i'm living in a world of unknowns, a sea of questions, and i'm drowning in it all, begging to be saved, begging to see my girlfriend who might not even be my girlfriend anymore.

finally, arielle's parents appear.

they say nothing but a sentence.

"she's asking for you."

there is hope on their faces,
and now hope on mine,
and i can tell that they don't have all their questions answered yet,
but that everything is going to be fine,
and i burst into the room to see my girlfriend,
my ocean,
my galaxy,
my love,
and she has wires and tubes feeding her what she needs to stay alive and her hair is tangled and her neck is bruised and she seems more frail than before,
but her lungs are still breathing,
in,
out,
and her heart is still beating,
and she is still beautiful.

and she looks up at me and her eyes are still the same gorgeous color, and they are filled with love.

"ryle?"

"yes?" i reply, hope spilling out of me like i'm a teacup.

"you're...." her eyebrows furrow like she's trying to remember something, and in that moment, i pray more than i've ever prayed.

"you're... my boyfriend," she finishes, and her eyes light up, along with my heart.

suddenly, she smiles a bigger smile than should be possible. "you're my boyfriend, and i showed you the stars by the ocean, and i taught you about astrology, and i fed you chicken noodle soup when you were sick. i ran my fingers through your hair in the ocean breeze when your lips tasted like sand, and i marveled at your smile and your eyes, and i taught you about the power of silence. and you hurt me, but later, it didn't matter, because you called me your baby girl and your queen and your cosmos, and you made me feel more human than i've ever felt before. you made me, and you shook me, and you broke me, and then you saved my life from what you always said created me, and i love you, more than i've ever loved anyone in my life, i love you."

i collapse to my knees and set my head down on her lap and i sob with relief, because she remembers me, and this is not the end. she uses all her energy to comb through my hair with her fingertips. i notice happy tears trickling down her face, and i place little kisses all over her face, and she laughs, and i laugh.

"this is not the end of us, ryle," she says. "it's only the beginning."