It felt as if she were in limbo. Her limbs ached but were numb at the same time. Sure, she could feel the pressure in her arm, but it felt distant and foreign. She couldn't make out faces; only shadows and it being dark in the room didn't help. The tube in her throat made her want to gag. Her eyes felt heavy, but the voice kept telling her to keep them open. Who is that? It sounds so familiar, but she couldn't remember. She couldn't even remember what she said when she opened her eyes. The doctor came in and turned on the lights, but this time Emily didn't squint her eyes. The darkness had taken over them, but she still hadn't closed them. She was freaking out inside her mind, but the voice calmed her, why?
"Hello, I'm Doctor Robini, I'm here to check you out," he said and Emily just sat there looking past him. Everyone thought it was weird but shrugged it off, they were all just happy she was alive. He nodded to a couple nurses and they went on both sides of Emily. "I need you to cough when they take out the tube". She coughed for a little while and the tube was finally out and she was breathing on her own. Alison grabbed a cup and straw and handed it to her, but Emily kept staring forward and Alison got nervous.
"Take the cup sweetie," Alison said softly, but Emily ignored her.
"I can't see," Emily said with a tear. "Why can't I see?" she asked a little louder. Dr. Robini took over and took out a pen and flipped it revealing it was also a light. He moves the bed to a sitting position and leaned in front of Emily. He lifted her eyelids to check for pupil activity and found none.
"Can you see that?" he asked.
"No nothing, it's all dark," Emily responded. "Why can't I see?"
"It may be a temporary thing, but I'd have to get a CAT scan to see why," he says.
"What's the last thing you remember?" he asks while checking her reflexes.
"I don't know," Emily said clutching her head trying to remember.
"What's your name?" he asks.
"I-its-I…I can't remember. Why can't I remember?" she cries getting worked up.
"Hey, calm down, you don't want to over exert yourself. You were in a coma for three months, it's amnesia, but hopefully it will all return to you once you calm down and relax for a few days," he says soothingly and she relaxes.
"I see nothing wrong with your reflexes, so I'm just concerned about your vision and memory. Your hand and shoulder have healed nicely and we'll need to start physically therapy soon," he says and for the first time, Emily realizes her hand was wrapped and her shoulder did feel a bit odd.
"What happened to my hand and shoulder? Why was I in a coma?" she asked.
"I'll let your family explain. She can only have two visitors at a time to reduce the stress. The nurse will be here in thirty minutes to take you for a CAT scan. It's really good to see you awake Emily," he says with a smile before exiting. The girls all surround Emily and hug her and the heart monitor starts to spike.
"Guys back off. She doesn't know any of us and we don't want to cause her stress," Alison says and they nod.
"We'll be back Em," they say before leaving. Danny grabs Amelia and she cries a little.
"Who's that?" Emily asks when she hears the baby cries.
"Your daughter," Danny replies before leaving. "We'll be out in the waiting area".
"I have a daughter," she asks mostly to herself and looks up when she hears shuffling in the room. "Who's there?" she asks nervously.
"Relax, it's me Alison and your mom," she says softly taking a seat in the chair. Surprisingly Mrs. Fields has been the quiet one.
"Mom?" Emily asks confused.
"Yes sweetie," she says putting a hand on Emily's hand.
"I don't remember you, but I feel comfortable around you," Emily says with a smile visibly relaxing at the touch.
"I'm going to go get a coffee," Mrs. Fields says with a tear in her eye before leaving.
"Alison?" Emily asks.
"Yes sweetie, Alison answers.
"Who are you to me?" Emily asks and Alison's hands grow sweaty.
"Well that's a little complicated," Alison chuckles.
"Please try and explain. I really don't want to be in a room with a stranger," she says and it brings tears to Alison's eyes.
"We've been friends since we were kids. To the hospital I'm your fiancé," Alison says.
"But to me?" Emily asks knowing there's more to the story and Alison sighs.
"We're complicated. We have history, but nothing has been defined yet. I'm still your best friend," she says putting her hand on Emily's and Emily tenses.
"I love you," Emily says.
"What?" Alison asks with a shocked face.
"I don't know, I get this weird feeling every time you touch me. It's like we're lovers or something," she says and it makes Alison smile.
"I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be," Alison whispers in her ear and it's like a storming effect in Emily's head. Images and memories come crashing into her mind and she clutches her head as a beeping noise makes Alison snap out of her trance.
"Are you okay Em?" Alison shouted.
"Shhh, not so loud," Emily said in a fetal position clutching her head.
"What's wrong?" Alison asked more calmly.
"My head, it hurts," she says.
"Do you want me to call the doctor?" Alison asked before reaching to press the button, but a firm hand grabs her wrist.
"No! Don't call them. I just-I just remember you. You're so beautiful," Emily says.
"You remember me?" Alison asks with tears.
"I remember everything about you," Emily says and feels around for her face. She connects with her cheek and brushes her thumb against it. Her index finger traces over her nose, her thumb against her lips. Her fingers find her eyes. "Your eyes we're so blue and so enticing. I wish I could see them," Emily said before snapping out of the trance, suddenly angry that she no longer had her sight.
"You will, I promise you," Alison says firmly.
"You can't promise me anything," Emily, says a bit harsh and Alison bites her lip not expecting it.
