“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I won’t leave your side until you open your eyes and smile at me. It’s kind of crazy that two years ago you were the one by my bedside, and now here I am, doing the same.” She kept her eyes on his hand and ran her finger around the edges of his. “When I lost Jon, I thought my life no longer held any meaning. I was scared to live, Blake, but then we started talking, and I saw that my fear was irrational.”
She lifted her eyes to his face and felt tears well in her eyes. He looked so peaceful, even with the tubes and lines coming out of him. The lines that normally graced his face were smooth and flawless, and she reached up and brushed the short dark hair from his forehead.
“I’m not going anywhere, Blake, so please be okay so we can start our life.” Poppy dropped her head onto the bed and rested her cheek on their clasped hands. Nothing could pry her away from him. Nothing.Four days later“We want you to be prepared that Blake won’t be the same when he wakes up. The incision we made on his scalp and the area of skull we removed has helped significantly in the reduction of the inflammation, but we still need to keep a close eye on him.”
Poppy rubbed her eyes, feeling the lack of sleep taking its toll. Since they had brought Blake to the hospital four days ago, there hadn’t been a whole lot of change with him. They slowly brought him out of the medically induced coma, which was great news, but it still frightened the hell out of Poppy.
She had contacted both their families, and they were filtering in from Ohio. Both their sets of parents were a wreck, no doubt their thoughts on Jon’s accident like hers were.
“He may have permanent brain damage, have difficulty remembering people and simple tasks, and will require a lot of patience as he works through this.” The physician held a look of empathy, and Poppy hated him for it. He left, and she was once again alone with Blake. The tubes that helped him breathe were now gone, yet he was still unconscious.
Poppy had made sure to keep his face shaved, knowing he wouldn’t have wanted to look like some caveman while people came in and out of his room. A smile formed on her lips at the thought.
“Honey?” Blake’s mother, Katherine, stepped into the room. She looked just as bad as Poppy felt. Red rimmed her eyes, and she held a tissue to her nose. “Why don’t you come with me and get some coffee?” At Poppy’s hesitation, Katherine said, “I’d like to talk to you, and that will give Henry a chance to sit with Blake.” Blake’s father wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and brought her close to his side.
“Hi, Henry.” Poppy offered him a watery smile. Just seeing them standing together brought back a wave of emotions.
“Hi, sweetie.” The tears in his eyes threatened to spill out, but Henry was a strong man and kept his emotions in check. “Go on and take a little walk with Katherine. I’ll watch over him.” He smiled, and a little bit of the stress in her faded. It was nice seeing the two of them again.
“Yeah, okay.” She grabbed her purse and walked out with Blake’s mom, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Henry sat beside his son, the pain on his face clear. Her heart tightened at the sight.
“Come on, dear.” Katherine led the way to the small cafeteria.
After they got a cup of coffee and found a seat, the silence descended. Poppy stared at her mug and ran her finger around the rim. Exhaustion played heavily within her, but even if she had the time to sleep, she wouldn’t have been able to, not with her mind on a constant reel.
“Poppy?”
She lifted her eyes to Katherine. “Yeah?” She offered Blake’s mother a smile she didn’t feel.
“I just want you to know that I’m happy you and Blake found each other.” She took her hand across the table and held it tight. “I know Jon would have been happy that the two of you found comfort in one another.” Tears fell from Katherine’s eyes, which had Poppy crying as well.
After Poppy told her mother about her relationship with Blake, he told his parents. They had cried, and their concerns had been expressed. Though overall they’d seemed very supportive, Poppy hadn’t really felt their support until right now. Seeing his mother’s emotions and tears cemented Poppy’s relief that, yes, Blake’s family was okay with this. She hadn’t realized until right now how much their approval meant.