Chapter 4: Letting go
Ephram had been unconscious for about a week, giving the family and friends of the boy more then enough time to worry and think. They took turns sitting with him, waiting anxiously to see Ephram's stormy sea coloured eyes looking up at them. Though hour after hour his eyes stayed closed, and the hope in the hearts of the visitors began to dissipate. The doctors had said he should have awoken by now, and they could find no reason for him not to.
"Amy, would you like to sit with him?" Andy gently touched her shoulder, getting her full attention. She nodded, her face completely devoid of emotion. She walked sullenly to his room and slipped inside. She kept her eyes on the floor until she reached the chair beside the hospital bed and sat in it. Slowly she lifted her eyes to look upon the pale form that lay on the bed. Then she burst into tears, and leaned forward in her chair to touch his face.
"Ephram, please wake up! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I should never have treated you like that when Colin was in a coma, and even after it, God, please! Ephram, your father needs you, Delia needs you and-" Her voice cracked, she coughed and continued. "And. I need you Ephram! More then ever! Please wake up!" She clasped his limp hand tightly, and looked up hopefully to his face. However, his eyes remained concealed behind pale eyelids.
Upon seeing this, sobs wracked her pitiful form, and her head slowly fell to rest upon Ephram's chest. She could hear his heart beating, a rhythm that was musical to Amy's ears, but it was little comfort to Amy, who knew it could have stopped three days ago and it could still. Her heaving sobs eventually became silent, though still as passionate. She kept her head there, listening to the beat.
"Amy?" A weak voice reached Amy, though it was a whisper.
The girl looked up, startled, and barely able to believe what she had heard. "Ephram?"
He gave her a small smile, but it looked painful. "Hey," he said.
"Oh my god Ephram you're awake!"
"Yeah, I guess I am. Amy, what happened?" The smile Amy had missed so much disappeared with the inquiry, and was replaced with a questioning look. Ephram watched as Amy's face clouded over.
"We were walking home when a car appeared on the road. The driver was drunk, I guess, and the car swerved and hit you! You didn't wake up Ephram, we were all s-so scared!" She burst out in tears of the memory and Ephram put a hand on her arm comfortingly. But something she said prompted him to ask yet another question, one that he was afraid to hear the answer of.
"Umm, Amy? Exactly how long have I been here?"
Amy cleared her face of any tears and spoke quietly. "About a week."
Ephram was shocked. "From a little car accident?! That's impossible!" The look on Amy's face told him that she wouldn't joke about this. "But.Why? Am I okay?"
"Well. The doctors said you should have woken up before now, but I think your dad should explain the rest for you. I'm not really good with all this medical stuff," she gave a small, nervous laugh.
"Speaking of him, where is he?"
Amy's brow furrowed in thought. "I think he went to pick up Delia from school. She's been here every day after school to see you."
"She must be scared."
Amy sensed Ephram's concern. "She's handling it fine, Ephram. She has a lot of faith in you. And so do I." Amy said the last sentence under her breath, but Ephram's keen hearing caught it.
"You do?"
The girl's face flushed and she stared fixedly at the white washed walls of the private hospital room. "Of course I do. Ephram, after everything that's happened, you've always been there for me. The only reason I went to Colin's funeral instead of sitting at home, eating pint after pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, was that you would me there for me. I knew that seeing you would be better then staying at home alone."
Ephram looked up at her curiously. "You really mean that?"
"Yes." Amy leaned her head down, her face inches away from Ephram's. Then their lips met, and a torrent of emotions ran through them both. For Ephram, it was a sense of joy, the girl he longed after for so long answering him. For Amy, it was letting go, leaving Colin in the past where he now belonged. There was nothing standing in the way now, no obstacles to block their love. Amy supposed, during that kiss, that she had always loved him, but had been too afraid of leaving Colin.
Finally they separated, just before Andy entered the hospital room. "Ephram!? You're awake!" He ran to his son's side and put a hand on Ephram's head. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, except for a slight headache. Amy told me what happened, but she said you should tell me why I didn't wake up sooner."
Amy cut in meekly. "I'm just going to go tell Delia you're awake Ephram. I'll be back later." Ephram nodded and she exited the room quietly.
A/N: There it is!!!! Finally!!! I decided to leave the medical explanation for the next chappie, which will hopefully be up soon! If its not, a nice review would get my writing side back up! Thanx!!! Review!!!
