Brielle walks into my hospital room carefully and cautiously. It’s as if she’s walking on eggshells.

“It’s okay,” I say. “Don’t be afraid.” I sit up in my bed, trying not to look so sickly and powerless, even though I have a pounding headache.

“How are you?” she asks sheepishly.

Her hair falls into her face slightly as she walks, and she pushes it aside without much regard. Her lips look soft and exquisite even under the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room. Her skin is tan, and her cheeks are full of color. Brielle is wearing a long sleeve hoodie, and she wraps her arms around her shoulders as if she is trying to hold on to the entire world.

“I’m good. Fine,” I say confidently. It’s almost true. I want it to be true. I’ll act like it is until it becomes true.

“Broke both legs,” I say nudging at the cast. “Imagine the luck.”

“It could’ve been much worse, Wyatt,” she comes closer. I love the sound of my name in her mouth.

“Nah,” I wave my hand. But she slaps it away.

“No, I’m serious. It could’ve been much, much worse. I saw you out there. You passed out. You were unconscious. I thought you would go into a coma and never wake up.”

“Hah, like you’d care. You’d just be happy that you got off the hook,” I joke.

She stares at me and raises her hand to slap me again. This time across the face. But something stops her.

“Fuck you, Wyatt. Fuck you for even thinking something that terrible.”

That was a pretty shitty thing to say. I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I was just trying to make you laugh.”

“How would that make me laugh, exactly?”

“I don’t know. I’d shrug, but my shoulders hurt too much.”

This one does make her laugh. She opens her lips just a bit and lets out a small, willowy laugh. The world is alright again.

“How did this happen?” Brielle asks after a few silent moments.

“That’s what you get for riding a four-year-old stallion bareback,” I laugh.

Her face turns white. “What do you mean? Are you joking again?”

I shake my head no. Then suddenly, something comes over me, and I tell her something I never would otherwise.

“I was really upset that you were leaving. That I did that to you. Disrespected you like that. But I want you to know that it was really an accident. I must’ve not heard you or something. I would never keep going beyond what you said was okay. I’m not that guy.”

I stop and look at her. She waits for me to continue.

“So I was really angry with myself over the whole thing. Over what I did. Over the fact that you were now scared of me. And leaving. That’s the last thing I wanted. So this morning, I went for a walk and ended up in the stables. I saw Sebastian. He’s a powerful thoroughbred. But he’s not broken yet. He’s wild and crazy, and I felt wild and crazy at that moment. It was like we were breathing the same air and feeling the same energy. I opened the gate, and he let me get on top of him. I really thought we were connecting, and we wanted the same thing. But I was just feeling crazy. He ignited something within me, some long forgotten feeling of hope and love and wildness. And so I urged him outside of the stable. And that’s when it got bad. He started to buck, and he wouldn’t slow down long enough for me to get off. And then I just flew off.”

“You remember it all?”

“I remember every single moment.”

“And what about afterward?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Once I hit the ground, I don’t remember anything.”

She looks at me. Tears well up inside of her eyes. One large tear breaks free and rolls down her cheek. I reach out and wipe it off her face.

“I was so scared, Wyatt. You were just laying there. Motionless. Unconscious. I wanted to shake you so much, but I was afraid something was broken. And then…”

Her voice drops off, and she looks out of the window. A tiny sparrow dances on a branch. We both watch the sparrow for a moment before she turns back to me.

“And then?” I ask.

“And then I thought that maybe it was even worse than that. You didn’t wake up Wyatt. Not for a long time.”

I nod.

“You scare me, Brielle,” I finally say.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, exactly. But I feel something for you, and it scares me.”

“Don’t be silly,” she waves her hand and smiles. “How can I scare you?”

I try to shrug again. Again I feel pain.

“Come here,” I say and wave my index finger to get her to come closer to me.

“What?” she leans down.

“You scare me,” I whisper and press my lips up to hers. I lift my body a bit toward hers and my neck throbs in pain.

I sigh in pain when I pull away.

“Are you okay?” she says with a smile licking her lips.

“No,” I shake my head. “But it was worth it.”

That evening, the nurse gives me some morphine, and I fall asleep quickly. When I wake up in the morning, my back is throbbing, and I find Brielle half asleep in the chair.

“Hey, you’re awake,” she smiles at me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. “I can’t believe you slept the whole night here.”

“Oh, I just dozed off. It’s no big deal.”

“No, it is,” I say. “Thank you.”

“I’m going to get us some coffee,” she jumps up to her feet.

I’m jealous of the spring in her step, and I wish more than anything that I could jump as well. I’ve only been in bed for one day, and the thought of not being active for another two months scares me to death.

“Brielle…”

She turns at the door. Her hair leaps one last time before landing softly around her shoulders.

“Yes?”

“I was just wondering…” I don’t know how to phrase the question exactly. She waits for me as I try.

“I was just wondering if you were planning on going back home today?”

“No,” she shakes her head. A wave of relief sweeps over me, but I’m not sure if I have been clear enough.

“And tomorrow?” I ask.

Suddenly, it hits her what I’m asking. She walks back to my bed.

“I’m not going home for awhile, Wyatt. But under one condition.”

“What's that?”

“If you promise me that we will be friends. Just friends.”

I thought about that for a moment. Just friends was better than nothing. “Okay,” I nodded.