What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 57-58

~*~Chapter 57~*~

(A week passed rather uneventfully. Elizabeth was transferred to GH the day after the crash, and people were constantly in her room, talking to her, trying to get her to wake up. Everyone who was important to her, that is, except one.)

Lucky stands outside her hospital room, looking in the window. She looks so frail. He still blames himself for her condition, and no matter how many people tell him that there was nothing he could do, he has convinced himself of it, and nothing will change his mind.

Nikolas is in with her right now. He watches as he holds her hand, talking to her, probably telling her how Lucky is always here, watching her through the window. He thinks about how only a week ago his blood would have been boiling to see Nikolas with her like that, but now he just saw it as sweet.

“Hello, Lucky,” Audrey says, approaching the room with one of Elizabeth’s doctors. He nods in response. She enters the room and Nikolas turns around.

~*~

“Hi Audrey.”

“Hello, Nikolas. How is she? Is there any change?” He shakes his head and stands up, releasing Liz’s hand. The doctor moves to the other side of the bed to take readings from the many machines hooked up to her.

“Doctor, is she getting any better?” Audrey asks.

“It looks like everything’s the same. But I have to warn you, she’s approaching a critical juncture here. If she doesn’t wake up soon, I’m afraid there may be irreversible damage.”

Audrey sighs. “Is there anything more we can do for her?”

The doctor shakes his head. “Just keep talking to her. Studies have shown that patients in this type of coma can hear the people around them. The more you talk to her, the better the chances are that she could wake up.” He takes a last look at his patient and leaves the room.

“Oh, Lizzie darling, please come back to us. We all miss you terribly.” Audrey says, smoothing her granddaughter’s hair.

~*~

“...We all miss you terribly.”

I know Gram, I’m trying. Why can’t I just wake up? I want to talk to all of you so badly! Where’s Lucky? I haven’t heard him yet.

“Nikolas, will you stay with her? I need to go start my shift.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Nikolas, I wish you could hear me. Please tell me what happened to Lucky!

“Liz, hang in there. I know you’re in there somewhere, so just keep fighting. We need you. Lucky needs you...”

Lucky? Is he here?

“Lucky moved in with me the other day. I think living in our parents’ house again was a little too much for him. I don’t know what else to say to him to convince him that this wasn’t his fault. He just mopes around all the time. He stands outside that window all day and watches you. He loves you so much, and he hates to see you hurting. I think he’s afraid that he’s going to hurt you again.”

He’s out there? Oh, why can’t I just open my eyes? I want to see him so badly. I can’t believe he blames himself for this. I swear Lucky, you take too much responsibility for things. If only you would come in here right now and hold my hand, I might be able to break through this wall.

“Well, they said to keep talking to you, so I’m just going to keep babbling until someone else comes in. I hope you don’t mind. Emily is doing much better. She doesn’t need the crutches anymore, and they are going to remove the stitches today. She’s so worried about you. We all are. I don’t know if you heard the doctor before, but he said that if you don’t wake up soon, you might get amnesia or something. Please, Liz, open your eyes. Come back to us.”

Amnesia? No, I can’t let that happen! I won’t forget everything. I can’t... Oh God, what if that happens? What if I wake up too late, and I forget Lucky? I finally got him back. I can’t lose him this way!

“Nikolas, how is she?”

“No change. Can you stay with her for a while? I want to go check on Emily.”

“Hi, Elizabeth, it’s Bobbie. You’re looking better today.”

Bobbie, I’m so tired....

“You have to keep fighting, for Lucky, for Audrey, for all of us. I know how strong you can be. I watched how hard you fought after your rape, and you can do it again. That boy out there needs his best friend back, and only you can do that, Elizabeth.”

I know, Bobbie. I’m trying. I just wish he would talk to me. Why doesn’t he come in here? Did I do something wrong? Everyone keeps telling me how much he loves me, but if he loves me so much, why isn’t he here talking to me and holding my hand like everyone else?

“Come on Liz, I can tell you’re fighting. I can see it on your face. Just keep it up. Be strong.”

