Double D
I could hear Marie singing. That was all that I could hear from the world outside my mind. Her voice was beautiful and soothing. I didn't know how I knew it was her, I just knew.
Once I heard her arguing with some people. She sounded extremely angry at whoever it was and told them to leave. I didn't know much else of what went on while I was incapacitated. I just knew that I wanted to wake up. I wanted more than anything to wake up I just couldn't.
I knew I was in a coma. I don't know how I knew I just did. Nothing made much sense anymore. It all just gets mixed up and discombobulated. I didn't know anything that I knew I just knew that I knew. I don't know how or why I just did.
Suddenly I was in the hallway at Peach creek high. I was pushed up against the wall by my high school bully: Mark Wilson.
"Where's my money nerd?" Mark looked particularly menacing today and I wasn't in the mood for a swirly or something worse.
"Mark if you would kindly put me back on the ground I would be more than happy to give you some money," I didn't want to give him money but I didn't have a choice. He set me on the ground and I got my wallet out of my back pocket. He grabbed my wallet from me and took all the cash out of it. There goes 50 bucks that I was going to spend on my car.
"Thanks nerd, I knew I could count on you."
"Of course Mark, have a good day." He pushed me back into the wall as he walked away. I watched him walk down the hall. He walked past a girl with blue hair and pushed her into her locker. I winced, I knew what that felt like. The girl got out of her locker and threw a book at him.
"Watch where you're going next time asshole!" He turned and I knew he was doomed. The girl was Marie Kanker. I didn't even know that we went to the same school. I never saw her anymore. After the day that I yelled at her and realized how I really felt my friends and I hadn't heard from the Kankers. No love notes stuffed in our lockers, no running from them daily, no unwanted kisses or other affections, nothing. But here she was standing at the end of the hallway yelling at the school bully.
Not once had a freshman ever stood up to Mark Wilson. The student body were in awe. Mark however was pissed.
"Excuse me slut, what the hell gives you the right to even look at me, let alone think you can speak to me?"
"Well at least I have a brain to think with numbnuts. How many times have you been tackled? I don't think there is much left up there for you to be able to lose." Students started laughing and whispering about Mark. He was getting talked back to by a girl. A freshman girl, things did not look good.
Mark was visibly pissed so in a moment of rage he grabbed Marie by her throat and shoved her against the wall. Everyone in the hall fell silent. I could feel my feelings for Marie starting to surface and I wanted to go beat the shit out of Mark. I couldn't move thought, I didn't know what to do. So I stood there and watched.
"If you ever talk to me again slut, I will personally strip you of any sliver of dignity you may have left." He squeezed her throat one last time and threw her to the ground. As he walked away Marie croaked, "Too bad Edd already beat you to it."
Those words stung. I didn't know what I had said hurt her so much. Well I don't see why it wouldn't I would be hurt if someone said those things to me. I stood there as the warning bell rang. Marie picked herself up off the floor. Nobody stopped to see if she was ok. Nobody stopped to help, they just walked by like she wasn't even there.
She grabbed her books out of her locker, shut the door, and turned to go to class. There were faint bruises on her neck but she didn't seem to care. As she turned she made eye contact with me. I didn't know what to do so I froze. Her eye looked so sad and I could see how broken she was. It's your fault, I chastised myself.
She didn't say anything to me and I didn't say anything to her. We just continued to class like nothing had happened.
I should have done something, anything but I didn't. If anything I could have stepped in to protect her but no. I was too scared. What a gentleman you are Eddward first you completely break her then you won't even help her. I hope you're proud of yourself.
I didn't see Marie later that day or ever again at school. A month later I found out that her and her sisters had transferred to another high school. I didn't see her after that. Not until Friday at the mall when I made the decision to make things right.
I wasn't sure what was going on outside my head but it didn't sound good. I could hear Marie screaming and crying. The words were fuzzy at first but then it started to become clearer. I could make out what she was saying and it definitely wasn't good.
"No! You can't do this! No! STOP! EDD PLEASE WAKE UP! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T KILL HIM YOU BASTARDS NO! PLEASE EDD! EDD! I NEED YOU!"
Kill me how could they kill me? Oh I was in a coma. They were going to pull the plug. It was time to make my final choice: wake up or let them pull the plug.
Marie
I was sitting in the chair next to Edd's bed when it happened. His mom came into the room to visit. She looked sad. Like she had been crying.
"How is he?" she whispered tears in her eyes.
"He's still stable, like all his vitals are fine he just won't wake up." I looked at Edd still sleeping. It had been four months and he still hadn't shown any real signs of waking up.
"Do you think he'll ever wake up?" his mother asked sitting in the chair across the bed on his other side. I shrugged, "I like to think so." She nodded and just looked at Edd. His casts and stiches were long gone and his wounds were all healed. He barely even had any visible scars which was really good. The most prominent one was the one right below his lip where the attacker had hit him really hard I guess. The scar was thin and went from the corner of his lip diagonally down towards his jaw.
