A/N: I can't seem to help myself. With your dear reviews constantly coming in, and my own personal interest on this, it is impossible for me to stop writing and get into bed at a sofisticated time. No necessarily a bad thing for the story, really bad for my exams, anyway. I wanted to say couple of words about how this story differs from my earlier works. I've found myself writing more description of emotions than usually, which means that it isn't so much based on the dialogue anymore. This bothers me cause I feel like my dialogue is suffering from this, what do you think? I appreciate your reviews, and I am very bad to take criticism, but I would like your input on this matter. Thanks :) ENJOY!!
"She's looking very good. I'm sure we'll have her back as soon as she's had enough rest" Cappie smiled encouragingly and lead his true love's mother in to the room.
Evan was going to follow the pair when Mr. Cartwright stopped him.
"And who are you?" he asked, eyeing the boy suspiciously.
"Sorry, Evan Chambers, sir."
"I'm no more sir than you are, so stop calling me that. Chamber, eh? Oh yes, I've heard about you" Mr. Cartwright said and eyed the boy once more before following his wife. "I think you should leave now. We appreciate your concern" he said to Evan before closing the door behind himself.
(CH2)
Cappie was back to being locked alone into his room, though this time there wasn't a party going on outside. It seemed that the whole Kappa Tau house knew that he wasn't up to it and just left him alone. It had been like that for couple of days now. The whole CRU knew what had happened to Casey and was genuinely sorry for that. There was fruit baskets and flowers from every single fraternity and sorority both in Casey's hospital room as well as at the ZBZ house. The ZBZ girls hadn't been allowed to see their sister, the only ones getting into the room being Casey's parents, Rusty, Ashleigh and Cappie himself. Evan had been allowed in once when Mr. Cartwright had been out to get lunch. Cappie had luckily been with him and had only heard about the visit later from Rusty who had stayed behind with his mum, telling her for the hundredth time that he was really doing okay in school.
Cappie had been touched to see how close the Cartwrights were. In his slightly depressed mood he had called his own mother, just to hear her fussing voice to tell him that she loved him and was always very proud of him, though he could eat better. All that junk couldn't possibly be good for him. Cappie had been missing classes while spending his time at the hospital. It wasn't anything unusual, but now that he actually had a reason to skip them he suddenly felt extremely guilty. He had been running from professor to professor, not only telling them about Casey, which they of course already knew, but also asking more time for whatever it was that he was supposed to be doing. It was amazing really, it seemed that he was now working more out of the class than ever during one. Rusty had mentioned it to him but he had just waved him off, chuckling when the boy said that he'd look it up from some psych book, he was probably having a syndrome of some kind.
He thought about the last night. He had been alone in the hospital with her, Rusty and their parents getting some well deserved sleep. They had told him to go home too, get some sleep and come back in the morning in a better shape. Cappie had told them that he'd go after a minute, which he had done. He'd gone to get some food and then came back to eat it while telling her that she was really picky, staying asleep while there was all that delicious hospital food lying around and smiling when he thought how she'd be rolling her eyes at him if she only could. Cappie was sure that she could hear them and had actually been reading her some of her homework, some of his own homework, asking her opinion on something while writing an essay, and when nobody was listening, he also read her Cosmo with a high-pitched girly voice. He had every once in a while made a comment about how painting your toenails was actually creepy and how the cucumbers were better in you than on your face. Being with her was supposed to be comforting for her, but he knew that it did more for him to be around the blonde beauty than it did for her. Last night had been one of the hardest in his life. Cappie had, just for a second, but that was all it took. Just for a second he had let the thought of her never waking up enter his mind. Obviously he had shook it off right away, but now, alone in his room, thinking how dry Casey's lips had been when he had kissed them the night before, he couldn't shake it off anymore.
Cappie, the king of parties, the ladies' man, the president of Kappa Tau Gamma and over all nice guy. That boy was sleeping somewhere else, but in his room. In his clothes and looking just like him, there was someone else. Cappie, the boy who loved a girl named Casey, was shaking, his sobs getting stronger, crying into his pillow for the possibility of never seeing the girl's eyes open. Never hearing a clever and witty comment said with her voice. Never sliding his tongue past those soft lips again. The thought alone was too much for him to handle, and the fact that it could become the reality, he couldn't bare it. He was half asleep when his cell went off and after answering he heard Rusty's voice. He had never liked anyone's voice as much as he did he said the words Cappie had been waiting to hear for so long.
"Cappie, Casey woke up."
Casey had never felt her eyes as heavy as she did when she woke up that afternoon. Her head was killing her and she felt like she hadn't been moving for months the way her muscles were tense. The first thing she has acknowledged was that she heard some peeping from somewhere near and she couldn't stand the sound of it. It was as if she had been listening it forever and it was starting to drive her crazy. The next thins was that her throat was dry, she tried to cough but ended up almost choking. That was when she felt somebody grabbing her and lifting her to sit up, asking her if she was awake. It took her a moment more to open her eyes and when she finally did she saw Rusty standing at the end of the bed and her parents rushing in to the room, her mum's eyes watering when she saw Casey, though her lips had a smile on them. Then the unknown voice was talking to her, asking her if she knew where she was and who she was.
