AJ

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Maddie is going to scare the shit out of you when she gets home," Jet said as soon as Ashlyn answered the phone. "I'm only telling you cause I know you've been kinda stressed, and I don't want you to punch her or whatever."

Ashlyn laughed, "I promise I won't hit her. Thanks for the warning, Jet. I'll text you how it goes."

She spent the next twenty minutes looking for a good spot to jump out and scare Maddox. When she decided on a good spot, she only had ten minutes before Maddie was going to open the door.

Ashlyn waited in the closet for her girlfriend (ha, fitting) to open the front door. She waited for what felt like forever before she finally climbed out and checked her phone. It was 8 o'clock, Maddox was supposed to be home at 6.

Ashlyn forced herself to take a deep breath and not instantly panic. Maddox was probably just busy with some elaborate prank, right?

After a few minutes of trying not to panic, she decided to text her girlfriend.

Me: you working late? I miss youuuuu

Delivered: 8:07 PM

Me: Maddie? Helloooo?!

Delivered: 8:24 PM

Me: OK fine, Jet told me you were gonna scare me but pls text me back I'm worried

Delivered: 8:52 PM

"Shitshitshitshitshit" Ashlyn began pacing around their living room.

Her phone rang in her hand, startling her. She picked it up quickly, "Maddox?"

"It's Jet..." Ashlyn was on edge as he spoke. Her world was spinning and the sounds were muffled as he explained. "Car crash... surgery... Lakeview hospital..."

Ashlyn drove well over the speed limit, barely putting the car in park before she hopped out and ran into the main lobby. She nearly ran into the front desk as she started spouting words, "Maddox Curda?"

The woman at the desk typed on her computer before looking up at Ashlyn, "She's still in surgery, honey. That young man over there is waiting for her, too. I'll tell you when she gets out." Ashlyn turned around and realized that Jet was sitting on the other side of the ER waiting room with his head in his hands.

Ashlyn cautiously sat next to him. He looked up at her with red, sunken eyes, and instantly hugged her.

--

"Ash," she woke up to Jet shaking her shoulder. "They said she's out of surgery, c'mon." Ashlyn jumped up and followed Jet to the doctor's.

"Sorry, ma'am, only family allowed," he said sternly. He took a look at Ashlyn as she almost broke down in tears again, and sighed. "Both of you can follow me."

The room was bright white, it reminded Ashlyn of an asylum. A bed stood in the middle, with Maddox laying there still. She didn't notice Jet step out of the room; it was too much for him. Ash immediately ran to Maddox's side and took her hand gently.

"When will she wake up?" Ashlyn asked the doctors, blinking back the tears in her eyes.

"We don't know. Her body went through a lot of trauma in the accident. We just don't know if she'll wake up, I'm sorry." The doctors left as Ashlyn sobbed into Maddox's unmoving arms, she needed her to wake up.

-----

Day 1

"I brought you some food," Jet said as he entered the room with a black tray and two plastic wrapped sandwiches for lunch. Neither of them had left the hospital. Ash weakly thanked him as he set the tray down. He sat in the chair on the other side of the bed, praying his sister would wake up. He looked at Ashlyn, "What're you thinking about?"

Ashltn let out a long sigh. "It just... it wasn't supposed to go like this." She saw Jet's questioning look and continued. "I was supposed to audition for my first real music this weekend, and Maddox was going to be there to cheer me on. And then she'd become a techie for the same show so we'd get to work together. And then on opening night she would being me flowers and propose, all super chill because that's just how she is. But I'd say 'no' because I had already planned out my own big proposal with my own song to sing to her and everything." Ashlyn chuckles lightly.

Jet walked to the other side of the bed and hugged Ashlyn tightly. Maddox needed to wake up.

----

Day 3

"If you wake up, you can pick the movie for movie night every week." Three days was the longest Ashlyn had been without Maddox since they began dating back in high school, and she had hoped bribery would someone cause her girlfriend to wake up.

Jet smiled slightly, "Maddie, if you wake up, you can take anything you want from my room." The two laughed a little at their attempts to wake up Maddox. "Just wake up, Maddie, please."

----

Day 7

Ashlyn didn't want to admit it, but she was slowly giving up hope. She finally went home and took a shower on the 5th day of Maddox's coma, but she came back the second she could.

She placed a small bouquet of flowers in the small blue vase on the corner. Over the week, Ashlyn, Jet, and their other friends slowly filled the room with things to help Maddox recover; a handful of crystals by her bed, Ricky's radio and a handmade CD, the log with their names carved into it.

Ashlyn sighed, "Maybe true love's kiss would wake you up," she said to herself. She was practically out of ideas.

She sat back in her chair and pulled out the tarot cards she brought from home. "Alright, it's worth a shot. Cards, tell me if Maddie will be alright." She flipped over the first card; Death. "Nope, no thank you, we are putting this away." She quickly packed up the cards and tossed the box into the corner of the room. She looked back down at Maddox. "I love you, Maddox, please stay with me."

Suddenly, two brown eyes were looking up at her. "Boo," Maddox said quietly.

Ashlyn practically screamed of excitement as she held her girlfriend's face in her hands. Her beautiful, awake, alive face.

Maddox laughed, "sorry for scaring you, I was just going to tap on the bedroom window in a scary mask, but I guess a car crash works too." Ashlyn punched her shoulder gently before kissing her over and over again.

"You just woke up from a coma and all you can talk about is how your prank failed?" Ashlyn asked as she sat back in her seat.

"What else do you want me to say?"

"Anything, I'm just so glad I get to hear your voice." Ashlyn smiled down at Maddox, she couldn't stop smiling.

Maddox rolled her eyes as she thought of something to say, "hmmmm what should I talk about?" She tapped her finger on her chin as Ashly rolled her eyes. "Oh I got it! Will you marry me?"

Ashlyn's jaw nearly hit the floor. "What?"

"Is that a no?" Maddox asked, still smiling.