Chapter Two.

Morgan took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, terrified of what she’d see. Maybe she didn’t want to see it... She almost got back in the car then, but thought of Carol. She would be there for Morgan if she wanted her there. She had promised. And she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would lie.

The thought of that made her feel slightly better–at least she wouldn’t be alone to deal with it. But she sure felt lonely. Lonely and scared, like a child. She had never felt quite like this. What was she supposed to do without Alex? Without Alex... No, that couldn’t be possible.

He would be okay... He had to. Morgan swallowed back fresh tears and forced herself to go through the automatic doors. The smell of disinfectant filled her nose, a smell she never liked. It was the smell of sickness and injury. She hated it...
How could this happen? He had been fine this morning! Happy and smiling, laughing and teasing... It seemed so impossible. Like a nightmare. Unreal... She shook her head and paused outside of Alex’s room, then pushed open the door.

Morgan froze at the sight in front of her. Alex lay motionless on his bed–she would think he was dead if she hadn’t saw the small rise and fall of his chest. Tubes and wires where attached to him, a machine making soft and regular beeping sounds. Fresh tears filled her eyes; Morgan felt as if this was something she couldn’t handle. How was she supposed to be brave without Alex at her side, telling her everything would be alright? How could she make it without him?

She turned, feeling the need to escape from the terrifying sight. She couldn’t stand to see him like that. It wasn’t fair! Morgan had turned so suddenly and sharply, that she bumped into the nurse coming into the room. “Oh,” She gasped, stumbling and falling. The nurse caught herself, grabbing onto a chair. “I’m sorry.” Morgan said, her vision blurred with tears. “It’s okay, Honey. Are you alright?” It was a stupid question to ask, and Morgan could tell the nurse knew it was, too, by the glint of regret in her eyes.

“Why, of course your not. That’s why I came. Morgan, I’m Carol.” Carol held out a hand, and Morgan took it, getting onto her feet.
She wiped her eyes, feeling embarrassed. “Hey, Carol.” She said, surprised. She had expected Carol to be elderly; but she was quite young. Maybe eighteen, nineteen. Probably not in her twenties. She was gorgeous, too. Brown hair that was pulled back in a messy clip, and green eyes that seemed tired, but nevertheless gentle or patient. If you looked closer, you could see wisdom and experience behind her pretty face. Everything about her seemed so casual, so at ease. She was far from perfect, but she was still one of the prettiest people Morgan had ever saw. One of the people that every girl envied. The kind that was naturally pretty without make-up.
“Hey, don’t seemed so surprised.” Carol smiled and placed a gentle hand on Morgan’s back. “Let’s go eat. You look hungry. And besides, it’s my break, and I can tell you what happened to Alex.” Morgan nodded and allowed herself to be led out of the room, and down the hall, glancing once over her shoulder to look at Alex, who still lay motionless on his bed.

– – –

Morgan sat across from Carol, staring down at her food. She knew she should eat, but she couldn’t. Carol looked at her, smiling sadly. “lease... Try and eat?” Her voice was almost pleading. Morgan looked up, seeing sincere worry in the nurse’s eyes. She shook her head sadly, dropping her eyes again. “Okay... Well, then maybe later?” Morgan just shrugged in response, making Carol’s brows pull together as a frown formed at the corner of her lips. “Okay. I’m not your mother, I suppose. I’m in no position to tell you what to do. I’m sorry.” She reached out and gently patted Morgan’s hand.

“I do think I should tell you what happened.” The nurse nodded, and took a sip of water. Her eyes flickered with emotion, but she did a good job at concealing it. “Alex was in a car accident. We’re not sure what happened, exactly, but it involved three cars.” She looked away. “The other two drivers will be okay. One was already released, the other should be out tomorrow. Only one car had passengers; a small child...” Morgan looked up, curious as to what emotion she heard in Carol’s voice. “Yeah... what about it?” She asked, voice flat.

“She, uh, didn’t make it. The child died at the accident...” The nurse sighed softly, looking deeply affected by this. Suddenly, Morgan felt like she had to comfort her. She gently laid her hand over the brunettes, meeting her eyes. The two shared a look of sadness, both experiencing a sudden jolt of reality. People say it all the time; Life isn’t fair. But now it felt more true than ever. Morgan felt like breaking down and crying, like hiding from the world. Anything. She wanted the ache, the pain, to go away...
She wanted Alex’s hand in hers again. It wasn’t fair... She felt warm tears roll slowly down her cheek. But Morgan didn’t care. She didn’t care who saw it, or what they thought. It didn’t matter. Alex was in a coma, and she didn’t know if she’d ever have him back again. Did it really matter what a few strangers thought of her for crying? No. It didn’t mean a thing...

“I’m sorry,” She heard Carol’s voice crack, and realized she was crying, too. Morgan had the strange feeling of being a helpless child again, as she had earlier when she arrived at the hospital. “Oh, Carol.” She started to cry more openly, and the two stood up, hugging each other. “I can’t lose him, I really can’t. It’s so scary to think about...” Carol gently rubbed her back, their tears flowing together. “I know... I’m sorry, Morgan, I’m sorry...” They stood like that, holding no tears back, until no more would come. Morgan and Carol both felt as if they could never shed another tear.

