Hey guys, so sorry for the lack of updates in the last few days. Things have been crazy for me lately and I temporarily lost track of everything. Anyways, I am back and the updating shall continue...

S.G.


Chapter 29 – Good Morning Beautiful

The rays of sun shining through the window woke Tommy from his slumber. He opened his eyes, glancing in Jude's direction. He found a pair of big blue eyes staring back at him. His jaw dropped and his face went pale. She was awake. Sleeping beauty had woken up.

"Good morning." She whispered, laughing slightly at the look on his face. It seemed like a miracle; to him she was a miracle. A silent moment passed between the two as Tommy tried to process the situation. As if the light suddenly clicked on, Tommy jumped up from his seat, his face flooding with happiness and relief. He enveloped Jude in a gentle hug, taking care not to hurt her. "Did you miss me, Quincy?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"You have no idea, girl, I am just so glad that you are okay. I've been so worried about you." Tears sprung into his eyes as he spoke but he didn't wipe them away. He ran his hand through her hair, grazing her cheek softly with his fingers. The warmth in her smooth cheeks let him know that it wasn't a dream. She was real; she was really going to be alright. Everything was going to be alright.

"You act like I almost died or something." She said; rolling her eyes. The smile dropped from his face, an unreadable look flashing in his eyes. He sat back down, quietly taking her hand in his. The grin faded from her face as she noticed the change in his demeanor. "What is it?" She asked. "What is going on?" She panicked slightly, something wasn't right. There was something Jude didn't know, and Tommy's reaction was starting to worry her.

"Jude, you did almost die." He glanced up at her, gauging her reaction. Her eyes had widened, and her grip on his hand had tightened. She motioned for him to continue. He hesitated, not sure how to proceed. He knew he had to tell her, but he wasn't sure how to do it.

"Tell me what happened, Tommy, please. I need to know." She looked into his eyes, refusing to falter. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear it, but she needed to know. The fear was growing in her mind. Was there something wrong with her, something that would never heal?

Finally he just pushed on, letting the words come to him as he talked. "Jude, the accident, it really messed you up. The broken wrist, the cuts and bruises, they were all minor, but there was more. You hit your head on the window, and you lost a lot of blood. They spent hours stabilizing you. Then they found something else, a neck injury. It is a miracle you aren't paralyzed, Jude. The injury caused brain trauma. You slipped into a coma, we didn't know if you would ever wake up." He glanced up at her, watching her cheeks visibly pale. She looked like she had been slapped.

"How long? How long was I unconscious?" She asked, looking down at the bed, memorizing the pattern of the blanket.

"A week, Jude. You were unconscious for a week." Tears fell silently down her cheeks as the words hit her. I was almost killed. I lost an entire week of my life. I could have been paralyzed. It all seemed to crash down on her. She closed her eyes trying to make some sort of sense of it.

Tommy felt tremendously guilty about dropping it all on her so quickly. He could see her struggling with it, and he felt so helpless. He squeezed her hand, trying to let her know that he was there for her. After a few moments, Jude blinked a few times before looking up at Tommy, her blue eyes blazing.

"Wow." She said quietly. She laughed, but the humor was gone from her voice. She glanced down at her hand, still encased in Tommy's. She let her breath out slowly. She was glad he had told her, but it was still a lot to take in. They sat for a while, a comfortable silence between them. There were a million things that Tommy wanted to tell Jude, but they could wait. Instead he sat with her, giving her a chance to think. He knew there was a lot to think about, and unlike Tommy, Jude hadn't had a week to let it all sink in.

Jude was grateful that Tommy was there with her. Everything was so immense that it almost seemed like she would get lost in the details. She held onto Tommy's hand, feeling the comfort that it brought. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened in the last week, but she could feel a difference in Tommy. There was a closeness and an intimacy between the two that hadn't been there before. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she didn't question it. There would be time for it later.

Time seemed to stop as the two sat there in blissful silence. A calm had settled over the room, and all was well. Jude was okay and Tommy was there, holding her hand. They both had everything they ever wanted. They sat in their happy daze together until the sound of the door brought them back to reality. A nurse was standing at the door.

"She's awake." She said breathlessly, her face lighting up. She looked almost awestruck. "I'll go get the doctor." She rushed out of the door, leaving Tommy and Jude to chuckle lightly at her reaction.

"I guess that's my cue to go call everyone. They will kill me if they find out I didn't call them right away." Jude nodded; she was looking forward to seeing everyone. She reluctantly let go of Tommy's hand, instantly feeling colder as she did. Just as he got to the door, Tommy turned around, looking at Jude. "I'll be right back. I love you, girl." He walked out the door, leaving Jude astounded, wondering if she had imagined his words. Before she could contemplate it any further, the door opened again, the doctor breezing in.

"It's nice to see you awake Ms. Harrison. We were beginning to wonder." He went about his business, checking vitals and making small talk. They went over what had happened and how she was feeling. They talked candidly, really hitting it off. Finally Jude asked the question that had been nagging at her.

"Doctor." She began. He nodded at her, giving her his full attention. "The coma, what happened? I mean what made me wake up?"

"You did." He said simply. "Though I don't think that it hurt that your boyfriend was here with you." Jude glanced at him confused. My boyfriend? The doctor didn't notice the confusion in her face, and continued on. "You know, you are really lucky. I see a lot of patients come in here, but I rarely see that kind of devotion. I mean I see loved ones come and go, but that young man, he was always here with you. He really loves you."

Jude beamed as the doctor left the room. My boyfriend. She thought I like the sound of that.