CHAPTER II
Would You Like Dinner On An Intravenous Line Or Would You Prefer It Through A Straw?
Jane moaned as she was brought back to consciousness by a jumble of beeping and whirring and humming. Slowly, she opened her eyes, taking in the pasty colored walls and the shock of frizzy black hair and dark, beautiful eyes above her.
"Morning sunshine." The face said quietly, their eyes sparkling with compassion as Jane forced herself from the comforting blackness.
"Liz." Jane choked out as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, sucking in all the comfort she could get. Tears pushed forward in her eyes, and Jane sucked down the urge to weep again.
With a sniff, Jane pulled back and wiped her eyes with her hand, managing a smile to comply with her friend's worried face. She sat there for a moment, looking inside Liz's eyes and wallowing in the sadness.
"I'm so sorry," Liz said sympathetically, frowning. Jane nodded and sat back, finally noticing that she was lying in a hospital bed with the curtain pulled up around it.
"Where's Eddie?" Jane suddenly asked, franticness leaping into her eyes and words as she sat up and began to stand up from the bed, but Liz put a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Calm down, Jane." Liz said, more of a pleading sense than a command. "You'll wake him up." Liz stood and helped her friend out of the bed, walking over to the curtain and gently pulling it away, revealing what made Jane stiffen.
A powerful wave of melancholy washing over her.
"Oh my god…" Was all she could get out beneath her fingers that were now placed across her lips, her eyes wide.
Eddie looked almost lifeless beneath the blankets piled on top of him, his pallor matching that of the pasty walls.
He looked so delicate without the warm red flowing beneath his skin that she was reluctant to walk toward the bed, as if he might crumble at any moment.
From the bulge beneath the blankets, Jane could tell that his left arm was wrapped in a cast, clamped across his chest. His right arm lay slack beside him, IV's and other lines snaking in and out of it.
An air hose was pushed up into his nose and a whole bunch of computer junk was piled around his head. He looked so strange, as if he were more a robot than her fiancé: Eddie Alden.
She silently made her way forward, her feet sliding over the tiled floor with each seemingly heavy footstep. Her breath falling short as she gently took hold of his limp grasp, welcoming his touch with a burdensome heart.
Jane jumped as she felt Eddie's loose fingers tighten slightly around her spidery hand, a small moan issuing from his lips as he collapsed back into the bed.
She watched as his eyes barely fluttered open, tiny slits only revealing a fraction of the deep, beautiful, brown world that lay beneath.
Eddie managed a small smile as his tongue flashed out lamely to moisten his dry lips, and he gently lifted Jane's hand to his face, kissing it lightly.
Jane smiled, ignoring the loose tears now trailing her cheek.
"Hey," Eddie whispered, his voice low and husky as his eyes slid shut again.
"Hi," Jane answered, she turned to Liz in desperation, who had slunk off into a corner and had her arms wrapped about herself, surveying Jane's actions.
Liz only shook her head and shrugged, her eyes flashing from Eddie's limp form, to Jane's pleading eyes, to the ground.
"I'll be outside," Liz smiled politely and pushed back the tears in her eyes, walking out the door. "Get well, Eddie." She said over her shoulder.
Jane half-heartedly watched as her friend slid out of the door, leaving her standing in the middle of a room with a broken man clasped to her fingers.
"Oh Eddie," Jane murmured, watching his lamed and pained efforts as he tried to scooch over in the bed.
"Come here," Eddie whispered, his eyes lazily appearing again as he lifted his chin, beckoning her to come in.
Jane faltered a moment, thinking over the action before sliding carefully into the bed with him, freaking when he took a sharp breath because of a shock of pain.
After positioning herself as comfortably as possible without further disturbing Eddie, Jane rested her head between his shoulder and chin, listening to his heavy breathing.
"I've missed you," Eddie said, snuggling closer to Jane as he felt her tremble with sadness against him, his paper hospital gown shifting noisily.
An edgy tranquility washed over her as his neck vibrated with his deep voice, seeming to massage her fevered skin. Jane cinched her eyes closed, but it was already too late, tears slipped down the bridge of her nose and dripped loose onto his shoulder.
"I was so scared," Jane whimpered, sniffing back more tears as she lifted her hand to wrap a loose arch around his neck, avoiding his broken arm as she snuggled closer to his body, feeding off his warmth. "What happened?"
"I don't really remember," Eddie sank back into the pillows, his voice still husky, his vocal chords seeming to be strings of granite. "I was just walking across the street, and this car came out of nowhere, and took me off my feet. And the next thing I remember is lying on the ground with a whole bunch of people standing around me, just staring…"
Jane suddenly noticed that goosebumps had erupted across his arms and he was shivering slightly. Her eyebrows stitched as she felt him go limp in her arms, succumbing to the exhaustion that ravaged his body.
Jane gently slipped her head from his shoulder and scooted up so her nose was an inch apart from his and looked directly into his closed eyes.
She watched him for a second, noticing things, the curve of his nose, his slightly darkened eyes, the shape of his eyebrows, and the little bit of stubble growing across his chin, things she had never taken time to notice.
"Welcome back," Jane whispered almost silently, gently pushing her head forward and delicately pecking the tip of his nose with her lips, letting a light smack of moist skin carry her away to darkness.
