad all of a sudden.
"Teresa, oh Teresa, I'm so glad your here, Patrick will be so happy, he has talked about you all day!"
"He has?"
"Yes he has."
"Um, how do I talk to him?"
Rachel could tell Teresa was worried.
"Just talk to him, oh and by the way, your Patrick is in there, just go set with him, play checkers him."
They both laughed.
"I just don't want to get him upset."
"You won't, go see him."
"One more thing, why does he look so sad?"
"He loves for people to come and visit, just to talk, he seems to get lonely quickly, I don't know how his childhood was, but it might be a reflection of that."
"Wow, thank you."
"Your welcome, I'll be right in, in a moment, just gonna check up on some of his medicines."
Rachel left, and Teresa walked in the door slowly, to see him lying there, propped up, with his eyes shut, but something usual caught her eye, she knew he wasn't sleeping.
She smiled as he looked at her.
"Teresa, you came!"
"Of course I came, I told you I would come."
He held up his left arm as she got closer to him, she set on the bed, and wrapped her arms around him being careful not to hurt him, she couldn't cry, not now, it would only upset him, and she didn't want that.
He tucked his face into her neck, and held her tightly, it felt like he was in there.
"I missed you so much, I was worried you changed your mind, and didn't want to see me."
That broke her heart.
"Patrick, I wanted to see you, so much."
She ran her fingers through his short curls, stoked his cheek, and smiled.
They began to pull away from each other, but he held her left hand in his.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, just sore I guess."
"Um, how are you?"
"I've been better, worried about you."
He smiled up at her, she wondered if he would remember anything from his past any time soon, bless his heart, he was out of it.
"I hear you won checkers."
"I kicked her butt good."
They both laughed, he seemed light somehow, she looked down at his left hand, his wedding ring was gone, she knew they took it off him because of the swelling, it was just so odd to see him without it, she shook her head, they had given it to her months ago, it was just so weird to have it though, she felt like she had something she wasn't supposed to have.
"What are looking for?"
"Nothing, just looking, why don't you take a nap."
"Please don't go."
"Patrick, I'm not leaving you, I'll be right here, I promise."
She leaned over and kissed his for head, just like every time she saw him.
He closed his eyes, and began to doze, that's when everything hit Teresa like a tun of bricks, no one knew the secret she held inside.
The tears poured out as she remembered that night.
She had a hard day, and called it a night early, telling everyone she was going home, but she lied.
As she looked at Patrick, she shook at the next thoughts.
She went to a bar, and drank her worries away, and then made a stupid decision of driving.
Patrick was taking a walk, he had a hard time too with the case they had been working on.
She would never forget the look on his face.
She cried more at the memory.
She came barreling out of control going 90miles an hours, and hit him, he came flying on the hood, then hit the windshield, sled off, then she ran over him, not only once, but twice.
She tried not to think of it, but everything came back, his body, broken and bleeding on the road, the horrid position he was in, she couldn't move him, because if he had a broke neck, one wrong move would have paralysed him.
When the ambulance came they asked what happen, she had made up some stupid thing, she was so scared of what she had done to him.
He was bleeding so much they stripped him in the road, and laid him on a sheet to clean him up, and see where the wounds were.
It was horrible, he died three times, but somehow they got him back. Not only did his brain have many surgeries, but his tummy too, both lungs had collapsed also.
She looked over at him, they had his sheet and blanket just under his tummy, tubes in him all over, and she stared, she couldn't take her eyes away.
His chest moving up and down, the soft sounds of him snoring, all the bandages he had on him, the casts that some were still on, so many bruises still marred his skin, so many abrasions, his head, she looked at his face, he had his head slightly turned, she could see the scars from his many surgeries, the poor man had been through too much, and it was her fault.
What would she do when he came too, what would he say?
She took her right hand, and ran it over his head, feeling those scars from all the stitches and staples, it was wonderful that they had been took out, before he was all wrapped up, but the only thing now she could really see the damaged that had been done.
She cried to herself, as she touched him, how could she ever make this right?
Okay, here is chapter 1, it took 2 days to write it up. Please read and review. Tell me what you think.
Crystal*hugs*:0)