Planning on Forever (23 page)

– ALEXA –

Opening my eyes, I see nothing but a blurry mess.
Blinking again, everything slowly starts to come into focus.

Where the hell am I?
“Oh,
sweetheart...” I hear, feeling my hand being squeezed.

I try to lift my head, but it feels like a hundred
pounds and aches like no other headache I’ve ever had. Beginning to freak out,
I look around. There’s a machine beeping a god awful noise next to me, and a
zillion wires and tubes going every which way.

Oh my god, I’m in the hospital! What the hell is going
on?

“What happened?” I ask, seeing my mom sitting next to
me, looking like she hasn’t slept in days.
Ugh
. My mouth feels like I’ve
swallowed a handful of cotton balls.

“You’re awake!” I see Nolan running into my room,
carrying three coffees.

Within seconds he’s at my bedside, holding my hand with
one of his, rubbing my forehead with his other. Although I have no clue why I’m
here, I’m so glad he’s here with me. Looking up at Nolan, I smile. Well, how
can you not smile, seeing those captivating blue eyes, and perfectly sculpted
face looking down at you? The monitor makes another god awful noise, sending
the nurse running in.

“Look who decided to make an appearance at her own party,”
a cute, little nurse with the most gorgeous long red hair says.

Politely nudging Nolan out of the way so she can check
the monitor, she smiles, and says, “Looks like someone’s heart just skipped a
beat,” grinning from me to Nolan. “How are you feeling, honey? Do you need
anything? Pain medication, water?”

“Um, my head really hurts and I’m really thirsty,
but…what’s wrong with me?” I whisper, trying to avoid making my head hurt worse
more than it already does.

“Oh sweetie, you suffered a severe concussion.
Everything looks okay, but you’re going to be feeling the aftermath of it for
at least a few days. I’ll let your family fill you in on the other details
while I go get you some water and medication. My name is Jackie, if you need
anything else, don’t be afraid to buzz me,” she responds, showing me the call
button on the side of my bed.

Although Jackie says I’m going to be fine, the way my
mom, dad, and Nolan are crowding my bed, you’d think I’m about to take my last
breath. The last thing I can remember before waking up in this bed, is being at
homecoming, doing our half time show cheer and looking at Drake, one of the
male cheerleaders, to see if he was okay.
Shit! Did Drake drop me?
Panicking, I look at my mom, and ask, “did I fall during our cheer?”

“More like, dropped!” Nolan interrupts, or should I say,
yells.

“I knew something was wrong with, Drake,” I whisper,
saying it more to myself than anyone else.

“Wait! What’s the bastard’s name that did this to you?”
Nolan asks, practically blowing steam out of his nostrils.

“Nolan, dear, it was an accident. I’m sure the young man
already feels awful,” my sweet mom chimes in.

“She’s right, babe. Let it go.” I squeeze his hand,
giving him a pleading smile.

“But–”

“Let it go, babe. It’s done and over with. I’m fine…look
at me, I’m fine,” I interrupt him, tugging on his hand to look at me.

Thankfully, Jackie comes back in the room, changing the
topic. “Alrighty. Here’s some pain medication, and some water. Once these bad
boys kick in, you’re gonna be exhausted, so make sure you allow yourself plenty
of rest,” she says, handing me two pills in a plastic cup, and a pitcher of
water.

“You all should get some rest, too,” she adds, pointing
to my trio of worry warts. “I’ll be back in a little bit, but don’t forget the
buzzer if you need me.”

Once Jackie leaves, my parents announce they’re
following nurse’s orders, and are heading home to get some rest, but will be
back later. They both hug and kiss me, say goodbye to Nolan, and then leave.
Seeing Nolan still standing next to me, I give him a look, silently asking him
if he’s leaving too.

“No way, Doll. I’m not going anywhere,” he says, pulling
up a chair. “I’m not leaving, unless you’re comin’ with me.”

Although I can tell by the dark circles around his eyes
that he is in desperate need of sleep, I’m secretly doing back flips inside,
happy that he’s staying with me. Resting his lips on my hand, I can feel a tear
drop on it.

“Babe, why are you crying?” I whisper, attempting to
lift my head off of my pillow.

