VEGA*

Lyra has been in a coma for just over six weeks, leaving doctors puzzled as to why she hasn't regained consciousness. The swelling in her brain has subsided and her injuries, including her arm and leg, have healed at an unexpected rapid pace. Dr. Wise performed a surgery to remove the screws and replaced the casts on her arm and leg, deeming it necessary to keep them immobilized for a few more weeks. However, the time for their removal is approaching, as Dr. Wise plans to take off the casts in two days.

Dr. Jared Wise has been coming in twice a day for the last three weeks to perform physical therapy on Lyra's uninjured arm and leg to keep her muscles from getting atrophied. Once Lyra wakes up, Jared will take on the role of her physical therapist. It's clear that he has a challenging task ahead of him. The poor guy may even be driven mad by Lyra's stubbornness and resistance. I'm concerned that he'll become frustrated and start boxing every night after work. Lyra will undoubtably be determined to handle everything on her own, refusing any help from Jared. I hope he can assert himself and prevent her from pushing herself too hard.

But I think Lyra will end up being infatuated with Jared. He's an outstanding guy. Both Jace and I have had the chance to speak with him on multiple occasions. He's a twenty-eight-year-old man with kind, dark brown eyes. Jared's whole face lights up when he smiles. Standing at about six feet tall, he has a handsome appearance and a warm, light chocolate skin tone. Not only is he good-looking, but he also possesses a kind-hearted nature.

As I watched Jared bend Lyra's leg up as far as it would go, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Wake up, Lyra."

Observing Jared's interactions with his other patients, it's clear that he is a doctor who genuinely cares about them. If it weren't for my desire to see Blaze and Lyra together, I would consider Jared to be the perfect match for her.

After repeating these measures several more times, Jared moved onto her good arm. He then took a seat and had conversed with Lyra for a few minutes before bidding us goodbye and leaving. Jace and I have never overheard Jared's conversation with Lyra. As far as I know, Lyra is his only patient who is in a coma. They limit our presence at the hospital to about an hour a day. On weekends, I stay longer and observe Jared interacting with other patients.

Jace and I make it a point to leave the office every day around five o'clock so that we can visit Lyra before visiting hours are over. I have been coming to read to her for a couple of hours every Saturday. On Sundays, we go to church with Blaze and then stop by to see Lyra after lunch. In fact, we were so impressed with the church we visited several weeks ago that we continued attending there.

The first week of work was hectic, but we all made it through. Since then, things have been running great. By the third week, Blaze gave Jace the go-ahead to take on more builds. Personally, I've had so much fun during this time. It has also made me realize that Lyra and I have needed this break from school for a long time. We were both just trying to get college over with, but I didn't realize how mentally exhausted I was until now.

"Dr. Wise likes you, Lyra. It's time to wake up so you can show him some love."

I wished she would wake up and give me a good slap across the face. There was no reaction from her - no change in her heart rate, not even a little squeeze in my hand. Sensing my distress, Jace approached and combed his fingers through my hair. He knew how much it calmed me down whenever I was feeling sad or stressed.

"Give it time, babe. Lyra will wake up when the time is right. She was in a horrific accident and had some serious injuries. We all need to keep praying for her."

"I know, Jace. But I miss her so much. At first, I was okay, and I managed to get through the first three weeks. But now, it's just become too much. I keep reminding myself that Lyra is in God's hands, and I'm trying my best to have faith. It's been six weeks already, and they say she's healed for the most part, but she still hasn't woken up. It's so hard, Jace. Why won't she wake up?"

"If I could provide answers, I would. I'm sorry that I can't. I wish I could take this pain from you, Vega."

As we were visiting, a nurse entered the room to inform us that visiting hours were over. It was disappointing to realize that an hour is never enough to spend with Lyra. Unfortunately, I won't be able to come by tomorrow either. I have to work late with Jace as we have an important shipment arriving tomorrow afternoon. We need to be present at the warehouse to ensure that everything arrives intact and placed in the correct sections. Although it is a time-consuming task, the delivery company couldn't accommodate an earlier time.

"Lyra, I won't be able to see you tomorrow. But I promise to be here as soon as I can manage it. I'll miss you."

I bent down to kiss her cheek and squeezed her hand. Then sighed in defeat. The pain of not being able to see her tomorrow overwhelms me.

"We miss you Lyra, come back to us soon," Jace said as we turned to leave.

***

Jace and I grabbed some hamburgers on our way home. Once we settled on the couch, we began enjoying our meal while watching The Walking Dead. As I felt the need to use the restroom, Jace volunteered to dispose of our trash. Relieved, I made my way to the half bath. Not wanting to miss a moment of the episode, I returned to find Jace as fast as I could, and he was waiting for me in the kitchen. He greeted me with a swift kiss before we resumed our places in the Living Room. Completing the episode that we had paused earlier, we then made our way upstairs to my room to prepare for bed.

Once in bed, Jace ran his fingers through my hair. "Go to sleep, my love. Tomorrow is going to be a long day," Jace said, while continuing to run his fingers through my hair.

"Jace, if you keep doing that. It won't take me long at all to pass out."

"That's why I'm doing it. You need your rest, Vega. I love you, babe."

"Jace, my feelings are mutual. There's not a shortage of love here for you, my hunk of love."

It only took me a few more minutes to fall asleep in Jace's arms.

WEDNESDAY*

The office was quiet today, so Jace and I asked Blaze for permission to leave at two instead of staying until five. Connor paid us at an hourly rate, so there's no point in sitting around and trying to make ourselves busy. When there's not much on the roster to be done. And the place is spotless, so even that is out of the way. Blaze knew Lyra was getting her casts off today, so I'm sure he would have let us off early, anyway. He always follows through on his promises. And works tirelessly, often staying late after the others have left. Jace has even called him around eight at night, and he's still working, despite it taking him twenty minutes to get home.

Jace and I have been here with Lyra since three o'clock. It's amazing how good she looks now that she has gotten the casts off. Her face has healed up, and she looks more like herself. Even her hair has grown back in the spot where the doctors had to shave it. All that's left for her to do now is wake up.

It was almost five o'clock, and Jared would arrive soon. Earlier in the day, he had worked on Lyra's injured leg and arm after removing the casts. The nurse assured us that everything looked promising. Now, if Lyra could just get rid of the feeding tube and all the other medical devices surrounding her, she would be like her old self again.

Jared showed up, and we had been here a couple of hours. So we left and let him do his work.

***

Jace and I ate out at an excellent Mexican food restaurant in the city. It had been three months since we last dined there with Lyra and Steven. Things had changed so much since then. Steven called and asked about Lyra, having seen the accident on the news. However, after a couple of calls, he stopped reaching out, and he and Jace grew apart as friends. I'm sad because they used to be the best of friends before all this happened with Steven and Lyra. Men can be such dip shits. Thankfully, I have Jace by my side. Having him by my side keeps me from feeling lost.

We hadn't been home long when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw that it was the hospital calling. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the device, filled with dread. Had Lyra passed away, and was I not there by her side? Sensing my distress, Jace grabbed the phone from my trembling hands.

"Hello," Jace greeted. "Vega is away. Can I take a message?" he inquired, pausing. "We'll be right there," he exclaimed with excitement.

After hanging up the phone, he turned to me with a massive grin on his face. "Lyra is awake," he exclaimed, "and she's asking for you. Dr. Wise just called."

Writers Note:

So that just happened! Lyra is finally awake! Support my writing by commenting, voting ⭐ and sharing this book with others. It would mean so much to me. Have a fantastic day! 🥰