Her Guardian Angel- Gabriel's Story

Chapter 14- It Worked!

Talia’s POV

I was having the best dream. Gabe and I were swinging in a hammock on a sunny afternoon. He was playing with my long hair, and talking about silly nothings. I was absorbed in his smell and buried my face in his white t-shirt. I felt so safe, and so at peace. I never wanted to get up. Then there was this beeping noise that kept interrupting…

Gabe got up and said goodbye… and I woke up with the worst pain of my life. Everything was a 10/10 pain. I think my fingernails were even screaming. I couldn’t move my left arm, there was a large cast on it, breathing hurt like a son of b*tch, and I thought my head was going to explode! I looked around the room, clearly, I was in the hospital, what in the actual funk happened?

“Hey Tali… You’re awake.” My dad softly smiled at me. He looked like hell. How long had I been here, because he clearly hasn’t left. “Do you remember what happened?”

Do I remember? I have no clue. The last thing I remember is Gabe... holding me. He grabbed me right after the race, and saved me. Oh. My. God. Thank you for saving me. I looked into my dad’s eyes when it all came back to me. A few tears started to fall from my cheeks. I think I almost died and that is a lot for 15-year-old girl to process.

“So, did I win the race?” I tried to let out a small chuckle, but it hurt too damn much! Funk, everything hurt! I think I must have broken my filter as well, because the cuss words just keep coming in my head. It’s like my give-a-damn’s busted, song reference intended.

I don’t think my dad was ready to joke just yet, but his smile was warm and genuine. “Tali, I don’t think we should call that winning the race. I am just so thankful you’re alive and awake.” He reached over and held my right hand carefully.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen…” I knew I had caused my dad so much grief, he has already been through so much. How could I do this to him? I just wanted to feel. To feel him. And IT WORKED! OMG, Gabe came back to me. He does care! I found myself looking around a bit frantically, but he wasn’t here. Not that I could see him, but I had just gotten used to the feeling. My head sunk back into the bed and I closed my eyes.

“Oh honey, it’s not your fault. That damn horse just ran all the way back to the barn.”

“Oh no, I forgot! How is Robin? I need to go see him, make sure he knows I’m ok and not mad at him. It’s not his fault, I’m the one that told him to run…” I covered my face with my hand to hide my shame.

“He is fine, a few cuts and scrapes, but not really hurt.” My dad folded his hands in his lap, and stared at them. “You got really lucky. The doctors think you must have a guardian angel because not everyone lives through as wreck like that. You have even been healing faster than they expected.”

If only he knew I actually did have a guardian angel. I smiled more to myself than anything. I do wonder why I am healing faster? Could Gabe have done that too? “What did happen to all of this?” I gestured to my black and blue body.

“Maybe we should have a doctor tell you more about it. You know me, I’m good with cars, but none of that other science stuff. That was your mom’s area of expertise…” Another reminder of our missing mom. Watching him remember her just now, then grasp her death again was painful to watch. My parents had been together for a really long time. Like almost 25 years. They met in college, and fell in love almost instantly. Or at least that is how my mom always told the story. They got married right away. The plan was to have lots of kids, but after years of trying, they gave up. I was their surprise blessing. I was born when my dad was 30. He says that I was so perfect, God didn’t need to give them any more kids. I always wanted siblings, but was never lonely with Gabe around.

A nurse came in to check on me and said the doctor will be in after dinner rounds. He also had a large bouquet of flowers to deliver. The card read:

‘So sorry to hear about your accident! Take it easy and get well soon.

Xoxo Damien & Adam’

I was a little embarrassed that Damien knew about my accident already. He was such a good rider, this would have never happened to him… come to think of it, he always said you should never run back to the barn. I guess he was right.

I was allowed some soft foods while I waited for the doctor, but had to take it slow. My body had been through a lot and they didn’t want me to get sick. I was quite impressed by everything that goes on in the hospital. The only other time I had really been here was when my mom died, and I wasn’t paying attention to anything that night. There were so many different machines monitoring me, an IV with strange fluids running constantly. I had stickers on my chest that I learned were heart monitors. I actually enjoyed watching the rhythm on the screen.

The nurses were all so friendly, and never seemed to stopped moving. I knew I wasn’t the only patient they were treating, but they made me feel special all the same. It seemed like a good job to have, helping others in what might be the worst day of their lives. A career worth thinking about anyways.

