The Wait
Nora
It has been a month since the tragic accident, and Edward will be transferred to another section of the hospital today. Thank goodness, the doctors have already approved my permanent residence at the hospital.
Each day, for the entire month, I stared at him through the glass for hours at a time, pointless, with no hope of easing his pain. Even though he was still unconscious, I could see that the pain was tormenting him even though he was not awake.
Through his eyelids, I saw his eyes move constantly from side to side. How many times did I want to put my hand on his forehead to calm him down? How many times did I see his skin becoming paler and sweaty? Too often and constantly. Yet, I was only present from a distance, witnessing his pain.
Several times, he was on the brink of death that month. Not only did his heart struggle, but his injuries were horrendous. Edward's state turned out to be a testament to his winning spirit, even in his situation, I'm sure he wasn't willing to give up.
I am close to him for the first time today. He is no longer separated from me by a glass wall. The day has finally come when I will be able to touch him and speak into his ear after suffering for so long. So, here I am, standing by his bed, helpless.
Despite my desire to move forward, my feet do not respond to me. I feel that this is an illusion and that if I get closer to him, all I will feel is air. Before my very eyes, I feel as if he will disappear.
It has been half an hour since I entered his room, and I am now looking at him, assuring myself that he is real and that he will not leave. Knowing that Edward's condition is improving as time passes, gave me hope. Then I took a good look at him, recognizing him once again. He is growing hair on the side of his head that was shaved in preparation for surgery. There is a smooth gold layer covering the area.
Even though his face is already deflated and his eyes are still closed, I can already see his lashes. And the surrounding skin is no longer inflamed, making him recognizable. There are still some small green and yellow patches, but the bruises have almost disappeared.
Several red lines remain, these are the scars that will never be healed. Those will remain forever on him. In a way, they were reminding us all that he was about to lose his life.
His hips remain the same. The support they put on him will take a long time to be removed. I was informed that it is possible for Edward to be unable to walk again, but I doubt it, he won't let himself be beaten so easily.
The leg is also immobilized in the same way, since his femur broke into thousands of pieces. Rebuilding the bone will be painful and time-consuming. Still, I'm not going to give up on him. I trust Edward will succeed. His scars will be his medals of honour for his triumphs in life.
My feet moved toward him without realizing it. My being needed him despite my fears. But my love was right in front of me, and I was here. Feeling and touching him again was my great desire.
Now, he is recovering and many chapters of our story remain to be written.
Having already been within a few inches of him, I knelt by his bed. My shaking hands reached for his. My fingers were getting closer and closer until I felt his skin soft and warm.
When I touched it, a sob escaped my mouth, followed by another, and another, until my face was covered in tears. This pain and emptiness were unbearable, along with the uncertainty.
After I had calmed myself down a bit, I stroked every inch of his face. As I touched his scars, I promised that I would do everything in my power to restore him to the life he once knew. I will not rest until he can move on his own and until his smile once again illuminates the hearts of those around him.
∞∞∞
As the days passed, Edward did not wake up; my heart was pierced and bleeding to see him like that. My rock and my salvation were lying on a bed without reacting. However, the doctor told me that he was not in any danger physically any more. And it was just a matter of waiting until he wanted to wake up. So, I stayed by his side every day, talking to him, touching him, and reminding him that there was a baby who needed him and a woman who desperately wanted to see him open his eyes.
After three months after the accident, Edward was already looking better. His body was healing rapidly. His bones were being treated and, according to the doctor, they were healing properly. Other than his mind, the rest of his body was fine. The rescue centre's colleagues came to visit us two or three times a week, including me, since I practically lived here with him.
Ruth visited us several times, staying at the hotel a few blocks from the hospital for a few days. But she had to return to her job because her schedule required her to be there. Nonetheless, she thanked me for caring for him while she was away. If it weren't for me, she would have taken him with her to where she lives.
As a result of their presence, I felt encouraged and loved. I was among family. And I swear that Edward could feel it too. Since I saw his face make almost imperceptible grimaces, it could be my imagination. I knew Edward was aware of everything going on around him and that he felt it all.
To further stimulate him, I put his hand on my belly. I was already five months pregnant, and my baby was growing a lot. My abdomen was visible and my clothes no longer fit. I told Edward how it went with the doctor and the ultrasound. Just like me, the baby was growing very fast and healthy.
Additionally, I told him I already knew the gender of our baby, so if he wanted to know, he would have to wake up.
Due to spending every day with Edward, I did not have time to go to the rescue centre. I had my responsibilities there, but I told Patty that as long as Edward didn't open his eyes, I wouldn't leave his side. She told me they could do it without us, and that they would wait for us when we are ready.
Hilda used to visit me at the hospital regularly too. Right now, she was my main support. Without her, I wouldn't know what to do. Gonzalo sometimes came with her. Moreover, he told me that he would be glad to help in any way he could.
I thank them so much for being by my side because they and the rescue centre team are my real family.
As I was caring for Edward one day, a nurse came in and told me that the police were out and that they wanted to speak with me. I was immediately nervous. It meant they had discovered something about the accident. As I nodded to the nurse, I let her know that I would be with them soon. I kissed Edward's forehead before leaving.
The two detectives in formal suits were standing in front of Edward's room waiting for me. Since I had never seen them before, I said, “I am Nora, how can I help?”
One of the detectives showed me his ID and said, “Mrs Matthew. I am Detective Buchanan, and he is Detective Reynolds. We were assigned to investigate the case of the death of Mr Roco Jameson, and the accident that nearly took the life of your partner, Edward Matthew.”
Nodding, I waited for them to continue, “We have reviewed the testimonies of the other rescuers. Together, with the tests that were conducted on the equipment that the two victims were using, we were able to determine the cause of the accident. It was premeditated. The harness and the ropes that held them were previously damaged. We found the marks of knife blades on them.”