Would You Like Dinner On An Intravenous Line Or Would You Prefer It Through A Straw?
Jane moaned as she was brought back to consciousness by a jumble of beeping and whirring and humming. Slowly, she opened her eyes, taking in the pasty colored walls and the shock of frizzy black hair and dark, beautiful eyes above her.
"Morning sunshine." The face said quietly, their eyes sparkling with compassion as Jane forced herself from the comforting blackness.
"Liz." Jane choked out as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, sucking in all the comfort she could get. Tears pushed forward in her eyes, and Jane sucked down the urge to weep again.
With a sniff, Jane pulled back and wiped her eyes with her hand, managing a smile to comply with her friend's worried face. She sat there for a moment, looking inside Liz's eyes and wallowing in the sadness.
"I'm so sorry," Liz said sympathetically, frowning. Jane nodded and sat back, finally noticing that she was lying in a hospital bed with the curtain pulled up around it.
"Where's Eddie?" Jane suddenly asked, franticness leaping into her eyes and words as she sat up and began to stand up from the bed, but Liz put a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Calm down, Jane." Liz said, more of a pleading sense than a command. "You'll wake him up." Liz stood and helped her friend out of the bed, walking over to the curtain and gently pulling it away, revealing what made Jane stiffen.
A powerful wave of melancholy washing over her.
"Oh my god…" Was all she could get out beneath her fingers that were now placed across her lips, her eyes wide.
Eddie looked almost lifeless beneath the blankets piled on top of him, his pallor matching that of the pasty walls.
He looked so delicate without the warm red flowing beneath his skin that she was reluctant to walk toward the bed, as if he might crumble at any moment.
From the bulge beneath the blankets, Jane could tell that his left arm was wrapped in a cast, clamped across his chest. His right arm lay slack beside him, IV's and other lines snaking in and out of it.
An air hose was pushed up into his nose and a whole bunch of computer junk was piled around his head. He looked so strange, as if he were more a robot than her fiancé: Eddie Alden.
She silently made her way forward, her feet sliding over the tiled floor with each seemingly heavy footstep. Her breath falling short as she gently took hold of his limp grasp, welcoming his touch with a burdensome heart.
Jane jumped as she felt Eddie's loose fingers tighten slightly around her spidery hand, a small moan issuing from his lips as he collapsed back into the bed.
She watched as his eyes barely fluttered open, tiny slits only revealing a fraction of the deep, beautiful, brown world that lay beneath.
Eddie managed a small smile as his tongue flashed out lamely to moisten his dry lips, and he gently lifted Jane's hand to his face, kissing it lightly.
Jane smiled, ignoring the loose tears now trailing her cheek.
"Hey," Eddie whispered, his voice low and husky as his eyes slid shut again.
"Hi," Jane answered, she turned to Liz in desperation, who had slunk off into a corner and had her arms wrapped about herself, surveying Jane's actions.
Liz only shook her head and shrugged, her eyes flashing from Eddie's limp form, to Jane's pleading eyes, to the ground.
"I'll be outside," Liz smiled politely and pushed back the tears in her eyes, walking out the door. "Get well, Eddie." She said over her shoulder.
Jane half-heartedly watched as her friend slid out of the door, leaving her standing in the middle of a room with a broken man clasped to her fingers.
"Oh Eddie," Jane murmured, watching his lamed and pained efforts as he tried to scooch over in the bed.
"Come here," Eddie whispered, his eyes lazily appearing again as he lifted his chin, beckoning her to come in.
Jane faltered a moment, thinking over the action before sliding carefully into the bed with him, freaking when he took a sharp breath because of a shock of pain.
After positioning herself as comfortably as possible without further disturbing Eddie, Jane rested her head between his shoulder and chin, listening to his heavy breathing.
"I've missed you," Eddie said, snuggling closer to Jane as he felt her tremble with sadness against him, his paper hospital gown shifting noisily.
An edgy tranquility washed over her as his neck vibrated with his deep voice, seeming to massage her fevered skin. Jane cinched her eyes closed, but it was already too late, tears slipped down the bridge of her nose and dripped loose onto his shoulder.
"I was so scared," Jane whimpered, sniffing back more tears as she lifted her hand to wrap a loose arch around his neck, avoiding his broken arm as she snuggled closer to his body, feeding off his warmth. "What happened?"
"I don't really remember," Eddie sank back into the pillows, his voice still husky, his vocal chords seeming to be strings of granite. "I was just walking across the street, and this car came out of nowhere, and took me off my feet. And the next thing I remember is lying on the ground with a whole bunch of people standing around me, just staring…"
Jane suddenly noticed that goosebumps had erupted across his arms and he was shivering slightly. Her eyebrows stitched as she felt him go limp in her arms, succumbing to the exhaustion that ravaged his body.
Jane gently slipped her head from his shoulder and scooted up so her nose was an inch apart from his and looked directly into his closed eyes.
She watched him for a second, noticing things, the curve of his nose, his slightly darkened eyes, the shape of his eyebrows, and the little bit of stubble growing across his chin, things she had never taken time to notice.
"Welcome back," Jane whispered almost silently, gently pushing her head forward and delicately pecking the tip of his nose with her lips, letting a light smack of moist skin carry her away to darkness.