Dr. Amy Fix came to check on me a little after 6pm, Dr. Fix, that name seemed perfect for a doctor. I wonder if she always knew she wanted to be a doctor?

“Good evening, Miss Talia, we are glad to see you awake, how are you feeling?” She was so caring and had a very calming presence, not like how I imagined a doctor to be.

“I guess ok. I want to know what is wrong with me, other than feeling like sh*t.” Again, I think my filter broke.

“Tali, watch your mouth…” My dad spoke up quickly. Oops, I was going to have to be more careful around him.

“That’s alright, I’ve heard worse” Dr. Fix smiled and laughed a little. “Your body got thrown into a boulder and basically crumbled around it.” Good visual description, but not what I want to know, so she continued. “You hit your head and have a concussion, but luckily the helmet prevented it from being too severe. Your left arm helped stop your crash and you have a compound fracture of both your ulna and radius, broken in more than one place. We repaired those yesterday morning and you now have two metal plates holding the bones together.” She paused to make sure I was following.

“Ok, makes sense. Why does it hurt to breath?”

“You broke 4 ribs on impact. Lucky for you they didn’t puncture your lungs. They will heal on their own in 1-2 months.” She started doing an exam on me, looking closer at all my injuries. Part of me didn’t want to see all the goriness, but I was also really intrigued by everything. I wanted to learn more about medicine and being a doctor. Dr. Fix seemed to know her stuff, and I wondered if I could ever be a talented as her?

After she was done with the exam, she left us be so that I could sleep. I told my dad he should go home and shower and sleep. The nurses would let him know if I needed him before the morning. I was going to have to stay here for a few more days. I was on IV antibiotics and great pain medication that left me loopy and without a care in the world. I see why people get addicted to these things. I better be careful not to let that happen.

As I was trying to fall back asleep, I found myself talking to Gabe.

‘Gabe, I think you can hear me…Thank you for saving me. I miss you so much, I wish you’d come back to me. I could really use my best friend back. Everything just feels wrong without you here with me. Did I do something that made you leave? That’s what it feels like. I feel like I just screw everything up, and you just didn’t want to be with me anymore. I need you Gabe… I love you.’

I fell asleep crying after that. It wasn’t a good sleep though, my nightmares seemed to get worse. I’ve heard they feed off of fears, and having just lived through one of my fears, my mind took advantage of that and my nightmares became next level. A nurse came to check on me around 2am when I was up from one of them. He was able to get me some medicine to help me sleep better after that. I was going to have to remember to ask for more of that, anything to help keep these nightmares away seemed like a great idea.

My dad arrived bright and early the next morning with donuts for breakfast. Thank God the nurses let me eat them, otherwise I probably would have cried. I think they even tasted better today than ever before, but that may be the pain meds talking. I ate three all to myself. My dad had gotten a whole box, so I would have left overs for later.

Megan called my dad closer to lunchtime and asked if she, Tana, and Ellie could stop by in a little bit. I was getting tired, but wanted to see them really badly. My dad said they should wait until after my nap, he wanted me to rest as much as possible. That wasn’t a bad idea, but I was anxious to see my friends. We decided they would come around 4pm. Something to look forward to while stuck in this hospital bed.

Sleep took over me quicker than I anticipated. When I woke, I had a couple of nurses help me get up and ‘freshen up’ a bit before my friends arrived. I still couldn’t shower, but I wasn’t a complete mess anymore. I got a good look at the bruising on my chest and body. It was awful, I was all of a sudden embarrassed that Gabe probably saw me like this. OMG did he see me naked? I blushed at the thought. It was silly though, he’s known me my whole life, and nudity wasn’t any big deal for angels. I still felt self-conscious about him seeing me like this. I never thought of myself as ugly, but these bruises made me ashamed of my body. My womanly curves seemed too big, my breasts looked so awkward with the heart monitors attached, and the darkness of the bruises surrounding them. I just closed my eyes and tried to ignore them. I knew my friends wouldn’t judge me; I was my biggest critic.

I heard the chipper voice of Tana coming down the hall. Company was exactly what I needed to distract me from all the seriousness I had been surrounded by.

“OMG Talia! You’re Ok!” Tana was crying a little, I knew she would be the most emotional.

“WOW, that is some cast you have. Any other big injuries?” Megan was a little more morbid than my other friends, she wanted all the details.