Ephram had been unconscious for about a week, giving the family and friends of the boy more then enough time to worry and think. They took turns sitting with him, waiting anxiously to see Ephram's stormy sea coloured eyes looking up at them. Though hour after hour his eyes stayed closed, and the hope in the hearts of the visitors began to dissipate. The doctors had said he should have awoken by now, and they could find no reason for him not to.
"Amy, would you like to sit with him?" Andy gently touched her shoulder, getting her full attention. She nodded, her face completely devoid of emotion. She walked sullenly to his room and slipped inside. She kept her eyes on the floor until she reached the chair beside the hospital bed and sat in it. Slowly she lifted her eyes to look upon the pale form that lay on the bed. Then she burst into tears, and leaned forward in her chair to touch his face.
"Ephram, please wake up! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I should never have treated you like that when Colin was in a coma, and even after it, God, please! Ephram, your father needs you, Delia needs you and-" Her voice cracked, she coughed and continued. "And. I need you Ephram! More then ever! Please wake up!" She clasped his limp hand tightly, and looked up hopefully to his face. However, his eyes remained concealed behind pale eyelids.
Upon seeing this, sobs wracked her pitiful form, and her head slowly fell to rest upon Ephram's chest. She could hear his heart beating, a rhythm that was musical to Amy's ears, but it was little comfort to Amy, who knew it could have stopped three days ago and it could still. Her heaving sobs eventually became silent, though still as passionate. She kept her head there, listening to the beat.
"Amy?" A weak voice reached Amy, though it was a whisper.
The girl looked up, startled, and barely able to believe what she had heard. "Ephram?"
He gave her a small smile, but it looked painful. "Hey," he said.
"Oh my god Ephram you're awake!"
"Yeah, I guess I am. Amy, what happened?" The smile Amy had missed so much disappeared with the inquiry, and was replaced with a questioning look. Ephram watched as Amy's face clouded over.
"We were walking home when a car appeared on the road. The driver was drunk, I guess, and the car swerved and hit you! You didn't wake up Ephram, we were all s-so scared!" She burst out in tears of the memory and Ephram put a hand on her arm comfortingly. But something she said prompted him to ask yet another question, one that he was afraid to hear the answer of.
"Umm, Amy? Exactly how long have I been here?"
Amy cleared her face of any tears and spoke quietly. "About a week."
Ephram was shocked. "From a little car accident?! That's impossible!" The look on Amy's face told him that she wouldn't joke about this. "But.Why? Am I okay?"
"Well. The doctors said you should have woken up before now, but I think your dad should explain the rest for you. I'm not really good with all this medical stuff," she gave a small, nervous laugh.
"Speaking of him, where is he?"
Amy's brow furrowed in thought. "I think he went to pick up Delia from school. She's been here every day after school to see you."
"She must be scared."
Amy sensed Ephram's concern. "She's handling it fine, Ephram. She has a lot of faith in you. And so do I." Amy said the last sentence under her breath, but Ephram's keen hearing caught it.
"You do?"
The girl's face flushed and she stared fixedly at the white washed walls of the private hospital room. "Of course I do. Ephram, after everything that's happened, you've always been there for me. The only reason I went to Colin's funeral instead of sitting at home, eating pint after pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, was that you would me there for me. I knew that seeing you would be better then staying at home alone."
Ephram looked up at her curiously. "You really mean that?"
"Yes." Amy leaned her head down, her face inches away from Ephram's. Then their lips met, and a torrent of emotions ran through them both. For Ephram, it was a sense of joy, the girl he longed after for so long answering him. For Amy, it was letting go, leaving Colin in the past where he now belonged. There was nothing standing in the way now, no obstacles to block their love. Amy supposed, during that kiss, that she had always loved him, but had been too afraid of leaving Colin.
Finally they separated, just before Andy entered the hospital room. "Ephram!? You're awake!" He ran to his son's side and put a hand on Ephram's head. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, except for a slight headache. Amy told me what happened, but she said you should tell me why I didn't wake up sooner."
Amy cut in meekly. "I'm just going to go tell Delia you're awake Ephram. I'll be back later." Ephram nodded and she exited the room quietly.
A/N: There it is!!!! Finally!!! I decided to leave the medical explanation for the next chappie, which will hopefully be up soon! If its not, a nice review would get my writing side back up! Thanx!!! Review!!!