Karen ending up in the hospital affected everyone, but no one more than
Eli. He partially blamed himself, and, because of this, he became even
more rebellious than he had been before. He started drinking more, doing
more drugs, and staying out to all hours of the night.
When Karen went to the hospital, it was a real eye opener for Grace. She saw Eli breaking down in front of her eyes, and all she wanted to do was help. All the enmity that she felt about the play and the barrette felt petty and unimportant, and she realized how much she cared about Eli. In fact, she now knew that she was in love with him.
One night, while sitting alone in her room, Grace took out a piece of paper and wrote a letter to Eli that she never intended to send. "Dear Eli," she started, and then continued to write. She wrote for what seemed like forever, until she was completely satisfied with the letter. As soon as she put the cap on her pen, however, Lily burst into the room, her face stained with tears.
"Mom, what is it?" Grace asked, truly concerned.
"It's Eli," Lily said. "There's been an accident."
"What happened," Grace said, standing up.
"He crashed his car into a tree," Lily said through tears. "He was going too fast, and now he's in a coma. They don't know if he's going to make it."
Grace was so shocked that she couldn't even cry. Stuffing the letter into her pocket, she grabbed her jacket and ran out to her car. Lily, knowing exactly where she was going, got into her own car and followed Grace.
Grace made it to the hospital in record time, and got to the shock treatment area even faster. "I'm here to see Eli Sammler," she said, looking at a red haired nurse.
"I'm sorry," the nurse said. "Mr. Sammler's visitors must be family."
"She is family," Grace looked up to see Rick coming through the door. "She's Eli's stepsister," he explained to the nurse, and the nurse nodded Grace her approval.
"Thanks," Grace said, as she followed Rick into Eli's room. "How is he?"
"Still in a coma," Rick said. "He ran into that tree pretty hard."
Unfortunately, Grace didn't hear him talk. They had entered Eli's room, and all she could pay attention to was his still body laying on the bed. His face was cut, and he had a deep gash along the side of his head. She walked slowly to the side of his bed, and just stared at him.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Rick said. "I'll give you a minute with him."
"Thanks," Grace said, sitting in the seat right next to the bed. As Rick left the room, she took Eli's hand in hers. That's when the tears began to fall. She took his hand in hers, and laid her forehead against his chest. "You can't die," she sobbed. "I need you." But Eli just laid there, not responding to anything.
*****
4 days went by, and there was no change in his condition. Grace hadn't left the hospital since the day she came, and Rick and Lily seemed to understand that it was harder for her than anyone else. Jessie came in once, but she found it hard to watch her brother lying so lifeless, so she only came once or twice.
One day, Grace sat in Eli's room, silently praying that he would wake up. She held his hand again, something she hadn't done since that one time, and began to whisper into his ear. "You have to wake up. I couldn't handle it if you were gone. I mean, who would I go to talk to late at night? Who would help me deal with my evil teachers? Who would be there for me no matter what? Who would I love? Eli, I love you." As soon as she said it, Eli's body began to stir. She pressed the button at the side of his bed, which called a nurse into the room. As soon as the nurse arrived, Grace was shooed out, but she remained close by.
*****
Grace wasn't allowed into Eli's room until the next day, not that she went home anyway. When she was allowed in, she walked tentatively, not knowing how much he had actually heard.
"Hey," he said weakly, slightly maneuvering himself so that he was sitting straight up.
"Hey," she said, going to sit next to his bed. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much," he said, smiling as much as he could.
"Hey Eli, can I ask you a question?" Grace said.
"Anything."
"Did you do it on purpose?"
"What, the accident?" He asked, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Yeah," she said. "Did you want to run into that tree."
"Not at first," he said. "At first I just wanted to get away. Away from my parents, away from my guilt. I just kept going faster and faster, and I didn't want to stop. I just wanted to go so fast that I left the ground. You can't understand that feeling, Grace. It felt like I was flying. That's the last thing I remember, the feeling that I was flying. The next thing I remember is your voice. Telling me that you love me." She looked down at the ground. "That did actually happen, didn't it? You did say that."
"Yeah," she looked horribly embarrassed.
"I love you too," he said abruptly, and she smiled at him.
"That's just the pain killers talking," she said, wanting to believe it was true, but not being able to.
"No, Grace, I love you," he said, pulling her hand so that she moved closer to him. He managed to pull himself up and kiss her. She curled into his side, and that's where she stayed for the next 2 hours.
*****
Eli rubbed his hand down her side, and felt the bulge at her pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out the letter that she wrote to him. "What's this?" he asked.
"A letter," she said. "I'd totally forgotten about it."
"A letter? To who?"
"You," she said, taking it from him.
"Will you read it to me," he asked. "My eyes are still sort of blurry."
She nodded, and opened the letter. "Dear Eli," she began.
"I love you
Not just your face, or your body, but your entire essence
I love the way your eyes squint when you talk about something important
I love the way your smile can make me feel like all is right in the world
I love the way you talk to me like I'm an actual person
I love the way you strum your guitar, not settling on any specific song
I love how you impatiently flip through every radio station in your car, and eventually turn on a CD
I love how you level me with your eyes
I love how your eyes narrow when you get jealous
And how all I want to do is tell you that you have nothing to be jealous of
I love the way you casually drape your arm across my shoulders
I love how you smell like laundry detergent and faint cologne
The perfect, wonderful smell of all guys, but especially you
I love your padlock necklace, and how it presses against my chest when we hug
I love that you suspect I like you, but give me the benefit of the doubt
I love how my skin tingles when you touch me
I completely, utterly, and entirely love you
That's all I'm really trying to say.
Love, Grace."
