Sleeping Passion

    Erik pulled the wilted flowers from the murky water of the clear vase. Brown petals dislodged from their hold on the stem and fluttered to the table’s surface, joining a thin layer of dust. Erik dropped the remnants of the daises and  roses, and other flowers he couldn’t remember the names of, into the trash by the door.
    The bland white walls had faded to a sick yellow color, which certainly didn’t look any better under the florescent lights. Instead, it only seemed to accent the scuffed up blue carpet. It also appeared as though a child had been in the room at one time or other, as there were drawings on the wall under the window. It had been scrubbed in an attempt to get them removed, but the image still remained.
    He smiled as he wiped off the warped wood, shoving the rest of the dead things to join the flowers. He aimlessly wiped his hands on his jeans, then dumped the water in the sink and rinsed out the vase. When the crystal holder was placed back on its pedestal, he put the new bouquet of flowers in, arranging them so they were spread.
    “There we go, Meg.” He turned around and pulled the poorly stuffed chair beside her bed. As usual, the monitors were beeping. And, as usual, Megan’s sweet blue eyes were closed.
    “Remember that day we met?” Erik smiled. He took her hand, his thumb tracing the back of it. “I had tripped one of the skaters just as you walked out of the library. You were with one of your friends. What’s her name? Uh…hm…Bell? Something like that. And you yelled at me! In front of everyone! Well, I guess it wasn’t really a yell, but you criticized me. “Help him up!” you said. I tried to walk away and you ran over and grabbed my arm. “Hey! You jerk! You help him up!” you yelled at me. Then you poked me in the chest. At first I was shocked that you’d actually done that to me, but I went and helped him up. “Good. Learn to pick on people as big as you,” you huffed as you walked away.
    “I didn’t want anything to do with you after that. Everyone around was just as shocked as me. But I couldn’t get my mind off of you. You were different than anyone I’d ever met. From that day, I tried to see you again, tried to find you again. I’d purposefully pass the library, hoping I’d see you. And then I did.” He chuckled. “You said, “Oh hey, big guy!” when I stopped you. I introduced myself and asked you for your number. Then it was your turn to be shocked. But you gave it to me.”
    He sat there for a moment, looking at her. Briefly, he wondered why he even talked to her. He never got any response. She just lay there. In a coma. Letting out a sigh, he reached over and started to play with a strand of her long black hair.
    “I did this to you,” he whispered.
    He could still remember that day as though it had only been yesterday. It was one of those freak snowfalls in Logan, where the day starts sunny then, by noon, the weather turns and a blizzard hits. Inches of snow everywhere. Even the roads. He’d given her his coat that day, because she’d only worn a thin sweater. Of course, she’d tried to object, but he had insisted with a kiss. Her eyes. Those blue orbs with white stars in them, sparkled. Her cheeks were rosy, her hair speckled with white like a veil.
    After classes, he’d offered a ride home. She tried to refuse, saying she could walk. He wouldn’t hear of it. Oh how he wished he could change it! The roads weren’t plowed, making them slick with the packed snow, nearly creating ice. She had bragged about making chocolate chip cookies the night before and offered him some when they got to her apartment. “With hot cocoa!” she had added with a smile.
    He had taken the hill down Eighth East. The biggest mistake of his life. The roads were slick, his light car riding on top of the ice, as well as most others. His light was red and he tried to stop, pushing on the break. Their light turned green, a relief to both as the car slid past the white line. But the relief was followed by a scream from Megan and a shout from Erik. Right before the truck slammed into her side of the car.
    Erik kissed the back of her hand. “That first date…what a mess.” He shook his head. “Do you remember that, sweetheart? I picked you up and took you to the sandwich place on Main Street and they mixed up our orders and we ended up being there for an hour. Oh! And then the milkshake!” He laughed. “Oh I spilled it all over you! You had it on your shirt AND pants, and it was only right then that you told me they were new. I felt so stupid.” He shook his head, releasing a sigh. “I had to take you home so you could change. The plan was to go see a movie, but I felt so stupid for what I did, I tried to convince you not to come. And everything went downhill from there.
    “We got there and the movie we wanted to see was sold out, so we went to some movie and all it was about was sex, and then you got sick. We tried to leave in the middle of the movie, but you had to go in the bathroom and throw up. We decided later that it was the food you ate for dinner. I had to take you right home and you almost threw up on the inside of my Camaro.” He kissed her hand again. “And now look at us. We’ve fallen in love. I love you, Meg,” he said softly.
    “Visiting hours are over, sir,” a nurse said.
    Erik leaned over and tenderly kissed Megan. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” He checked to make sure the cards were in place and the flowers were just right before he reluctantly walked out of the room.
    He pushed his hands in his pockets, his winter coat still on. ‘She’ll wake up. She will. One day, she’ll wake up.’