"I never gave up hope that you would come back to us. When the doctors lost hope, I continued to fight and talk to you. I felt you squeeze my hand; I knew you were listening the whole time. So yes I can promise you that you will stare into my eyes one and see me staring back into yours," Alison says and cries. The sound pulls at Emily's heart and she's no longer mad, instead she feels a need to protect her, like she'd always done and finds her face inches from hers. Her hands brush against her cheeks takes Alison's face in her hands. She wipes the tears, but they still flood out of her eyes. Instead, Emily brings her lips to stop the tears and soon they travel to her nose and finally on the softest thing her lips had ever graced. Alison's lips were so smooth and velvety against hers. It felt so natural for them to be there, like that's where they'd always be, always will be until her last breath. She felt Alison deepen the kiss and push her backwards softly, and her tongue reach out to her lips. She allowed Alison entrance and felt a tear land in between them. Despite needing air, their need for each other won. She tugged Alison onto the bed and now hovered over her. Compared to all their other kisses, this one was more passionate, because she couldn't see Alison's emotions or body, but she could feel them and it was much stronger, more empowering. She began to lift Alison's shirt when she felt her pull away. Alison put her head against hers and turned towards her left and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Emily asked. "Did I do something?"
"No, it's just you're not up to your full strength, and I don't want you to exert yourself. I want our first time to be special," Alison says and Emily lets out a sigh knowing the girl was right. Soon a male nurse come in to take Emily for her CAT scan, and interrupted them.
"Will you be here when I get back?" Emily asked nervously since she's the only person Emily really remembers.
"Yes of course, I'm just going to grab some coffee," Alison says and Emily relaxes before being taken out of the door. Alison goes to the cafeteria looking for Pam, but finds her not to be there. Instead she runs into Michael.
"Hi Michael," she says happily.
"Hey you seem happy, any good news?" he asks.
"Yes, Emily woke up today," she said and he smiled brightly.
"I'm really happy for you! You want to sit down and talk about it?" he asked and she nodded once she got her coffee from the lady. They took a seat at a round table. "So tell me, how is she?"
"Well she can't see and she can't remember anyone except me," she says.
"That's to be expected. Most coma patients have problems afterwards, most of them are temporary, but I'm glad she can at least remember you," he says.
"What other problems can they have?" she asks curious.
"Speech problems, lack of motor skills, poor impulse control, violent tendencies, limb numbness or weakness, just to name a few," he says taking a bite of his sandwich.
"How can you tell if they have violent tendencies or poor impulse control?" she asks.
"Well she will be evaluated by a hospital staff and based up that, it will test if she suffers any psychological or any more cognitive brain injuries," he says.
"Okay," she says. "Thanks for the talk, I should probably get back to her since the CAT scan might be over". Alison stands from the table and they hug each other and he reminds her to call him if she ever needed anything. Alison returned to the room to see that Pam had not returned and Emily was tucked in bed sitting up. She text Pam to ask where she was, hoping to receive a response.
"Hey Emily, it's Alison," she says before entering and see Emily relax.
"Great! It's kind of scary not being able to see who comes in and out," she says honestly.
"I know it is, but I'm not leaving your side," she says.
"I believe you. I remember you talking to me the entire time I was asleep. Thank you for staying with me, I know you didn't have to," she said looking down trying to hide the blush that Alison so desperately missed.
"Of course I did, you're my fiancé after all," Alison laughed and Emily chuckled. "But seriously, I wouldn't trust any other person to be here besides me and your mom".
"I wish I could remember everyone," she says and Alison can feel the wheels turning in her head.
"Hey, just relax and take it easy. It takes time. I mean if we waited three months for you to wake up, I'm sure we can wait a few weeks or however long it takes for you to remember us," Alison says grabbing her hand.
"How do you do that?" Emily asks.
"Do what?" Alison asks.
"Make me feel so safe and relaxed," Emily answers looking in her general direction, but not in her eyes.
"God, I've missed your eyes," Alison says and curses herself for speaking without thinking. Emily grabs her hand back and looks the other way, suddenly self-conscious about her loss of sight. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that".
"Why not? It's true," Emily says still refusing to look in her direction. The doctor walks in and Alison tears her eyes away from Emily.
"Do you have the prognosis?" Alison asks.
"Nice word! But yes, there's pressure behind her eyes that's forcing the blindness. There's no need for surgery, but it will take time for the pressure to release itself. Until then, I need her eyes to be wrapped so nothing can damage them like particles and light," he says and we all feel relief that it's only temporary. He takes out wrap from his white coat and begins to place it around her head and eyes; it takes four turns before its clipped in the back of her head. "There! Now with the temporary blindness, you'll feel a loss of balance and maybe dizziness, but that will go away once your full sight returns. You will be evaluated by the hospital psychologist to determine if you're suffering from any other effects of brain damage".
"Like what?" Emily asks.
"Like poor impulse control, violence, and other things, but it's all standard for coma patients. Also, physical therapy will start the day after not only for your hand and shoulder, but due to the time you spent stationary. You loss muscle density and it needs to be rebuilt. You're a little weak right now and that's very common," he says. "Any questions?" he asks and they both shake their heads and he proceeds to leave.