I’m not strong enough. I need Lucky. He’s my rock, my angel. He’s the one that helped me through the rape. I don’t know how to fight without him. Can you get him to come in here, Bobbie? Can you hear me? Please?

“Bobbie, how is she?”

Laura? Is that you? Is Lucky here?

“I think she’s fighting it, but otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be any change. The doctors say if she doesn’t wake up soon, we may be facing amnesia or brain damage.”

“Brain damage? You mean like what happened to Jason?”

Brain damage? No, I’m going to be fine! I just need Lucky, that’s all. Why can’t anybody see that? He’s all I need right now. He’s all I ever need.

“Something like that. Basically, it’s really important that we keep talking to her. You never know what could trigger her to wake up.”

“I know exactly what will do it. Lucky. He’s just too stubborn to come in here. He’s so determined to blame himself for everything, and now he’s convinced himself that he’s not worthy enough to be in here with her. Luke’s outside, trying to talk some sense into him right now.”

“I’ll see if I can help. Do you mind if I go?”

“Not at all. I’ll keep her company.”

Laura, please. Tell me you can hear me! This is so frustrating! Why doesn’t Lucky come in?

“Hi honey, it’s Laura. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that we all love you, and we’re all waiting for you to come back. You’re strong, you can fight this. Lucky needs you more than ever now. He’s in so much pain seeing you like this, honey. I don’t know what to do for him.”

Oh, Laura, I love you guys, too. I want to come back, I really do, but it’s so hard. I wish you could hear me. I’d ask you to tell Lucky that I love him, and that I don’t blame him for any of this. He’s so hard on himself sometimes. I love him so much. I don’t want to lose him again, not like this...

“Keep fighting, honey. I’m going to go see if I can help Luke out there. I’ll be right back.”

No! Laura, don’t go! Please, don’t leave me alone..... It’s so hard to fight this when I’m alone.... I’m so tired....

~*~Chapter 58~*~

“Dad, I don’t want to hear it,” Lucky says when he sees Luke approaching. He turns back to the window and watches Bobbie talking to Elizabeth.

“Look, Cowboy, I don’t care if you want to hear this or not. What happened on the plane was not your fault. How many times do we have to tell you that?”

“You can say it as much as you want, but it won’t change my mind. I’ve caused her nothing but pain. First, she was raped because of me, then she had to spend an entire year thinking I was dead, then I come back, and less than a day later, she’s in a coma! Now, how can you say this isn’t my fault?” Lucky looks at his father angrily.

“Lucky, none of those things are your fault. She was raped because of some sicko in the park, not because of you. Your ‘death’ last year was more my fault than anyone else’s. You were taken as revenge against me, it had nothing to do with you! And for the last time, you had no way of knowing the plane would crash, so just get over yourself and get in that room!” Luke yells, trying to control his temper, but losing the battle.

Lucky sighs. He’s been having this argument with his father for the past week, and it was getting old. As badly as he wanted to go inside and talk to Elizabeth, he was too afraid that he would hurt her again. If anything happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

“Son, if you’re so worried about hurting her, then why are you out here? Don’t you know how much she loves you? That girl in there needs you to be there for her, and you’re out here instead. Why can’t you see how much that’s hurting her? The doctors say she can hear us when we talk to her. Don’t you think she’s wondering why your voice isn’t one of the ones she’s hearing? Stop thinking about yourself for once, and think about her!”

“I am thinking about her! She’s all I ever think about, dad! If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have been on that plane, and she wouldn’t be in that coma right now!”

“Lucky, if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be alive at all. Sure, she’d be living, in the technical sense of the word, but she wouldn’t be truly alive. You didn’t see her this past year. She was an empty shell, just walking around town. There was no life in her eyes, nothing. That went away when we thought you died. The day you came back, her eyes started sparkling again. You do that for her, no one else.”

Luke sighs and decides to try a different approach. “ Look, you can’t control what happens to the people you love, trust me, I know that firsthand. But what you can do is love them with all of your heart for as long as you can, and if something bad happens, then you help each other work through it. Look at your mother and I. We’ve been through hell and back, but we’re still together. Sure, I’ve been to blame for many of the horrible things that have happened to her, but the bottom line is that we were meant to be together. We aren’t whole without each other. Don’t you feel the same way about Elizabeth?”

