Chapter 73

Bright, golden sunshine streamed in through the window as birds sang outside, but the song sounded off-delayed, somehow. I opened my eyes, and there was white everywhere: white walls, white sheets
Someone said something, but it sounded slurred, delayed, and muffled. I tried to turn my head, but it hurt so badly that I could hardly move. Greer appeared in my line of sight. I tried to smile, but nothing seemed to be responding well. "Greer? What happened?" I tried to say.
"Shush," she said as tears streamed down her face. Then, she said something else, but I couldn't make out what it was.
"Sorry. I can't hear you," I said as my head spun. "What happened? Where am I?"
Behind her, my mother appeared with tears in her eyes, along with my father, who bent down and kissed my forehead. His mouth started moving, but the sound was jumbled.
"Sorry, Dad," I said, unable to hear how loudly I was speaking. "I can't understand you. Please speak slower."
He took a deep breath, and began speaking slowly, loudly, and deliberately. "You've been in an accident."
"An accident?" I asked as I tried desperately to remember what had happened. Where was I? What had I been doing? Somehow, I didn't remember. Then, I remembered Logan. I was with Logan. But where had we been? "Where's Logan?"
A crease formed between Greer's eyes as she looked at me. Tears quickly filled her eyes as she placed a hand to her lips and turned away.
My father, again, spoke slowly and deliberately. "You have a severe concussion. You've been in a coma for a month."
I nodded, understanding. That would explain my headache and not being able to hear or see properly. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and leaving a residual trail behind, including people. "Where's Logan?"
A man in a white coat carrying a clipboard with a stethoscope around his neck came into the room. He smiled at me kindly, and then said something that I couldn't understand.
"Can you speak slower and louder?" I asked. "I can't understand you."
He forced a smile, and his eyes softened. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts, and I can't hear right." I tried to sit up when a sharp pain resonated within my head, so I lay back against the pillows once again. "Also, there's a residual trail following behind everyone when they move."
The doctor nodded thoughtfully as he wrote something down on a clipboard. "Everything will return to normal once the swelling in your brain goes down."
I nodded. "Where is Logan? How is he?"
The doctor looked up at my father and nodded once. Then, he turned back to me. "If you need anything, you'll let me know, won't you?"
I nodded. "Of course. Thank you, doctor."
He smiled thoughtfully, and then said something to my father that I couldn't hear or understand. My father nodded without smiling, and then the doctor left the room.
My mother sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked a lock of my hair away from my face. "Dear, your manager, Mr. Savage, is here."
"Craig?" I asked, probably a bit too loudly as I looked around the room. "Where is he?"
"He's waiting in the lobby," she asked, her eyes brightening a bit. "Shall I ask him in? Are you well enough?"
I nodded. "Yes. I must speak to him. But before he comes in, where's Logan?" I closed my eyes, trying to remember what happened. "Mom, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't have enough time. We're engaged."
Tears formed in Greer's eyes, and she raised a hand to her face as she hurried from the room.
"Mom, I can't seem to remember what happened."
She looked up quickly at my father with pleading eyes, and my father nodded. She turned back to me and asked, "What do you remember?"
I let out a deep breath. "We went shopping for wedding rings and clothes." I paused a moment, trying to remember what had happened. "We went to his parents' house " Then, it came flooding back to me. "His mother didn't approve of Logan marrying me and we left in his Corvette " Tears sprang to my eyes. "He was driving too fast, and I asked him to pull over. It was dark, and I remember the stars and the moon the lights of the city sparkling below them. He asked me to marry him that night. I told him I loved him, and the last words he said to me were that he loved me." My eyebrows pulled together in concern as I looked at my mother. "Then, suddenly, I was flying through the air and when I was lying on the ground, I heard your voice telling me not to move and then the car horn was blaring Logan was leaning against it, unconscious " I took my mother's hand and forced myself to sit up. My head was swimming, but I didn't care. "Mom, please. Tell me. Where is Logan? Is he okay?" Tears sprang to my eyes as I held my breath, fearing the worst.
Tears filled my mother's eyes, threatening to spill over. "Sweetheart, he didn't make it."
"What?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. "What did you just say?"
Mom bit her lower lip and cleared her throat as a tear trickled down her face. "Dear, he died in the accident." Mom reached out and firmly gripped my hand. "We were told that he died instantly in the accident. It was dark, and the driver of the van must not have seen you. He, too, was killed." She looked down for a moment, fighting back tears. "You were thrown forty feet from the car, onto the shoulder of the road. I'm sorry, but you were the only survivor."
"NO!!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Who told you that? Where was the funeral?"
My father placed a hand on my shoulder as Greer stepped back into the room.
Mom held both of my hands as she looked into my eyes. "His parents told us when they called us. We came up immediately."
"Where are we now?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.
Mom bit her lower lip. "We're in West Palm Beach."
"West Palm Beach?"
Mom nodded. "Yes. You were in a coma, and we wanted to be near you. We didn't know how long you would be out." She looked up at my father, and then back at me. "We couldn't stay in New York long. When it was safe for us to move you, we flew you home so we could be here for you." She looked down at her hands as tears streamed down her face, and then back up at me. "We weren't sure when or if you would wake up."
"How long have I been out?"
"A month."
I nodded as I bit my lower lip, trying to process it all. "Are you sure that Logan's dead?"
Mom nodded as tears streamed down her face. "Yes. He's gone."
And that was when I saw the resolve in her eyes. It was true. Logan was gone. "NO!!!!" I screamed as I buried my head in my hands. "No. It can't be! Logan can't be dead!"
A nurse ran into the room and gave me a shot. "There. This will help you to rest. Everything's going to be okay."
"No. No. Everything's not going to be okay!" I screamed. Greer cried openly, and she sat down quickly on the edge of my hospital bed and took my hand. "Greer, tell me! No! He's not dead!"
"I know," she said as she brushed back the loose strands of hair from my face and gently kissed my cheek. Then, she leaned down and held me as we both cried.
A warm, relaxing feeling suddenly came over me as the shot took effect, and the room began to fade. "No no Logan "