STITCHES OF THE HEART

“Are you still alive?” The voice cut through the darkness like a blade. For a moment, the world was nothing but silence and pain. The words echoed somewhere above her, distant yet urgent, as if spoken through a thick fog. “Miss… can you hear me? Are you still alive?” A groan escaped her lips before she even realized she was conscious. Her chest tightened as she tried to breathe, and a sharp sting ran through her ribs. Alive. The word floated through her mind slowly. Yes… maybe. Rain tapped softly against the pavement somewhere nearby, and the faint smell of gasoline filled the air. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, but she forced them open. Blurry lights swirled above her. A shadow leaned over her, his voice calm but firm. “She’s breathing,” he said to someone nearby. “Pulse is weak but steady.” Another voice answered quickly. “Ambulance is on the way.” The woman tried to move, but agony shot through her body like lightning. She gasped. “Don’t move,” the man said gently. “You’ve been in an accident.” The word accident made fragments of memory crash back into her mind. The screech of tires. The blinding headlights. Her car spinning out of control. Then darkness. She tried to speak, but her throat was dry and sore. “W… what happened?” “You were hit by another car,” the man replied. “You’re lucky. It could have been much worse.” His voice was steady, reassuring in a way that made the panic in her chest ease slightly. She squinted through the blur, trying to focus on his face. All she could see was a pair of dark eyes watching her carefully. “Stay awake,” he said softly. “The ambulance will be here any second.” Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder. Her vision began to fade again. “Hey,” the man said quickly. “Look at me. Stay with me.” His hand hovered near her shoulder, careful not to touch the injured areas. “What’s your name?” It took her several seconds to remember. “L… Lily,” she whispered. “Good,” he said. “Lily, keep your eyes open.” The sirens screamed to a stop beside them. Footsteps rushed forward. “What do we have here?” a paramedic asked. “Female, mid-twenties,” the man answered. “Possible rib fractures, head trauma. She lost consciousness briefly.” “You a doctor?” the paramedic asked. “Yes.” Something in his voice carried quiet authority. “Alright,” the paramedic said. “We’ll take it from here.” Strong hands lifted Lily carefully onto a stretcher. Pain surged through her body, and she cried out weakly. “It’s okay,” the man said again. For some reason, his voice was the only thing keeping her from slipping back into unconsciousness. As they loaded her into the ambulance, Lily’s vision blurred once more. Just before the doors closed, she saw him clearly for the first time. Tall. Dark hair damp from the rain. Sharp features softened by concern. Their eyes met for a brief second. Then the ambulance doors slammed shut. Bright lights flooded her vision. Lily groaned as consciousness returned slowly. Everything smelled like antiseptic. Machines beeped quietly around her. Hospital. Her body felt heavy, wrapped in layers of bandages and exhaustion. When she tried to move her arm, a dull ache spread through her shoulder. “You’re awake.” The deep voice made her turn her head. Standing beside the bed was the same man from the accident scene. Her memory returned in pieces. The rain. The road. His voice asking if she was alive. “You…” she murmured. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “Yes. I’m the doctor who treated you when you arrived.” He stepped closer, checking the monitor beside her. “How are you feeling?” “Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” she replied weakly. “Technically,” he said, “a car.” Despite the pain, she managed a small laugh. He looked relieved. “Good sign,” he said. “Humor usually means the patient will survive.” Lily studied him more carefully now. He looked to be in his early thirties, wearing a white coat over dark scrubs. His posture was confident but relaxed, and his eyes held a calm intelligence that made her strangely comfortable. “Where am I?” she asked. “Riverside General Hospital,” he replied. “How bad is it?” He hesitated briefly. “You have a mild concussion, two cracked ribs, and a fractured collarbone,” he said. “But there’s no internal bleeding, and the scans look good.” She stared at the ceiling. “Wow.” “You were lucky,” he added. Lucky didn’t feel like the right word. But she was alive. That had to count for something. “What about my car?” she asked. “Totaled.” She sighed. “Figures.” The doctor pulled a chair closer to the bed. “I’m Dr. Adrian Cole,” he said. “Lily Carter,” she replied. “I know.” Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “You kept saying your name in the ambulance,” he explained. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. “Oh.” A moment of silence settled between them. For some reason, Lily felt oddly aware of his presence. Every small movement he made seemed amplified in the quiet hospital room. “You scared us earlier,” he said. “Us?” “The emergency team.” She swallowed. “I thought… I might die,” she admitted. Dr. Cole studied her face carefully. “But you didn’t,” he said quietly. Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten—not from pain, but from a strange emotion she couldn’t name. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For what?” “For… asking if I was alive.” He looked slightly surprised. “That’s not something people usually thank me for.” “Well,” she said softly, “if you hadn’t asked… I might have given up.” His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary. Then he cleared his throat and stood. “You’ll need to stay here for a few days for observation,” he said. “A few days?” she groaned. “Yes.” He checked her chart again. “Try to get some rest.” As he turned to leave, Lily spoke again. “Dr. Cole?” He paused at the door. “Yes?” She hesitated, suddenly unsure why she had called him. But the words came out anyway. “Were you the one who found me?” He nodded. “I was driving home when I saw the crash.” “And you stayed with me.” “Yes.” She looked down at her hands. “Thank you for not leaving.” Dr. Cole didn’t respond immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer. “No one should face something like that alone.” Then he opened the door and walked out. Lily stared at the empty doorway long after he disappeared.