Sometimes when I got really down I liked to trace my fingers over the scars. It made me feel like things weren't as bad as they could have been. That there was a chance he could still survive.
"What's your name?" I looked up at Edd's mother a little surprised with her question. "I'm Marie."
"Marie, how did this happen? I need to know." I flinched a little bit. Why did I have to tell Edd's mother how her only son got put in a coma? Wasn't that what the doctors got paid for? Well it was now or never.
"Edd is like this because….well because he saved my life."
"How?" I sighed, I really didn't want to go through this again, "Well we went to a party together and I got upset and wanted to go home. He wanted me to stay but I refused and left. As I was walking home a man stopped me. He pulled me into an alley and was going to rape me. If it hadn't been for Edd walking by when he had I-I shudder to think what could have happened."
"So basically this is all your fault?" I couldn't believe his mother had just voiced what I had been thinking since this whole thing started.
"Yeah, I guess it is." She nodded apparently satisfied then left the room without another word. I shook my head both in shock and disbelief. What the actual hell? Why would his mom want to make me feel worse than I already did?
I looked back to Edd and gently grasped his hand. Feeling how warm his hand was in mine was almost enough to convince me that he wasn't in a coma. I mean how could someone in a coma have hands as warm and soft as his? I liked to think he was just napping but in my heart I knew the truth.
Feeling depressed again and extremely guilty (seriously what the hell Edd's mom?) I decided to sing to Edd again.
Slowly fading away
You're lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold?
Looking for a distant light
Someone who can save a life
You're living in fear that no one will hear your cries
Can you save me now?
I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you, I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
Cause you're not you're not alone
Your heart is full of broken dreams
Just a fading memory
And everything's gone but the pain carries on
Lost in the rain again
When will it ever end?
The arms of relief seem so out of reach
But I, I am here
I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you, I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
'Cause you're not, you're not alone
And I'll be your hope when you feel like it's over
And I will pick you up when your whole world shatters
And when you're finally in my arms
Look up and see love has a face
I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you, I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
'Cause you're not, you're not alone
And I will be your hope
You're not alone
And I will pick you up
And I will be your hope
It
Slowly fading away
You're lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold?
I finished the song with tears in my eyes. I never thought I would be where I am now. Holding onto Edd pleading with him to wake up. Crazy what time can change.
I sat in the chair just holding onto him. When the doctors came in with his mother.
"What's going on?" I stood from the chair and looked at all the people. One doctor, two female nurses, two male nurses, and Edd's mom.
"It's time," the doctor said, "Edd's mother has decided to pull the plug."
"What? You can't do that. He's going to make it. He will get better, he will. You don't know Edd like I do he'll make it."
"I'm sorry Marie but, it's been four months and he hasn't shown any signs of waking up. His mother has decided, we have to do what's best for him." The two male nurses came up and tried to escort me out of the room. Tried. I struggled against their grip screaming.
"LET ME GO!" I kicked the one nurse in the shin and he let go, then I punched the other one in the face, he let go too. I ran in front of the machine.
"You can't do this. You'll kill him and he's still alive. He's going to wake up I know he is just give him more time." Tears were streaming down my face and I wasn't going to move.
"I'm sorry but you have no say in the matter. You aren't married to him so you don't have any legal say so in the matter. Now please just let him go." I shook my head and refused to move out of the way. The doctor sighed, "Security!" a big man came in the room and grabbed me around the waist.
"What the hell? STOP! Get your hands off me! Put me down!" I squirmed but the man was too strong, I couldn't get free and they were going to kill Edd.
"No! You can't do this! No! STOP! EDD PLEASE WAKE UP! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T KILL HIM YOU BASTARDS NO! PLEASE EDD! EDD! I NEED YOU!" I was screaming and crying and kicking trying to get loose. They were going to kill him and I couldn't stop them. It was no use, I couldn't get free. I gave up hope and just started sobbing.
"Please Edd," I cried, "I need you." The doctor reached out and turned off the machine that was keeping Edd alive. The heart monitor beeped once, twice, flat line. It was over. Edd was dead and it was all my fault.
I was so broken that the security guy dropped me and I collapsed on the floor a mess of tears. I curled into a fetal position and cried. The doctor and nurses started to unhook Edd from all the machines.
Beep. Beep. Beep. I looked up from my position on the floor. It was the heart monitor. Edd's heart was beating again. I sprang to my feet and pushed the doctor out of my way. I stood by Edd's side and grabbed his hand.
"Come on dreamboat," I whispered, "open your eyes, move, say something!" His eyes fluttered open for a split second and he gripped my hand tighter.
"Don't give up on me." He whispered before the doctor had me taken out of the room so that he could manage everything he had to do.
It took me a minute to realize what Edd meant. I thought about it then I remembered singing Say something by A Great Big World to him and it made sense. Say something I'm giving up on you. 'Don't give up on me.' He was letting me know that he heard me. I was so happy, I started crying again.