Around them was dead silence, everyone having left them alone. The two girls pulled back and looked at each other, one green eyed and brunette, the other with chocolate colored eyes and blond hair, each uniquely different. But they could never be more the same. They both felt the connection–and both knew they could rely on the other.

Already, their friendship was strong, and that made Morgan feel slightly stronger, though only a little, it meant a lot, and would make all the difference.

Carol was the first to speak, drying her face with the back of her hand. “It’s getting late. I have to get back to work. You should take your lunch with you, okay? Eat it. For Alex.” She watched Morgan’s eyes flutter painfully. “Okay. For Alex,” She agreed, though she wasn’t sure if she could. The nurse nodded and leaned forward, hugging Morgan. “Good luck,” She whispered before pulling back. “You can call my cell phone anytime, okay? I’ll call you back as soon as I can, even if that means hiding in a restroom stall.” Carol forced a small smile, dumping the remains of her lunch in the garbage.

Morgan cleared her throat, “Okay. And, thanks.” Her voice still seemed unsteady, but better than before. She focused on putting her lunch in a brown paper bag for later, as Carol left, murmuring a ‘your welcome’ as she did so. Suddenly, the young girl felt exhausted, but knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet. Besides... How much sleep can you get in a hospital? Of course she’d be staying with Alex.

She nodded. She’d feel way too guilty for it to be any other way–and she wanted to stay. ‘I have to be here, at his side, when he wakes up,’ Morgan thought to herself as she went back to Alex’s
room.

– – --

Morgan didn’t do much besides sit in an arm chair, watching Alex, and imagining what they’d be doing at the moment. Fake conversations filled her mind, and she even found herself smiling, remembering when she first met Alex. But then she’d look around and remember where she was and why, and the smile would vanish, pain and guilt replacing the small happiness she had allowed herself. Though the minutes seemed like hours, and the hours like days, time seeming to move impossibly slow, night time finally did come, and Morgan never felt so tired.

The whole thing was draining her. Just being in the same room, seeing Alex like that was playing a big part in it. She had tried to sleep multiple times, each failing. As midnight dragged by, Morgan stood and decided to take a quick walk outside. Maybe the fresh air would help clear her head. Besides, she needed out of the hospital, if only for a few minutes.

Everything seemed blurred, both from her tears, and being so tired.
The young girl went through the doors, the fresh, cold, crisp air brushing against her skin. She shivered, though she hardly noticed. A few lights were lit, casting shadows through the parking lot. It seemed vacant and dark, even with the light. A fresh ache churned in her chest, pleading her to make it all go away. But she couldn’t–of course she couldn’t, no matter how badly she wanted this nightmare to end.

Morgan inhaled the damp night air, sitting down on a near bench by an elderly man. “Hello,” He said, his voice rough, though Morgan could still hear the loss behind it. She looked over at him and offered a small smile, taking in his appearance. He wore a button up shirt, a brown jacket, and jeans. On his head he wore a hat, but even with it pulled down over his eyes, she could see the tears sparkling in them. “Hey,” She whispered. Silence followed, both Morgan and the man staring off into the distance for long minutes. Finally, the older man turned to her, holding out his hand. Inside of it was a cigarette and liter. “Oh, no thanks. I don’t smoke.” Morgan smiled weakly. “Thanks, though.” The elder smiled, laugh lines appearing around his eyes.

“Good girl. I wish I never started...” He shook his head, exhaling a puff of smoke, and discarding the cigarette. He patted her on the back lightly, “Good luck.” Morgan watched as he slowly limped back into the hospital, pulling her legs up onto the bench. “You too,” She whispered, leaning forward and resting her cheek on her knees as she watched him go. Once again, she was alone, with nothing better to do than sleep. The girl sighed, casting one last glance up at the sky. Even though clouds filled it, moon and star light sparkled through the gaps, looking as beautiful as ever. Her eyes blurred with even more tears; it wasn’t the same without being in Alex’s arms as they stared up into the mysterious space above their heads.

Morgan sadly looked away and wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering, as she went back into the hospital. The place of misery. As she did this, she knew she would be crying herself to sleep tonight.

– – –

Morgan woke, tired and sore. She had slept on the cramped chair in Alex’s room, waking almost every hour. When she did this, her eyes would fly to Alex’s face, her hope slowly dying as she realized it wasn’t just a dream; this was really happening, and there was no waking up or escaping.

There was a frightening feeling of nothingness knotted in her stomach; maybe even worse than the feeling of loss. She didn’t like it one bit. She’d rather feel the pain than this nothing. She felt dead, as if nothing mattered.

Morgan winced and stood up, stretching out her stiff limbs. Slowly, she walked over to Alex and took his hand. She almost broke down, but held back. Gently, she kissed his forehead and laid his hand back down. It was painful to leave, but it was painful to stay there, too. She could go see Kelcie after she cleaned up; after confirming that Alex wouldn’t wake up while she was gone. She was set on being there the exact second that he did. But she was also pretty determined not to break down again.

Morgan had to be strong now. She would be strong. There was no sense in being upset when Alex would be okay. He would come out of the coma and everything would be perfect again. She swallowed hard and kissed Alex’s forehead once more before leaving the room.