Ellie had a stuffed animal in her arms. “Here, this is from Bryan. He wanted to come up too, but I wouldn’t let him.” She gave me a little wink, handing me the softest bear I had ever held. It smelled so good too, probably his cologne. I couldn’t quite describe the way it made me feel, but I melted when it hit my nose. I let out a heavy sigh and all the girls laughed.

“What? It smells really nice.”

“Yuck, it smells just like him! I told him not to spray his stench all over that thing, but he didn’t listen. I guess if you like it, then he wasn’t wrong.” Ellie just laughed.

“Why would he do that? Does he like Talia?” Tana seemed lost.

“Duh! He hasn’t stopped talking about her since… well since we gave her a ride home.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Oh no! I can’t have him crushing on me. The last thing I need is another boy after me. UGH!” I didn’t know what was going on. I never had anyone interested in me before, now I have more than one fool after me. How does life get so complicated so fast? “You better tell him I’m not available.”

“Are you hiding another boyfriend from us girl?” Megan seemed a little huffy while asking.

“Yes, his name is Robin and I promised him I wouldn’t cheat on him all summer!” We all laughed at that. I had joked that he was my boyfriend all week, but this was a great excuse to stay single. At least until school started back up though.

“Will you be able to ride again?” Megan was more concerned this time.

“I don’t know. They said I’m healing really well, but I doubt I’ll be able to ride again this summer.” To be honest I was afraid to get back on a horse any time soon. “I hope I can come see Robin soon though, he needs to know I’m ok.” I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t afraid of him. I knew I almost died, but I didn’t want to hold that against him.

“What about our camping trip? We are supposed to leave next Tuesday. There is a big fireworks display on the night of the 4th (Wednesday). It will be so sad if you have to miss it.” Megan may not have fully realized how bad of shape I was in, but Ellie looked disappointed too.

“I’ll talk to my dad, but I doubt I can still go. I def can’t drink, they have me on really strong pain meds that are no joke! They have me feeling high as a kite already!” I laughed a little sharing that tid bit with my friends.

“Let’s not worry about that now, you just focus on getting better and getting home. I’m sure we can figure out something fun for next week.” Ellie was the pragmatic one of us for sure. They stayed and chatted for a while longer. Turns out Ashley and Ryan are officially together and are spending all of their free time together. Riley and Theo had another break up last week, but are already back together, Ellie doesn’t think it will last. Tana was heading off to her grandparent’s house for most of July, but would be back in time for Volleyball camp in August. I had forgotten about that. I had the chance to make the varsity team, if I was healed in time. I wasn’t feeling all that hopeful right now.

We said our goodbyes and planned a low key get together after I go home. I think the plan was to be discharged Wednesday, as long as my pain level wasn’t horrible. The meds helped keep the aches away, but I could tell my body was struggling with all the bruising. I needed to distract myself from all the pain, I asked my dad to bring my schoolwork in so that I could do something. I was never one to just sit around, I always needed to be busy. If I wasn’t busy, the stillness would lead to sadness, and I just couldn’t dwell on the things I couldn’t change.

I was a good student and school was always easy for me. If I push hard, I could graduate next summer. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet, but I did feel compelled to get out of here. I wanted to go to college and make new memories. I was hoping to find a challenge and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I was even thinking about being a doctor after all of this. I planned to ask Dr. Fix what she recommended for career advice.

Wednesday morning, I was more than ready to go home, but I needed the ‘all clear’ from her first.

“Good morning, Miss Talia, are you ready to go home today?” Dr. Fix gave me a quick physical exam.

“I think I’m ready…. Dr. when do you think I can ride horses again?” That was the million-dollar question for my summer plans.

“That’s a tough one, but definitely not until those ribs heal completely. So probably at least 2 months. You need to take it easy, no exercise of any kind for at least a month. Then you will need to ease back into something low impact.”

“Will volleyball be ok?” Were all my summer plans done for?

“Not until that cast comes off in 6 weeks, but then you should be ok.”

“That sucks… Dr. Fix, do you like your job? I mean, would you recommend it as a career?” I figured she would be the right person to ask, and this may be my last chance for a while.

“I do love my job, but it isn’t an easy path to get here. You need to work really hard in school and be great at math and science. If you are really interested in being a doctor, come back and see me when you graduate high school. Now let’s get you out of here, this is no place for a teenager.” I really liked her. If I could be like anyone right now, I think I could pick someone worse.

“Ready to bust out of here?” My dad joked.

“Take me home!”