Teach Me (14 page)

***

             
I hear voices and want to open my eyes, but one seems to be swollen shut. My head is splitting with pain, and my whole face hurts. I decide to try to hear what the whispers are saying.

             
“No, Robert, you listen to me. Ali met him at the beach this summer. She had no clue that he would end up being her teacher.” It was Trudy. She was defending me to Allison’s dad, Robert.

             
“But he is her teacher,” Mr. Starr huffed.

             
“So you knock him out cold even though it is because of him your daughter is still alive?” 
Silence.
“I know this boy, and he loves Allison, teacher or not.” A cold hand pressed against my forehead. I tried to open my eyes.

             
“Allison,” I gurgled out and tried to sit up.

             
“Whoa, Ryan,” Trudy says, supporting me in sitting up.

             
Panic rippled though me. “Allison,” I try again. No one spoke, so I try to open my eyes. I could see Mr. Starr holding his head in his hands, leaning against the wall.

             
“She is stable for now,” her aunt tells me.
For now
. . .
what does that mean?

             
“What happened?” I began to shake. Trudy looked over to Ali’s father who in turn looked at me.

             
“Aortic aneurysm,” he answered dully. What is that?  Trudy was gently patting my back as he continued. “The walls of her heart are weak
. . .
like her mother’s.” Mr. Starr’s cheeks were wet as tears continued to stream from his eyes. “Allison’s hasn’t burst, so she still has a chance.”

             
“What can I do?”
No, this can’t be happening. Not Ali. This isn’t right.
Mr. Starr lifted his head from his hands and stared into my eyes. He seemed to evaluate me before he walked toward me. I flinched and expected to be knocked out cold again. He is a huge man, and I’m sure the next blow could kill me.

             
“From what her doctor told me, because of you she is still alive, by getting her here so quickly.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Cooper.” He squeezed my shoulder. It felt like we now had an unspoken understanding. I’m not your typical man’s man who after another guy punches you feels better and puts a misunderstanding aside. No, I’m the let’s-talk-it-out kind of guy and feel like Mr. Starr and I should discuss this further.

             
“Mr. Starr,” a man in a white doctor’s coat approached us. “You can see her now.” Trudy helped me get to my feet and steady me as we moved forward. “Sorry, son, the ICU is restricted to family only.”

             
Mr. Starr stepped up. “He is family,” he simply stated and put an arm around me. I’m not sure how long ago this guy had punched me, but I’m now family. Maybe I need to reconsider learning how to throw a punch and talk a little less. It does seem to speed up the process of being comrades.

             
The doctor didn’t question Robert and led us back into a sectioned-off area of the hospital. It was explained that we could go in one at a time. Mr. Starr went in first, leaning over her bed. He spoke to her softly and took her hand. He lifted her hand to his face and began to cry again. It was a horrible scene to watch.

             
Trudy let out a long sigh, and I turned to look at her. “She needs to have surgery.” I looked at her. “It is very risky but necessary.”

             
“I can’t lose her,” I tell Trudy. “I love her.” She just nods and takes my hand, and we just wait for our turn. Trudy lets me go in before she does.

             
Ali looks so small and fragile in that hospital bed. Her breathing sounds constricted, and the monitor beeps in an unsteady rhythm. I sit in the hard plastic chair next to the bed and take her cold hand in mine.

             
“I don’t know if you can hear me, Ali, but I am here, and I’m not going anywhere.” I kiss her hand. “I love you, and you have to pull through. I’ll do anything.” As I say the words, it all seems to make sense in my head. Everything is now clear. The fog that had engulfed me has vanished next to Ali. She is like the sun to me, burning away the confusing haze. I make up my mind and know what must be done. I sit with her until my time is
up,
telling her my plan, then quickly explain to Trudy what I am going to do.

             
Once outside I realize I don’t have a car. So I pull out my cell phone and making one of the many calls I’ll make today. It rings three times before there is an answer.

             
“This is Principal Matthews,” my boss answers. I take a deep breath and can feel that I am making the right decision.

             
“Mr. Matthews,” I say steadily, “this is Cooper Perez.”

             
“Cooper, is everything all right?” 

             
“Sir, I am sorry, but due to a family emergency I need to resign my position.” There is silence on his end.

             
“Are you telling me you’re quitting?”

             
“Yes.” I say it direct and with no other explanation.

             
“I heard that Allison Starr was in some sort of accident. Does that have anything to do with this?” 

             
I let out a sigh. “No disrespect, but since I just quit, I don’t have to answer any more questions.”

             
“If I find out you lied about your relationship regarding a student
. . .
”  His
voice trails off with his threat.

“Understood,” I snap back. “You’ll have my letter of resignation first thing tomorrow.” I hang up and call my lawyer.

             
I quickly inform him of the entire situation—from start to finish. He assures me that because Allison and I broke up upon realization of our situation, I am protected, and any lawsuit would be swatted down before it could ever develop. As a precaution, a lawyer from his staff will contact the school and smooth over everything and make sure there are no misunderstandings. I want all my bases covered, so I ask him a few things about quitting my job. Some things mean more to me than a paycheck.

             
Once that phone call is finished, I call my mom. I get her voice mail and spout out the bare bones of what is happening. My mom is
understanding
, but in this situation, I can’t see her being
. . .
supportive. This job meant a lot to her, almost as much as it had meant to me. But she met Allison and knew I’d do anything for her, so I don’t think she’ll be surprised.