She sat there, not knowing what to say next, as he lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers. She curled to his side, knowing that they would have to deal with the world at some point, but for the moment she wanted to just enjoy being with him.
When Karen went to the hospital, it was a real eye opener for Grace. She saw Eli breaking down in front of her eyes, and all she wanted to do was help. All the enmity that she felt about the play and the barrette felt petty and unimportant, and she realized how much she cared about Eli. In fact, she now knew that she was in love with him.
One night, while sitting alone in her room, Grace took out a piece of paper and wrote a letter to Eli that she never intended to send. "Dear Eli," she started, and then continued to write. She wrote for what seemed like forever, until she was completely satisfied with the letter. As soon as she put the cap on her pen, however, Lily burst into the room, her face stained with tears.
"Mom, what is it?" Grace asked, truly concerned.
"It's Eli," Lily said. "There's been an accident."
"What happened," Grace said, standing up.
"He crashed his car into a tree," Lily said through tears. "He was going too fast, and now he's in a coma. They don't know if he's going to make it."
Grace was so shocked that she couldn't even cry. Stuffing the letter into her pocket, she grabbed her jacket and ran out to her car. Lily, knowing exactly where she was going, got into her own car and followed Grace.
Grace made it to the hospital in record time, and got to the shock treatment area even faster. "I'm here to see Eli Sammler," she said, looking at a red haired nurse.
"I'm sorry," the nurse said. "Mr. Sammler's visitors must be family."
"She is family," Grace looked up to see Rick coming through the door. "She's Eli's stepsister," he explained to the nurse, and the nurse nodded Grace her approval.
"Thanks," Grace said, as she followed Rick into Eli's room. "How is he?"
"Still in a coma," Rick said. "He ran into that tree pretty hard."
Unfortunately, Grace didn't hear him talk. They had entered Eli's room, and all she could pay attention to was his still body laying on the bed. His face was cut, and he had a deep gash along the side of his head. She walked slowly to the side of his bed, and just stared at him.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Rick said. "I'll give you a minute with him."
"Thanks," Grace said, sitting in the seat right next to the bed. As Rick left the room, she took Eli's hand in hers. That's when the tears began to fall. She took his hand in hers, and laid her forehead against his chest. "You can't die," she sobbed. "I need you." But Eli just laid there, not responding to anything.
*****
4 days went by, and there was no change in his condition. Grace hadn't left the hospital since the day she came, and Rick and Lily seemed to understand that it was harder for her than anyone else. Jessie came in once, but she found it hard to watch her brother lying so lifeless, so she only came once or twice.
One day, Grace sat in Eli's room, silently praying that he would wake up. She held his hand again, something she hadn't done since that one time, and began to whisper into his ear. "You have to wake up. I couldn't handle it if you were gone. I mean, who would I go to talk to late at night? Who would help me deal with my evil teachers? Who would be there for me no matter what? Who would I love? Eli, I love you." As soon as she said it, Eli's body began to stir. She pressed the button at the side of his bed, which called a nurse into the room. As soon as the nurse arrived, Grace was shooed out, but she remained close by.
*****
Grace wasn't allowed into Eli's room until the next day, not that she went home anyway. When she was allowed in, she walked tentatively, not knowing how much he had actually heard.
"Hey," he said weakly, slightly maneuvering himself so that he was sitting straight up.
"Hey," she said, going to sit next to his bed. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much," he said, smiling as much as he could.
"Hey Eli, can I ask you a question?" Grace said.
"Anything."
"Did you do it on purpose?"
"What, the accident?" He asked, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Yeah," she said. "Did you want to run into that tree."
"Not at first," he said. "At first I just wanted to get away. Away from my parents, away from my guilt. I just kept going faster and faster, and I didn't want to stop. I just wanted to go so fast that I left the ground. You can't understand that feeling, Grace. It felt like I was flying. That's the last thing I remember, the feeling that I was flying. The next thing I remember is your voice. Telling me that you love me." She looked down at the ground. "That did actually happen, didn't it? You did say that."
"Yeah," she looked horribly embarrassed.
"I love you too," he said abruptly, and she smiled at him.
"That's just the pain killers talking," she said, wanting to believe it was true, but not being able to.
"No, Grace, I love you," he said, pulling her hand so that she moved closer to him. He managed to pull himself up and kiss her. She curled into his side, and that's where she stayed for the next 2 hours.
*****
Eli rubbed his hand down her side, and felt the bulge at her pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out the letter that she wrote to him. "What's this?" he asked.
"A letter," she said. "I'd totally forgotten about it."
"A letter? To who?"
"You," she said, taking it from him.
"Will you read it to me," he asked. "My eyes are still sort of blurry."
She nodded, and opened the letter. "Dear Eli," she began.
"I love you
Not just your face, or your body, but your entire essence
I love the way your eyes squint when you talk about something important
I love the way your smile can make me feel like all is right in the world
I love the way you talk to me like I'm an actual person
I love the way you strum your guitar, not settling on any specific song
I love how you impatiently flip through every radio station in your car, and eventually turn on a CD
I love how you level me with your eyes
I love how your eyes narrow when you get jealous
And how all I want to do is tell you that you have nothing to be jealous of
I love the way you casually drape your arm across my shoulders
I love how you smell like laundry detergent and faint cologne
The perfect, wonderful smell of all guys, but especially you
I love your padlock necklace, and how it presses against my chest when we hug
I love that you suspect I like you, but give me the benefit of the doubt
I love how my skin tingles when you touch me
I completely, utterly, and entirely love you
That's all I'm really trying to say.
Love, Grace."
She sat there, not knowing what to say next, as he lifted her chin and brought his lips to hers. She curled to his side, knowing that they would have to deal with the world at some point, but for the moment she wanted to just enjoy being with him.