To Endure A Little More

ELEVEN

"Since you asked for treatment in the house, we were delayed in medicating him with the necessary doses since it took time bring and set the machines here-" The doctor speaks with his eyes darted on the clipboard his hands were holding but Aelia cuts him as her anxiety rages her again.

"I don't understand why there's needs of machines when you are telling me there's nothing serious for me to worry about." Aelia looks at him with her eyes demanding for an answer that can convince her into believing his words which she was afraid were lies; although, internally she was praying for the doctor's chill to be true, through the seconds. But looking at Jeremy's still body with his heart's beating pace slower than normal, as per the machines told her, made her feel otherwise. She was scared and worried. The medical man only grows hesitant and serves her with no reply which only makes her feel worse. 

"Mr. Peterson's internal body is affected due to the excessive alcohol...he must be kept under supervision, at least until he wakes up." the doctor spoke and Aelia rubs her forehead in concern overwhelming her and buries her face in the palms of her hands. The doctor took a seat next to her and places a hand on her shoulder to comfort the lady who was trying her utmost to not break down and keep seeming strong. She only felt further pressured. Her heart aches as her eyes look in pain at Jeremy's comatose body. A hot tears burns its way down her cheeks from her eyes that have swelled up due to excessive crying. She was still beating herself up with guilt, taking fault of the situation.

"Mr. Walter..." Her voice was weak, barely audible. She looks down to her feet, holding back her eyes from spilling any more tears.

"Just call me Andrew. All these years and you still don't get over the formalities." He chuckled to lighten the mood as he caresses her head to comfort her. The two have known each other since the death of Luan's family and Andrew has helped her and Terran through it all till date. He was like an older brother figure to the half-orphans.

"He will w-wake up-p... r-right?" Aelia voices out in stutters and he sighs, giving her a soft smile to comfort her, although his expression says the otherwise.

He takes a while before speaking again. "He will. Just wait a little longer..." 

Andrew gets up on his feet, fixing his coat before taking his leave. Aelia sits back down, praying for the best. Again, she couldn't help but take fault because all this time, from the beginning of finding out about his feelings for her, all she did was look at Jeremy in a way as if he'd done a crime by falling for her.

Her story with Harvey was different than it seemed. When she had joined the academy, she had come with the aim to start anew with her life and let go of her past forever. She met Harvey through the academy and since very first day, the latter had caught her eye. From works of poetry which defined love that she'd find on her desk to flowers and heart fluttering gifts she'd find in her locker or in her dorm room, she had believed it was the works of Harvey who always had a way with his words and skills in concealing his aims and methods with his crafty way of looking at her that always succeeded at fluttering her heart and as per his plans, he made her feel like he would be the perfect one to start anew with. Once she had begun with him, despite all the odds she had figured about him with time, she would make herself be okay with it without regard because she believed it was helping her ignore who is truly in her heart while she focused on someone else. It may look like a wrong choice of decision to anyone who looks at it more maturely with neutrality but for someone who has been through the definition of Hell, Aelia was at peace with her way of escape; even though, that too didn't end with her well. 

About Jeremy, she has met him the through the academy as well. But he had something specific in him which mainly caused Aelia to look at anybody but him. It was that when she would look in that eyes of Jeremy, his soul would greet him and she would feel something so new and strange but yet so familiar which made her afraid. It was something Luan would make her feel. She was afraid. And so, never once did she ever acknowledge or put his feelings over her own; her own being her desperation to shut out love; the type of love that didn't end well with her when she wasn't even ready for it to end, let alone when she was only beginning with it. And that caused her to never look at the sincere feelings of Jeremy that he held for her in his heart. And Aelia doing that caused herself to become the one who drove him to torture himself to physically feel down like this and now, he's stuck in a coma.

Andrew reaches for the door, another sigh unknowingly leaving him as he notices Aelia fall on the couch next to the bed Jeremy was laid on, with a heavy face. His sight meets with Terran who enters the scene with a bag filled with bunch of items in his hand, dragging a luggage in behind. Terran fixes his leather jacket at eye contact with the older and lifts up his sunglasses to see clearer with a serious face. His eyes dart at Andrew's and the latter gets the hint of what Terran is asking with his expression and he serves him a reassuring face.

 "Chill... I didn't tell her." Andrew mutters, his face laced with dissatisfaction out of worry. Terran's face was hard at the former's way of speaking because he knows Andrew wasn't alright about it. Terran sighs in relief at the doctor's assurance and nods at the former, slightly bowing to be polite, before they say their good byes and Terran enters the room.

Aelia's face jumps up at Terran's presence and the latter's eyes soften at the girl's swollen red, watery ones. Aelia pushes up a smile at him to assure him that she is fine in spite of the fact that she was anything but fine.

"Here are the stuff you asked for... Jeremy's passport, phone, keys, and the suitcase with his clothes and other stuff- waahhh I just felt like an errand boy." Terran spoke as Aelia listed, ending with a pout. Lets out a dramatic whine at the end to try make a joke and look funny to try make Aelia laugh a little at the very least. 

"I'm sorry..." Aelia mumbled quietly, her voice almost inaudible, sounding with dead emotions but Terran understood. "What did you tell his family?"

"Yeah just like you instructed, I told them that he'll be on vacation with you and I for the next two weeks."

"Right."

"Right."

Silence falls on them and Terran feels unsure on how he could make Aelia feel better. He unqueshionably, by all means disliked her being upset since he was too used to seeing her be jolly and sassy... be herself. And any state of emotions he ever wants to see Aelia in is happiness and that only. Aelia's eyes turned puffy and reddish from breaking down at each glance she took at Jeremy's insentient body. She desperately needed to calm down and take a break but she wouldn't let herself get any rest, let alone sleep until Jeremy was up and she could apologize for everything. There's so much she wanted to tell Jeremy but just thinking of it saddened her.

"Sun..." Terran quietly spoke, hesitant and then wondering if he made a mistake speaking.

"Do you think he will wake up?" She replied back wit question she has already asked herself a million times, heart quivering. Terran hated having to keep her from the truth so he decides to serve her silence to buy himself time until she learns of the truth. "Will he forgive me?"

"He will. He loves you."

"Why?" She finally looks at him, eyes laced with seriousness. "I don't deserve it. Not after everything that's ever happened-"

"You do. Everyone deserves a second chance and to start over. Let him love you, Sun." Terran says convincingly, eyes pleading for Aelia to go easy on herself after the all the years of pain and misery.

"Terran..."

"Trust me, you need to stop shutting yourself out of all the goods of life. Luan, Harvey, leave them in the past. You do see how much Jeremy loves you, don't you? Give him a chance, give yourself a chance, to be loved, to start over. Everything is not over yet."

"TERRAN STOP-" the both breathe in in large amounts before panting. "I don't even know if he will wake up again, I PUT HIM INTO A COMA-" Aelia bursts into tears, falling to her knees as Terran immediately holds her, both crying, as they lay on the ground.