Lucky runs his hand through his hair, trying to process what Luke was telling him. “Sure, of course I feel that way. I’m empty when she’s not around, but this isn’t about me. It’s about her. “

“But don’t you see? She’s just as empty without you! This thing goes two ways.” Just then, Bobbie walks out. “Oh, Barbara! Can you please talk some sense into my son?”

Bobbie looks at her nephew. She can see how much he’s hurting, but doesn’t know what to do. “Lucky, Elizabeth needs you in there with her. You’re the only person that will be able to snap her out of this.” Lucky shakes his head. “Yes, you are. We’ve all tried for a week now, and nothing is getting through. Now, the doctor just told us that if she doesn’t wake up soon, it may be too late.”

Lucky wipes away a tear. “What do you mean by too late?”

She smiles. Maybe this was finally getting through to him. “If she doesn’t wake up in the next day or so, she may never wake up. Or, if she does, she could have amnesia, or some degree of brain damage.”

“What does that mean?” Lucky asks, confused.

“Look, I’ll make this as simple as I can. Do you remember what happened to Jason?” Lucky nods. “Well, that could happen here. She could wake up and not remember anyone. She may never remember anything about her life, and her personality could become altered. She could reject everyone that loves her, just like he did. I’m not saying that’s definitely what will happen, but it is a possibility if she doesn’t come out of it soon.”

Lucky just stands there, shaking his head. He can’t imagine her forgetting everyone like that. “But....this is my fault. She doesn’t need me to hurt her anymore.”

“Lucky, don’t you see? If she doesn’t wake up, or gets amnesia because she was in the coma for too long, that would be your fault! I’m certain that the one and only reason she hasn’t come out of that coma yet is because she’s waiting to hear your voice. She’s fighting as hard as she can, but she still needs a push, and you’re the only one who can provide that. If you don’t want to hurt her anymore, then go in there and talk to her!” Bobbie walks away, too exasperated to stay and watch him do this.

Laura comes out of the room, and Lucky looks back in the window. What if his aunt is right, and he’s just making things worse?

“Lucky, honey, she needs you. None of us can help her through this. Please go in there.” Laura touches his shoulder gently and he turns to her, tears in his eyes.

“Mom, was Aunt Bobbie right? Did the doctors say she could get amnesia or something if she doesn’t wake up?” Laura nods, hoping that maybe he was coming around.

Lucky sighs. “Okay, I’ll go in.” Laura hugs him tightly.

~*~

No, Laura, please come back. I don’t think I can fight any more.....

“Elizabeth...”

Lucky! Oh, Lucky, is that you? Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you, I’ve been so scared, and you weren’t here....

He sits down on the edge of her bed, and picks up her hand. There’s no response from her.

Oh Lucky, you’re finally here! It feels so good to have your hand in mine again. I love you so much! Oh, what’s the point? You can’t hear me, and I still can’t wake up! Help me, Lucky....

“Elizabeth, I’m so sorry. I should have made you go back to your seat sooner. None of this would have happened is I hadn’t been so selfish. It felt so good to have you close to me like that, and I didn’t want to let you go. Now, it looks like I may have to let you go forever....” He leans down and rests his head on her forehead.

No, Lucky, it’s not your fault! I didn’t want to go either. Please stop blaming yourself. I love you, and you could never hurt me, never.

“I promise, I’ll never hurt you again. I love you so much, please come back to me, Elizabeth,” A tear runs down his face and lands on her cheek.

A small breath escapes her lips. “Lucky?”

He sits up and looks at her. Her eyes are open, and she’s gazing at him, a smile spreading across her face.

“Elizabeth?”

“What took you so long?” she whispers. His tears are coming full-force now as he pulls her into an embrace, never wanting to let her go.

~*~

Outside, everyone heaves a collective sigh.

“That’s my boy.” Luke says proudly.

[Elizabeth’s last line is a tribute to my all-time favorite movie, “Singles”]