    Erik pulled out “Les Miserables” from his backpack and sat beside the bed. “Alright. Here we are. We left off with the guys at the barricade, remember? And Marius just learned that Eponine was there. Actually…” He flipped a few pages. “Oh! This is it. Eponine just got shot.” He cleared his throat and started to read.
    [INSERT PASSAGE WHERE EPONINE DIES]
     Erik stopped, staring at the pages. His heart wrenched. It was only when a teardrop splashed onto the page that he realized he was crying. He took Megan’s hand in both of his and kissed her palm. “I can’t lose you!” he whispered frantically. “Please, Meg. Please wake up!”  He rested his forehead on her arm, tears sliding down his cheeks. “I can’t lose you…I can’t, Meg. I’ll die.”
    After a few moments of crying, Erik wiped his face off and straightened. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I cried like that. I think we should read something funnier.” He rummaged through his backpack until he managed to find an old comic book. He smiled a little and held it up. “Calvin and Hobbs. You said you liked them once. You actually gave me this book. See?” He opened to the first page and pointed at her note written in blue pen. She had always complained about her writing, claiming it was loopy and sloppy, but now it was precious to him.
    “Erik, here’s something special just for you,” he read. “Hope it gives you tons of laughs and makes your day! Love ya! Megan.” He looked back at her as he opened to the first page. “Meg…you mean the world to me. Honest.” He cleared his throat, “Now, let’s laugh.”
    Marvin froze outside the door, noticing the boy sitting beside his daughter, reading a warped book to her. He grabbed a doctor walking by. “Excuse me. Who is that?”
    “That? That’s Erik. He’s been here every day since the accident. He reads to her every other day and talks to her about everything they’ve done the other days.”
    Marvin looked at the doctor, then at the young man. “That’s Erik. She talked to me about him before…He’s the one that made her like this.”
    The doctor looked at him, “Sir, that man loves her. I promise. I’ve never seen anyone more dedicated. And they aren’t even engaged!”
    “I’ve got to get him out of there.” Marvin let go of the doctor and moved toward the door, but the doctor would hear nothing of it.
    “He’s almost done. Give him a minute. Just watch.”
    Marvin stood outside, watching as Erik turned the pages, showing her the pictures, even chuckling.
    “Oh Meg,” Erik sighed and closed the book. He reached over and smoothed her hair. “I’m sorry for what I did. I have to go to work now.” He stood up and gently kissed her forehead. “I love you with all my heart.” He put his books away and threw his backpack over his shoulder. “Until tomorrow.” Erik left the room, fixing his backpack as he walked down the hall.

    Erik added more water to the flowers before taking his usual seat beside Megan’s bed. Tenderly, he touched her face. He smiled, “Remember our first kiss?” He started to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. “It was that day I told you you were selfish. Remember? The night before you’d canceled your date with me, but you only said it was an emergency. Your roommate told me a guy came to your house and you left with him. I found you at lunch and pulled you away from your friends.
    “I asked you, “Where’d you go last night?” “I had an emergency,” you claimed. You tried to say something else, but I cut you off. I said, “If you want to be with another guy, fine. Just don’t leave me hangin!” “What are you talking about?” you muttered, bewildered. “Oh I know you were really with another guy!” It was freezing outside, remember?” he said softly.
    “I had taken you out into the cold by that little tree next to Old Main. You had your arms around you, trying to keep yourself warm. It had started to snow, just lightly. And that silence that only comes with a snowstorm fell around us.
    “You could have been hurt. You could have gotten mad. You could have left me standing there, not knowing the truth. But you stood your ground. You glared at me! “Understand something,” you said softly, almost reverently, like you didn’t want to break the winter silence. “I’ve only ever told you the truth. I did have an emergency. That ‘guy’” – you even used finger quotes – “That ‘guy’ you saw was my friend Mike. He was going to help my friend Casey that broke down, but he didn’t want to be alone on the highway with her.” I felt so stupid. I couldn’t believe I’d over reacted like that.
    “And then the snow started to fall heavier. I took you in my arms and pulled you close to me. You were so shocked, you couldn’t say anything. We both stared at each other and then I leaned forward and kissed you. I’d never tasted anything so sweet in my life and I’d never felt so…so…I don’t know how to explain it. Good? I’d never felt so good in my life.”
    He paused, lingering on that thought. “Yes. I love you. And then I felt stupid for taking you out in the snow, so I put my coat on you and pushed you back in the building.” He chuckled, “I tripped and almost took you down with me.” He sighed and looked at her face.
    Slowly, he stood up and leaned to her ear, gently kissing it. “I wanted to ask you something that day. That day I…I got in the accident. The day you ended up in a coma. I made plans that night. I was going to take you to look at the stars, since the sky is clearer in the winter. You taught me that. And so we were going to do that. And then we were going to have hot cocoa and donuts and then…”
    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a maroon velvet box. He turned the palm of her hand up and gently put the box in her hand. “I want to live my life with you. Meg…will you marry me?” he asked softly.
Nothing seemed to change. Her eyes remained closed. Erik leaned over and kissed her top lip. “I do love you. And I mean it, Meg. I want you to marry me.” Her heart monitor seemed to skip a few beats, but then it went normal again. He sighed, “I have to go now. I love you, Megan Thomas. With all my heart.” He kissed her eyelids gently and patted her hand with the box in it.
    He turned around and grabbed his coat, not seeing her eyelashes start to flutter. When the door clicked shut behind him, Megan’s thin fingers closed around the velvet box.