Jordan woke up to the bells and buzzers, bright lights, and frantic voices of the emergency room. The fog started to lift from his head and the voices became clear as he realized it was him they were so frantic about. Looking down at his legs he saw the blood, too much blood. He had never seen so much in one place. Try as he might he couldn’t seem to move and then suddenly, as the clarity engulfed him, pain-filled his soul and he screamed. The body standing next to him grabbed his arm, a sharp sting, and his pain started to wane, his eyes slowly closing.
His eyes began to work, Jordan looked around at the unfamiliar room and realized he was in a room at the hospital. He was in bed and hooked up like a freaking astronaut. He still couldn’t seem to move, even raise his head. When he tried, there was no sound as he tried to speak. He could hear the breathing but it does not form even sounds, let alone words. The nurse came from the bathroom with a small towel for his forehead.
Noticing his open eyes she smiled and said, “Welcome back, you were starting to worry us. Glad to have you back. I’ll call Dr. Vick and let him know you are awake.”
Then she was gone. Did she say her name, or why I am here? Jordan’s thoughts were racing but not really getting anywhere. He heard what oddly seemed like excited footsteps echoing up the hall just before a head popped inside. Wearing one of those lab coats with a grin from ear to ear he holds out his hand.
“I am Dr. Vick. I was here when they brought you in. Has anyone told you what happened?” Looking at Jordan like he could respond. “Oh, I see, the vocal cords are a little behind. Don’t worry, that usually corrects itself rather quickly.”
The doc pulled out his little light and flashed Jordan’s eyes, of course then he could no longer see. He turned and talked to the nurse in that doctor's tone that only a nurse seems to ever understand and then turned back.
“OK, long story short, it was a car accident. You were T-boned going through a light. You are banged up pretty bad, but I think we can fix most of it but you are gonna have a long road ahead. The broken things are repaired and the disconnected things have been reconnected. Now we gotta get it all to work together again. That’s the slow part.”
He continued as he looked his patient over, head to toe. “You lost a great deal of blood and it was decided it would be best to place you in a coma and let your body fight for itself. I guess it worked huh?”
Jordan struggled to talk and gave up, looking for another way to ask questions. He gestured to a pad of paper and the nurse handed it to him, pulling a pen from her pocket. Clicking the pen she handed it to Jordan who desperately tried to write, but the words and his hands weren’t cooperating. Finally, he got the point across.
“The other driver? She’s a few doors down, she was banged up as well but appears to be ok. She doesn’t seem to remember the crash at all.”
Jordan again scribbled on the page and the doctor said, “How what?” looking at his writing. “Oh, long, how long? You mean the coma? You have only been out for 2 weeks.” Then Dr. Vick was gone. That is something Jordan will get used to.
For the next few days, all he saw was the nurses, and they took wonderful care of him but even after a few days he was getting depressed at the progress. Nothing seemed to be getting better, not even his voice. He hasn’t made a sound in days. It’s not for the lack of trying.
Shortly after the nurses leave Jordan sees a shadow by the door. Looking to the entrance he sees a woman in a wheelchair entering his room. From her gown, he figured she was a patient but doesn’t recognize her at all.
”Hello, I am Jade and I am so very sorry. I lost my brakes and couldn’t stop. My stupid brother sucks as a mechanic. I will never have him do anything again. I have full insurance and I will make sure everything is covered…. “
She just kept talking and Jordan looked her over. Lovely, hard to tell in that gown but her face was lovely. Soft pretty blue eyes and a smile that would make the sunrise jealous. She looked, well, like the doctor had said and Jordan wondered why she was still here. Not that he is upset that she stayed.
“…. I feel so terrible about everything. I just hope you will be able to forgive me. They told me that it was time for me to go but I said, no, this is my fault and I can’t leave until I make sure that … Oh My God, I don’t even know your name and I am rambling about all the help I want to give you,” She looked up and he didn’t think she even noticed that he wasn’t quite there for half of what she had said.
“Jordan, uh ... Clark,” it was a whisper but it was sound. His first words in days and it’s his own name.
“I am Jade, Jade Summer, it is nice to meet you,” she said through a smile.
With that little exchange, they become fast friends. Keeping her promises Jade was in Jordan’s room every day just after the doctor’s rounds. She helped him with his speech and movements, he was really damaged and the road to recovery is a long slow one. For the first few weeks as soon as the nurses were done with him Jade was there making him work. She would not give him any slack. Worked him every day, and it was working.
“I just have to get you better before I leave, I have to keep my promises,” she said, looking at him. He saw something new in her eyes.
Their days in the hospital eventually moved out of the building and they would walk the grounds. Jordan was doing wonderful and he knew it was all because of the attention he was getting from Jade.
One afternoon, when they had finished their walk and Jade was helping him back into bed he kissed her. Suddenly, no warning, no fanfare as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Which for Jordan it had become. He knew that he had very strong feelings for Jade. He just wasn’t sure if it was love or gratitude. After all, had it not been for Jade he may still be laying in that bed unable to move.
After that kiss, they seemed to be a little different. They would hold hands on the walks and they would even walk arm in arm. When they would eat in the cafeteria they would sit close and even share food. They were beginning a relationship as he healed. When they would talk in his room, for sometimes hours, she would sit on his bed and to his surprise, she sometimes even snuggled up with him as they talked or listened to music.
The nurses were commenting on his recovery, they could not believe how quickly it was happening. To be honest, most thought he might never walk again but he would most likely end up in a wheel-chair. His recovery was leaps and bounds ahead of where it should be. He did not talk about Jade because she had asked him not to mention their times together because she was afraid she would have to leave.