"Of course I know who I am, Casey Cartwright. That's my family. Who are you?"
"My name is Chris Morrel, I'm your doctor here at the Rhode University Hospital. You've asleep for some time. What's the last thing you remember?"
"I'm… I'm not sure… Wait, asleep? Like in a coma? For how long?" Casey wasn't sure if she had just woken up or gone to sleep. She had no idea why she was in a hospital, or why her family was there. She really wanted to know how long she had been out and what had happened.
About 30 minutes later it was all clear to her. A car crash, couple of days in coma, injuries that were still healing. And she'd still have to stay for one night so they could keep an eye on her for complications and make sure that there wasn't more to her head trauma.
"Thank you doctor. Mum and dad, I'm really happy that you're here, but you didn't need to bring Rusty with you" Casey said when they were done with her checkup and she was now free to hug her mum who was still a bit teary.
"What do you mean bring him? He was here before we were" her mother said while giving her daughter some room by sitting down to the chair closets to the bed. "We came from Chicago, you know that, don't you?"
"Well yeah mum, that is where we live. But where was Rusty if he didn't come with you guys?"
"Right here Case. We go to the same school, remember?" Rusty put in with a questioning voice.
"Ha ha, really funny Rusty. You're not due to college for a year. And if we happen to end up in the same school… Well, we'll see about it then" Casey said and got back three pairs of incredulous eyes looking at her. "What?"
"Casey, what year is it?" doctor Morrel asked and came back to the bed from the door.
"What? 2006... Why?" Casey said and was getting a little bewildered herself. "Why?"
"Casey, sweetheart…" their mother tried but didn't found the words. Even Casey's doctor was looking a little puzzled, which could not in any circumstances be a good thing.
"Guys? You're really starting to freak me out here…"
"Case. It's not 2006" Rusty finally said.
"It's not? But I thought you said that I wasn't in coma more than…"
"You weren't… Ms. Cartwright, it seems that you're suffering from a memory loss of some sort" doctor Morrell diagnosed. Casey frowned, Rusty's eyes widened and their mum started crying again, their dad coming to her side.
The past two days had been the longest of Cappie's life, even longer than the ones spent in the dark hospital room. It seemed that now that Casey was awake they had to do some tests and for some reason that Rusty hadn't been able to tell him, they didn't let anyone see her, not even Cappie which was really tearing the boy to pieces. He wanted to see with his own two eyes that she was alive and kicking, but no. Finally Rusty had called him that they were coming back. Rusty would drive his sister back that afternoon and since the call had ended he had been sitting on a bench, opposite side of the road from ZBZ house. If she didn't want to see him, it would be okay, but he just wanted to see her and really believe that everything was alright.
At one point Evan had appeared to the front lawn of the house, not coming over to shoo him away, which was either extremely nice or mean of him, he didn't know. Nor did he need to think that too much longer when a car pulled up to the street and the Cartwright siblings got out. Casey looked like and angel. Sure her walking was a bit stiff, but what could you really expect with some broken ribs still healing. And there were some shades on her face, but other than that… The sun was shining, making her glow the way she always did for him, making it now visible for everybody else too, which would've made Cappie slightly jealous had he thought about it. But he didn't. All he could think was how he should now dedicate his life to serving God for letting her be okay. It would mean a lot less sex, a lot less parties, and a lot more early mornings. Well, maybe he could find some other way to thank Him.
"Casey, honey!" Evan went to Casey and lifted her to a hug, twirling them around couple of times before letting her go.
"Evan, don't…" Rusty tried but they were back at school, the place where nobody listened to him.
"Um… Evan…"
"I was so worried for you" Evan said tenderly before bending down and kissing Casey, who slapped him the moment she felt those lips on hers.
"Oh my God! How dare you? I get that you were worried, but that's going too far. And honestly, we've never been that close anyway" Casey said and took several steps away from the tall blonde guy who stood there looking at her with his eyes widened and a hand on his cheek where her hand had stopped.
"Casey, you should probably know something…" Rusty tried, in vain again. His sister was already looking around, obviously looking for something, and smiling wide when she finally found it.
"Cappie!" she shouted and ran to the somewhat surprised boy who couldn't do else than stand there while she jumped to his neck and wrap his hands around her. "I've missed you so much" she whispered to his ear before stepping back a little.
"Case… I…" he couldn't say more when he suddenly found her lips on his, kissing him the way she had kissed him when they had still been together. It wasn't hurried, or passionate like it had been whenever they had come together since Evan's betrayal. It was everlasting, tender, and full of love. He knew on some level that there was something wrong with this, but he couldn't think of what even if his life had depended on it. All he could do was to hold onto her and kiss her back, pouring at least as much feeling into it as she did, if not even more.
A/N: REVIEW!
