Part Three Chapter 7
The first thing Aria hears, when she wakes up out of the darkness that has surrounded her for days, is a steady beeping. She tries to open her eyes but it feels as if weight is lying on her eyelids, which makes it impossible for her to look at the place she is staying at.
When she manages to open her eyes just a little bit, she is dazzled by the bright, glaring light. Immediately she has to close her eyes again. Every movement hurts. She is barely able to move her head without feeling the pain in every part of her body.
What happened? Where is she and why? Again she tries to open her eyes. This time she is able to adjust to the brightness.
Finally she recognizes her environment. She is in a bed. Everything is white around her and the beeping is from a screen that monitors her heartbeat.
What happened? When she tries to move the fingers of her right hand, she touches something which feels like hair.
Despite the pain Aria tries to move her head to the right. Jason's head is lying on the covers of her bed since he is sleeping and hasn't noticed that is girlfriend has woken up out of her coma.
When she realizes who is sitting next to her bed, Aria wants to say his name to wake him up. But every word she tries to speak, hurts in her dry throat.
With great effort she starts to stroke his head with her fingers. Feeling these touches Jason wakes up and raises his head confused.
When he sees that Aria is looking at him with her eyes wide open, tears are instantly filling his eyes. When Aria sees his face, she holds her breath.
He looks so bad. Worse than the day on which she has appeared on his porch.
There are dark shadows among his eyes, his skin is reddened and he is growing a short beard since he probably hasn't shaved for days.
"Hey" Jason says softly, as he puts her hand in his and pulls it to his lips to kiss her fingers gently. Aria feels how a tear is running down from his cheek and reaches her dry skin.
With all her strength she lifts her arm up and sweeps another tear from his cheek.
"I thought I'd lost you." Jason whispers to her.
Aria puts her hand back in his and presses it gently, while she simply smiles at him.
A week has passed, since Aria is out of her coma. She was transferred to a regular room. Her state of health has improved a lot although she is still very weak.
Jason visits her every day. As the door creaks quietly, Aria rotates so she can see who enters the room. A smile appears on her still pale face when she sees that Jason slips into her room.
"Hi, pretty girl." Jason greets her before he kisses her tenderly.
Aria rolls her eyes. She knows exactly how bad she still looks. But it has already repeatedly proved to be futile to defend herself against the nickname.
"I brought you something." Jason says with a beaming smile.
Jason can't wait to see her reaction when she opens his gift. Only now Aria notices that he hides his hands behind his back.
"You've already brought me something each day of last week. I really get a bad conscience." She complains laughing.
"Yes, but this gift is special. You told me about the book that was published in the 1960s and wasn't printed again. I thought I just try my luck, and have been in seven second-hand bookshops." Jason tells her, before he doesn't hide his arms behind his back anymore and hands over the gift that is wrapped in a cloth.
Aria takes the ends of the cloth and opens her gift. She is looking at the title of the book without saying a word.
Immediately a sea of tears fills her eyes. Only when she looks at Jason, he can see her crying.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks anxiously, as he puts his right hand at her cheek so that his thumb catches a tear. Quickly he pulls his shoes from his feet and lies down beside her.
Aria places her head against his chest, while Jason puts his arm round her. "Can you please tell me how you are able to forgive me? Because I just can't forgive myself." She says tearfully.
Silence fills the room since Jason needs some time to find the words, which frees Aria of her feelings of guilt.
"When you have been in a coma, I've regretted how many moments, since you're back, I still wasted, thinking about what has happened between us and what might have happened if things would have been different. I've only wished that you'll wake up and swore myself that I'm just grateful that I have you with me again. You apologized, you regret it and you told me that you love me and you want to be with me. That's all I can ask for. You can't turn back time. I understand that you were overwhelmed by everything that had happened between us and because Ali has disappeared. And it wasn't your fault that I've started to drink alcohol and that I've taken drugs again. I had other ways to cope with it, but I have chosen the worst. It was my choice. Aria, I love you and only with you I'm happy. I don't want to frighten you because you're only sixteen and I'm still quite young, but to me you're the one. I just can't let you go again." Jason tells her as he gently strokes the bare skin of her arm.
As Aria stretches her head and looks in his eyes, she can see that he meant every word like he said it. She presses her body even closer to him and wraps her arm around him.
"I think I'm still in a coma, because you're really too good to be true." She whispers.
I'm sorry for the belated update. I hope you like it!
