Justin
Clearly, something wasn’t right.
My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and every part of my body ached. I wanted to open my eyes, but the weight of them was overwhelming. In the distance, a rhythmic beeping grew louder and louder until it was the most prominent sound in the room. I could hear voices too, but they seemed far away and muffled.
I drifted into darkness again, almost surrendering, not given a choice to remain conscious but dragged away into the depths without consent.
When I woke the next time, everything still hurt, but I was able to flutter my eyelids open. I blinked away the blurriness, trying to focus on something—anything—that would give me a hint as to where I was or what was happening.
“Mr. Hunter?”
A woman’s voice filled the room and I felt a hand gently land on my shin.
“My name is Wanda, Mr. Hunter. You’re in the ICU and I’m the nurse taking care of you. You were hit by a car, but you’re going to be all right.”
I tried to speak, but my throat and mouth were so dry, nothing but rasps came out. My hand came to my throat, but was snagged on something, so I lifted my other hand, trying to communicate.
“Would you like some water?”
I nodded gratefully. Her blurry frame disappeared but returned a moment later and something pressed against my lips. I opened and realized it was a straw, so I took a sip. Even the tiny amount of water passing through my lips made a drastic difference.
“My wife,” I managed, trying to bring back any memory of what had happened. “Is she okay?”
“She’s just fine, Mr. Hunter. She’s with the rest of your family in the waiting room.”
“She’s not hurt?”
“No. She’s a little worried about you, but she’s not hurt. Would you like to see her?”
I nodded, but closed my eyes, the movement reminding me how much my head throbbed.
“How’s the pain? Scale of one to ten.”
“Four thousand,” I managed, only half-joking.
“I’ll get you some pain meds then.”
“My wife?” I asked again.
“I’ll bring her back, but you need your rest, so it’ll have to be a short visit.”
I tried to smile but felt myself fading away again, exhausted by just the short interaction.
The next thing I heard was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard: Hadley’s voice.
“Justin?”
Her voice was soft but so full of emotion she sounded strange.
“Oh my God,” she whispered as her warm fingers wrapped around mine.
My eyes opened and my body breathed a sigh of relief when I saw she was unharmed.
“Hey, beautiful,” I croaked. “You’re okay?”
“Of course I’m okay,” she cried. She kissed the back of my hand, her lips pausing there for a long moment as she cried, her emotion unrestrained.
I wanted so badly to reach out and hold her, but my body wasn’t cooperating. Everything felt heavy and weighed down.
“It’s all right,” I said, trying to soothe her in any way I could. “I’m fine.”
She laughed and everything became lighter.
“Justin, you are anything but fine.”
I tried to smile, but it didn’t last long as the pain was washing over me in waves.
“What happened?”
“You were hit by a car.”
She could have told me anything and I would have been surprised. I had no recollection of anything. The last thing I remembered was dropping Hadley off with Riley and leaving with Camden.
“I’ve been so worried.” Her voice broke on a sob again, and she rested her head in the crook of my elbow.
“Baby, don’t cry. I’m okay. I feel great.”
I smiled when I felt her laugh against my arm.
“Stop,” she begged. She looked up at me, tears shining in her eyes, her mouth confused about whether it wanted to smile or frown. “I love you,” she whispered, her tone suddenly serious.
Her words fueled me and I lifted my hand to her face, palming her cheek. “I love you too.”
The room was suddenly filled with a flash of light and I realized the door had opened and Wanda had returned.
“All right, Mr. Hunter. I’ve got some morphine for you, but it’s going to make you sleepy.”
Sleep sounded amazing. The idea of the pain lessening sounded even better.
“Sounds good,” I said, trying to give her a lame thumbs-up.
“Can I stay with him?” Hadley asked, her voice hopeful and soft.
“Well,” Wanda said, her eyes darting between us. “Visiting hours are technically over, but I don’t think anyone will mind if you keep him company. You just have to let him sleep.”
“I will, I promise.”
“All right. Have a good nap, Mr. Hunter.”
Wanda attached a syringe to my IV port and pushed a clear liquid in, and in just moments the effects were there. Everything became a little fuzzier and I was instantly at ease. I watched through blurry eyes as Hadley stood up and leaned over me, pressing a kiss against my forehead, then everything went dark again.