             
I make one more call before I go back into the ICU waiting area. It is to my estate lawyer. I explain to him what I am planning on doing next and what I need from him. Naturally he has some questions, but when he is clear of the seriousness of the events at hand, he complies. Now is the hardest part.

             
I have to talk to Mr. Starr and hope he understands. I wish I knew how to block punches.

Eleven

Allison

             
The last thing I can remember is Cooper holding my hand, telling me he loved me. I can’t open my eyes because they are so heavy, but I still try to force them. My chest feels like I have been running as fast as I could for about ten days in a row without a break. It hurts so badly that I open my eyes to make sure there isn’t a weight of some kind pressing on my chest
. . .
like an elephant or something.

             
Now that my eyes are open, I realize that I don’t know where I am, and I’m scared.

             
There is a mask over my mouth and wires all over my body. I struggle to move, now in full panic mode, trying to rip everything off me.

             
“Whoa,” a gentle voice says, taking my hands in his and lightly pressing me back down into the bed. “You are okay,” he says, touching my hair. “You are in the hospital. There is a problem with your heart, but they are going to fix it.” I am having a hard time focusing and can’t find his face, but I’d know that voice anywhere.

             
“What happened,” I think I say. Finally Cooper moves his face into my direct line of vision. The lights overhead surround him, and he looks like he is glowing.
An angel
. . .
my angel.

             
“Don’t worry about that now, sweetheart,” he whispers and kisses my head. “You just have to fight through this, okay? I need you to know I am here and am not leaving no matter what.” I just stare at him. I can tell that he has been crying because his eyes are puffy. And one is black and blue and almost swollen shut.

             
“Your eye.”
I want to touch his face. Cooper smiles and looks down.

             
“I met your dad.” He laughs.

             
“He
. . .
he hit you?” I can’t believe this. Details are starting to come into focus. I told Dad about Cooper
. . .
I was at school when I collapsed with my teacher
. . .
Cooper rode to the hospital with me.
Oh crap. The cat is out of the bag.

             
“Yeah,” he answers, touching his cheek, and winces. “It is okay, I think, I mean between me and your dad. I think Trudy came to my rescue while I was out cold.” There is so much to process. I feel so tired but don’t want to close my eyes and lose Cooper.

             
“What now?” I sigh, and my chest tightens. Cooper’s fingers touch my hair and then my cheek.

             
“You rest and get stronger so the doctor can patch you back up,” he tells me.

             
“With us?
What happens now with us?” Cooper smiles and leans in closer to me. There are so many wires attached to me I can’t move. I feel his lips press against my forehead.

             
“Well, I was thinking about that
. . .
about taking things to the next level,” he states. Next level, what does he mean? He must have seen the confusion in my eyes, so he continues. “I made a few calls
. . .
”

             
“How long has she been lucid?” A nurse comes into the room abruptly. Cooper keeps his eyes on mine as he answers her.

             
“Just a couple of minutes, ma’am,” he answers.

             
“And what part of ‘if she wakes up, buzz us immediately’ didn’t you understand?” Cooper leans down and kisses my forehead.

             
“I love you, Allison Starr,” he tells me, ignoring the nurse. “I need to let this very nice woman examine you, but when she is done, there is something that I need to ask you.” Then he kisses me once more and leaves the room. The nurse comes to my bedside while checking some things on my chart and the many monitors and bags attached to me.

             
“The doctor will be in soon with your father,” she says and leaves. I take in my surroundings as best I can. I am in a glass box and attached to a hospital bed. Outside I can see my dad, Cooper, and Aunt Trudy next to the nurses’ station. They are all standing around a doctor who seems to be explaining something to them. They all nod at the same time, and the
doctor keeps talking using hand motions to get his point across. Cooper looks across the room and directly into my eyes. His gaze pulls me in, and he is all I can see. Right now, we are in our own private world even though we are separated by a glass wall and twenty feet.

             
I notice the doctor leaving the group and heading toward my door. I watch as Cooper touches my dad’s arm and says something to him. Whatever he says, Cooper has my dad’s full attention.

             
“Hello, Allison,” the doctor greets me. “I was just talking to your father and family
. . .
” He keeps on talking, but I am watching my dad and Cooper. I can hear the doctor say something about an aneurysm, but what is going on outside my room is much more important. I can see my dad’s face turn bright red, but not surprised at whatever Cooper is saying to him.

             
Cooper keeps talking, and my dad looks furious or scared. He looks toward me, and his eyes soften. Trudy has a small smile on her lips due to whatever the conversation is about. My dad shakes his head, and Cooper covers his heart with his hand and looks like he is pleading.

             
“So by this time tomorrow if you stay stable, we should have you in surgery.” The doctor pats my arm.

             
“Surgery.”
I finally look at the doctor and thinking that maybe what he was saying was important too. He nods like I am supposed to understand. He makes some notes on my chart and leaves. I turn my attention back to the show outside my room. Dad and Cooper are deep in conversation.
Cooper is still talking, and my dad is listening; he doesn’t look thrilled, but he doesn’t look upset anymore. He seems to be deep in thought. They talk for about ten more minutes before my dad stands up and heads toward my room.