While I Was Away(4)

Why hadn't he made her put on her seat belt!? Adele was normally so good about stuff like that, he hadn't even thought about double checking when they'd gotten in the vehicle. She always wore her seat belt. So why not that night?

Because she'd been a little drunk and you'd just broken up. You were both emotional and trying to be cool about it and look where it got you. I'm so, so sorry, Adele.

It had been almost two days since the accident. She hadn't woken up once, and the hospital was only giving him the bare minimum of information because he wasn't technically family.

“Wait wait wait,” he suddenly burst out, startling the doctor. “Just tell me. Is this temporary? She's going to wake up, right?”

“Well, son, it's hard to say. She received massive trauma to the head – that put a lot of pressure on the brain, which is never a good thing. But we're still in the early stages. As her body starts to repair itself, she may come to in the next couple days,” the doctor offered, and Charlie sagged in relief.

“Thank god.”

“But she may not. The damage could be greater than we know. Comas are difficult. There are people who wake up after a day, and people who never wake up. We just need to learn more about what's going on inside her body. I'm sorry I can't offer more,” Dr. Martin finished explaining. Charlie sucked his lips between his teeth and bit down, trying to keep the tears at bay.

“Is she in pain?” he whispered.

“No. She can't feel anything, son.”

“Can she hear me?”

“Maybe,” the doctor nodded and patted him on the back. “Sit and talk to her for a while. Hold her hand. And just stay positive.”

Staying positive was a stretch, but Charlie did what the doctor said. He sat down and held Adele's hand, and he prepared to spend the night alone with his comatose ex-girlfriend.

He didn't have to, though, it turned out. Adele's mother was actually able to make it that evening – she'd been able to buy a solitary seat from another passenger, leaving the rest of the family to fly in the following day.

Charlie was still at Adele's side when her mother rushed in around ten o'clock.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, and he turned in time to see her purse fall to the floor. “Oh my god, my baby.”

Charlie was able to reach her before she could collapse. She sobbed and held onto him, her fingers gripping onto the back of his shirt. He hissed as her weight crushed his injured hand, but he didn't say anything. Just held her tightly.

“I'm so sorry, Janet. I'm so, so sorry,” he breathed, blinking back tears.

It took her a couple minutes, but she eventually pulled herself together. She shook her head as she stepped away from him, wiping at her face while she moved.

“I can't even imagine how awful it's been for you. God bless you for staying, Charlie. I just ... I don't want her to be alone,” her voice started to crack by the end of the sentence, and they both struggled not to crumble again.

“She hasn't been alone this whole time,” he assured her. She nodded and patted him on the arm before walking up to her daughter.

“Can you tell me what happened?” she asked in a soft voice.

“We were leaving a party,” he started. Janet snapped her head towards him and he could read her thoughts. “I was sober, I hadn't had a drop to drink. We were driving home and a truck driver fell asleep at his wheel. He hit us, my car rolled into a ditch. I'm so sorry, but she wasn't wearing her seat belt. Her head hit the windshield.”

“God,” her mother breathed, pressing her hand to her chest. “Why wasn't she wearing her seat belt? Adele was always such a good girl. Always safe. Why?”

“I'm sorry. She just ...” Just wasn't herself because she'd had too much to drink and we'd broken up and oh god, what if it had just been the alcohol talking and her last moments on earth were spent with a guy who'd told her he wanted to be with someone else!? “It was late, she'd had a couple drinks, it was supposed to be a short drive. Why did I make us leave the party early? Why did I take the freeway? Why didn't I make her put on her seat belt? I'm sorry, Janet. It's my fault. I can't ... I should've made her put on her seat belt. Why didn't I make her do it!?” he started to lose it. His uninjured hand was back in his hair, pulling at the strands, and the hospital room began to swim behind his tears.

“No no no, Charlie. You stop thinking that right now. I know you'd never do anything to hurt my daughter, so I never want to hear you speak like that again. You two love each other, I know that. If we're going to get her better, then we both need to be strong. For Adele,” Janet said, her voice full of strength.

As her words cut through him, sliced him right in half, Charlie realized he could never tell her the whole truth. Her daughter was now some shadow in a bed, locked in a coma. How could he also tell her that not only were they not in love, but they weren't even a couple anymore?

So he took a couple deep breaths, regained some of his composure, then moved to stand next to Mrs. Reins.

“For Adele,” he echoed.

*





ADELE HAD THREE OLDER – much older – brothers, and her father was a police sergeant. One brother lived in Pittsburgh, while the rest of her family lived in Philadelphia, and by the next evening, they were all in Los Angeles.