Looking up at me, he cups my cheek in his hand, and
says, with tears falling freely down his face, “Last night, when I got here,
and Collin told me you were unconscious, and then we didn’t hear anything for
hours, I felt like my world was crashing down on me…I, I thought that I was
going to lose you.”

Fighting the pain, exhaustion, and dizziness, I sit up
completely, pulling him into my arms. I know I have no control over what
happened last night, and what he went through, but seeing him like this, seeing
him so emotionally drained because of me, breaks my heart into a million
pieces.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I
cry, holding him as tight as physically possible.

Unwrapping my arms from around his neck, and laying me
softly back down, he kisses my forehead. “You need to get your rest, my love.
Close your eyes,” Nolan whispers, wiping the tears from my face, then his.

“Lay with me,” I demand, wanting him to hold me, and
knowing he needs the sleep, too.

With no hesitation, he pulls off his boots, and climbs
in under the covers, wrapping his arms securely around me. Kissing the back of
my head, he whispers, “I love you. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

–
NOLAN –

Laying here, with Alexa in my arms, I can’t hold back
the tears that I let slip earlier. The fact that I almost lost the best and
most beautiful person in my life scares the living shit out of me; so much,
that I can’t help but cry. I cry with sadness and with thankfulness. Thanking
God for every answered prayer he has given me since the day I met Alexa and
thanking God for giving me this beautiful angel, for making her love me the way
I love her, for not taking her away from me too soon; I thank God for all of
it.

When I received the call from Trevor last night, telling
me Alexa was hurt, I felt like my whole world was crashing down on me. Sure,
I’ve had my share of pain and heart ache; I lost my parents in a horrific
terrorist act. But hearing the words “your girlfriend (the love of your life)
fell hard, and I don’t know if she’s okay,” brings a pain throughout you that I
can’t explain. From the minute I hung up the phone, until the minute I heard
that she was going to be okay, I think I died a hundred times. My mind imagined
every awful scenario; all leading to me, in the end, without my love. Life
without Alexa, is like not living at all. I can’t fathom it, nor will I ever
allow it to happen.

The fact that Collin was there for her and not me,
almost sickens me the most. I’m supposed to be the one to love her, care for
her, protect her, and be there when she falls, literally. Yea, of course, I’m
happy that she at least had someone with her that loves her, someone that I can
trust. But having it be her ex-boyfriend who once again rides in like her
knight in shining armor, pisses the hell out of me.

Once her parents allowed me in the emergency room, I
never left Alexa’s side. I made a promise to myself in that moment; I will
never let anything else happen to this beautiful girl again. She is mine to
have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for all the days of our lives.

Yes, I’m going to marry, Alexa. And, even without a ring
on her hand, I plan on fulfilling those vows and those promises right now.

“Babe...?”

“I'm right here, doll,” I say, kissing her hand.

“Have I been sleeping long?” she asks, not fully awake
yet.

“Just a couple of hours. What can I get for you, love?”

“I’m a little hungry,” she answers, tilting her head
back, and giving me the most adorable sleepy grin.

“I'm on it.” I say, then kiss her head before heading
for the cafeteria.

“What's wrong? Is everything okay?” There are two
doctors and a nurse hovering over Alexa when I walk back in with her food.

They all turn around, startled by my barging in.

“Babe, I'm fine. The doctor is just checking everything,
and the nurse is about to take my catheter out so I can actually get out of
bed,” she responds with a breathtaking smile.

”Everything is looking good, Mister Pratt. She should be
able to go home tomorrow,” the doctor confirms, patting my shoulder as he walks
by.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, I set the tray of
food on the table next to Alexa’s bed.

“Holy cow, did you bring me the whole cafeteria?”

“Well, I didn't know what you were hungry for, so I just
got a little bit of everything. I'll eat whatever you don't,” I tell her,
feeling hungry myself.

After we finish our lunch, the nurse gives her another
round of pain medication, and before I know it, she is drifting off to sleep
again.

“Lay with me again. And this time, actually sleep,” she
yawns, barely being able to keep her eyes open.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I joke,
crawling into bed with her.

“I know you, Pratt. Now get some rest since you start
your new job as my nurse tomorrow.”

God, I love her.