The whole thing was unbelievable. It was as if my pulse raced and my body turned to ice as I shook my head from side to side, denying what I had just listened to. What kind of person would sabotage a mission? And why would he or she want to harm Roco or Edward?
My only response was to ask, “Why?”
“Nora is unknown to us, and that is what we are investigating. We have not determined if the attack was directed at the rescue centre or at Roco or Edward specifically. Because of this, we need to know if Edward had an enemy or if he had been threatened in any way. Don't rule out anything. We need to know what really happened.”
But no matter how hard I tried, I could not recall a time when Edward was threatened or had an encounter with anyone. The same applies to Roco. I was never aware of any dispute or altercation.
“Neither Edward nor Roco ever got in trouble. I can't recall a time when they did. In fact, they were dedicated to saving lives and more so, they were admired by all. But especially by victims and their families. Despite many years, some victims continue to send letters of thanks.”
As I said that, my mind clicked on something, and with awe in my eyes, I looked at the detective. The idea that Edward was in danger because of me was very painful, even though that might be true or not. However, if he truly did hurt him, then he would have to pay for it with his life.
My blood was boiling violently, and this time, I won't let him get in my way.
Those who committed this crime would pay a heavy price, and I would deliver the final blow with my hands.
In those seconds, my eyes showed the hatred I was accumulating. The detectives gazed at me with concern. My face changed, and I felt the resentment of the past resurfacing, hitting me twice as hard. The only thing I could say was, “Erik Costa.” They immediately took note. They said goodbye, but not before telling me they would get in touch.
Outside Edward's bedroom door, I was breathing erratically after they left. I desperately wanted to go back to him, but I couldn't calm myself. If he was involved, I wanted to crush his head with my hand. I would not stop until my fingers were wet with his blood
Several minutes later, I turned around and walked into the room.
∞∞∞
Following the detectives' visit, I hired security to watch over Edward 24 hours a day. There could be no access to Edward by anyone else other than me.
It made me shiver and my blood ran cold when I just thought about Edward being the target of revenge.
I never left him alone with anyone and only allowed the rescue team and Hilda to see him. I couldn't afford to trust anyone at this point, even if it sounded ridiculous. However, I lived in constant fear of losing him, and it consumed every waking moment.
∞∞∞
The month went on like this, and I never let up on my guard. The security I hired was still watching the door and only hospital staff had access. It was crazy, but I wouldn't do it any other way.
Detective Buchanan had contacted me, saying that Erik had been questioned at the prison and that he looked very surprised when he broke the news. But Erik affirmed that he had nothing to do with the attack since he was in prison and had no knowledge of my relationship with Edward. I doubt that, I know him very well, and I'm sure he has his investigators following my every move for years. The psycho.
After this, I decided not to think about Erik any more. I wanted to avoid having him on my mind. There was no room for him in my life, no way. So, I closed that chapter, but still on guard.
If not him, the criminal was still at large, and we did not know who he or she was.
In this hospital, Edward and I were extremely vulnerable, living practically here.
And I asked him to wake up, to take him away, where no one could touch us.
One morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom, and as I sat up from the makeshift bed that the hospital provided for me, I saw Edward's eyes staring at me. I didn't react for several seconds, I wasn't sure what I was seeing. It could be my imagination or that I was still dreaming. But after seeing Edward's eyes glow with indescribable emotions, and seeing how a small tear escaped and rolled down his cheek until it was lost in the pillow, that's when I knew it was real.
I started to get up slowly as if I didn't want to scare him. I approached him until I touched him. Immediately, I felt his fingers tangle with mine, and that moment is when all my strength and courage went out the window. I threw myself at the side of the bed, crying at his side. Edward had awoken, and it was the most incredible moment in my life. All the emotions I had accumulated came out belching like lava. Fears, pain, anger, helplessness, loneliness, hatred, and love. All of that combined in one moment.
I lost my head for a moment, but Edward's hand brought me back to reality. As always, he was the one who gave me support and direction, even in his condition. He would never leave me, of that, I was certain.
I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eyes. “Edward, finally,” I grabbed his hand and started to kiss it. I covered every space, leaving nothing untouched until I put his hand on my face. I wanted him to touch me, and I wanted to feel his skin on mine.
His eyes would not stop shedding tears either. That's when I got up from the floor and grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him as I had never done before. Like if there won't be a tomorrow.
Edward smiled slightly at this, but I couldn't help it, I needed to feel that he was with me and that it wasn't a dream.
He had finally woken up after five months of being in a coma.
Finally, I separated myself from him and said, “Edward, my Edward. I was waiting for you, it took you a long time to come back to me, but you did it in the end, you made it. I missed you so much, that the days and nights were the same for me. Without your smile, and not hearing your voice, nothing is worth it.”
He resumed his tears and with a broken and weak voice said, “Nor-a, sorr-y, I worry y-ou.” I shook my head, denying what he said.
“I would do it all, and there is nothing in this world that I would not be willing to give, for you. Never say that because you are my everything, Edward, and without you, I am nothing. I'm just overwhelmed by everything. Not being able to see your eyes or hear your voice was what was killing me. But now that you are with me, I can breathe.”
Edward nodded and smiled at me. It was the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. So much love and sweetness, only he could give me. Only Edward.
I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly, which was considerable.
He was surprised and looked at where his hand was. “But h-ow? Ho-w long?” That was what he said. I smiled at him, not wanting him to worry.
“Not long, only five months. But it is time for us to go home. Moreover, as I promised, I was just waiting for you to wake up to tell you that we are going to have a boy.”
Edward's mouth fell open like a fish out of water.
“Yes love, we will have a boy, and his name will be Edward, like his dad.”
