They say only an old flame could put her back together. Hospital noises and sights blinded everyone to the outside world, but she had become blind and deaf to them. A few times they considered not visiting, but it was the only thing keeping her here, the doctors said. She was trying her best, but the trauma ran deep. Nobody knew what would happen next, only about this moment. Some days were fine; she was responsive in therapy and would maybe have some of that old spark back that made her who she was. But days like today, they were the hardest. She was…lost, for lack of a better word.
He watched her, day after day, as the days slowly turned into weeks. He knew some of the doctors by name. The progress was hard to watch, and it seemed like they were getting nowhere with her. But he knew she was still in there, in the way she still held her breath whenever he entered the room, or how she would almost recognize faces over voices. She found people for a living. Well now they had to find her.
Life trapped her in a veil and she couldn't seem to find the way out. She was screaming but no one could hear her. The lack of patience and love made her feel even more alone. He made her realize that it was all distortions, it was all just in her head and everything would be fine in the end. Sure, she got yelled at, but was it out of anger? Every action and word was out of pure love. She had a hard time seeing that she was loved and cared for.
No one knows what happened to her, only that she had fallen far enough to be out of the reach of recognition. Sometimes she tried to tell her story of self destruction and desperation. The isolation and hours spent in the gym were not her fault. The anger lashed out at everyone when asked if she was fine when she clearly was lacking sleep was not her fault. That is all what needed to be said, but instead no one came to her…except for him. He was always there at every turn and bump ever since his return to her life.
He desperately wanted to prove himself again. He wanted to gain her trust, so he was there even when he wasn't entirely wanted. Deep down, he knew that is what she needed. So he visited those cramped areas of the white walled dungeon where she could be found crying or panicking over something. Words weren't enough, so they were rarely used between them. Piece by piece, he pulled her back to the surface. He was able to make her smile again.
Through unshed tears she told of how he stalked, how he kept on pursuing his own wants without respecting her own. He had wanted to win her heart, so he said. Words kept spilling out of her and they didn't want to stop. Everyone listened whenever she got this way, because this part was important in her healing. Her hands shook often and she couldn't stand to be cornered by anyone. She didn't like being followed. If she ever left a room, it was understood that no one was allowed to go after her. That made things ten times worse. Flashbacks and nightmares were common, almost daily, but at least she wasn't so shut away from the world anymore. She was slowly learning how to function again. He was still there, stoking the flames of her healing heart any time the fire began to die down. And she was there, smiling and starting to laugh once again.