An Ounce of Hope

The sirens blared and I saw Tyler, covered in blood, being rushed into an ambulance before I could even put the whole situation together. The air outside was cool against my skin, and all I could hear were the sirens of a police car that I knew would arrive at the house probably very soon. I’d left him alone for 2 minutes at most, but of course he would be the one to find some type of trouble to get into.
“Ms. Gates?” the nurse calls, disturbing my thoughts. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to see Tyler for at least a few more hours, after we’ve fully examined him and he’s all settled in. He’s still in intensive care but we’re trying to do the best we can. Until then, why don’t you grab yourself a cup of coffee? You look like you could use one.” I nod and tell her thank you. A cup of coffee? That’s the last thing that should be on my mind right now. Tyler’s parents arrived not too long after I got here, and the nurse has been passing by giving us updates about him; having us hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.
Sitting here, I’m attempting to sort out the mess in my brain to try and figure out what exactly did happen earlier tonight. I thought the party was going really well. Everyone was having a great time, until I stepped outside to see what the rest of my friends were up to. I told Tyler I’d be right back, and the next thing I remember hearing is that he got into a fight with someone from our school, and was pushed to the ground. When they took him away in the ambulance, he was still unconscious. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here. An hour? More? I wish I could just go home and take Tyler with me. This isn’t fair.
But here I sit, Laura Gates, probably very visibly distressed. It’s a cold and dark hospital waiting room and all I can do is wait and wonder about Tyler. The nurses pass by continuously to give other families information about their loved ones, but never have any news for us. I feel like I’m left with barely an ounce of hope. No matter how hard I try, I somehow can’t keep my thoughts off that special night the two of us shared not long ago…
The sky that night was the same as that of tonight; there wasn’t a cloud anywhere, and it was filled with stars that seemed to be lighting up the whole world; or at least our whole world. The dark blue hue of the sky was just a backdrop for the stars that were covering it and shining brighter than ever. The only sounds I could hear were the voices of Tyler and myself, and the occasional car passing on a nearby road.
“You know, Laura” he said, “The way your eyes shine put these stars to shame”. I blushed and turned away. He couldn’t see my huge smile, but I wish he would have. I said, “That’s a lie”, and held his hand even tighter. I never thought that might be the last time.
The cool air was crisp, but the blanket Tyler and I shared kept us warm. It was one of the last nights we had that we got to spend together before tonight, which turned out to be an awful disaster. Tyler was about to be heading to another province to finish school, and the summer that had seemed to last forever was slowly coming to an end, no matter how hard we’d tried to make it last.
That whole night was spent recounting memories and laughing at things we’d done in the past that had been forgotten. I feel at such ease with Tyler, because I know he understands me more than anyone else. He’s my best friend, and has been since the very first day of seventh grade, when he used one of those overworked pick-up lines to try and get my attention. I guess it worked.
After a long silence, he finally confesses to something I knew was coming, but I still couldn’t have been more unprepared. “I love you Laur” he says, while playing with my fingers. He stared at me with his jade-green eyes and I know both of our hearts were beating out of control. I felt breathless and taken aback. I turned my gaze to the night sky and he tells me that I’m the person who makes him happiest in the world. I wish he knew I felt the same way about him, but I just can’t bring myself to say it. My usually outgoing, loud, self has turned into a shy, speechless person I didn’t even know existed. All of a sudden, I felt a rush of tears, as I knew that we wouldn’t be able to be together as much as we’d been in the past. He cried in my shoulder as I cried in his.
I was beyond happy just lying there with him, in the warmth of his arms all night, and I would have stayed there forever. There are some things, like the comfort I felt with him that night, which cannot be taken away and never will be. We lay there in silence for the rest of the night. I fought to stay awake but soon drifted to sleep with my head against his chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, like a baby falling asleep to the cadenced swinging of its crib. I could easily call that night the best night of my life. My only regret is that I never told him I loved him back.