Only Yours

Julia maneuvered her arm so she could reach his neck, tugging it lightly as she asked again, "Tom, please, come on."

She drew her hand back, it felt wet.

When her hand came into view, panic sat in; it was dark red with blood. Thomas' blood.

"Thomas!" she yelled, "Wake up!" but she got no response from him.

"HELP!" she yelled with all her might just as William and Ben had reached the fallen treehouse. They had heard the crash and rushed out. Sophia was on the phone, calling for an ambulance; although they all hoped it wouldn't be needed, they feared the worst when they saw Thomas' leg sticking out from under the rubble.

"HELP!" Julia yelled again, her panic preventing her from hearing Will and Ben calling back to her.

"Please, Tom, wake up. I need you to wake up, please," Julia cried, she had put her hand back on his neck again, and pulled him to her.

"Please, don't die, please, just wake up. Don't leave me, I need you, please." Julia almost whispered, sobbing.

The sky appeared above Julia as Ben and Will removed a large piece of wood, Julia feeling pressure leave their bodies. A few more pieces and they were free enough for Ben and Will to drag Thomas off of Julia.

Joan screamed in fear as she saw the blood. The back of Thomas' head was completely covered by it and there were spots of blood on his back and his leg.

"Oh God!" Elizabeth uttered and hugged Joan tightly when he saw that Thomas just lay still after he had been dragged out and placed on the grass besides where William and Ben worked to free Julia.

Julia was screaming for Thomas while William lifted the beam her foot was stuck under and Ben pulled her out.

Elizabeth's mother came running out with dishtowels which she handed to William who quickly pressed them to his sons head.

Benjamin was trying to calm down Julia and check if she was badly hurt. Other than some pain in her foot and some abrasions she appeared to be okay, so he just tried his best to sooth her panic.

Franks mother had retrieved a first aid kit from the bathroom and came running out, but froze when she saw the Thomas' blood, not only on himself, but also on Julia and William.

William was kneeling by Thomas, lifting his head to his chest, pressing the bloody dishtowel to the wound and pleading for his son to wake up.

They lived only a short distance from the hospital, so the ambulances came quickly; the second one a little later than the first because Sophia had not realized immediately that Julia also was trapped.

Sophia went round the house when she heard the siren approaching and led the paramedics to the backyard. They checked on the two injured quickly before they put Thomas on a gurney and rushed for the hospital, William joining them in the ambulance. The siren was heard again as they sped away.

Julia was still crying for Thomas, no-one would tell her anything. Elizabeth had joined Ben by her side and tried to comfort her. When the paramedics had left with Tom, Sophia had also taken place by Julia.

"It's gonna be okay, Sweetie, it's gonna be okay." Sophia said, stroking Julia's arm trying to calm her, though she had trouble believing her own words.

When the second ambulance arrived, the paramedics did not take Julia to the hospital right away. They bandaged her foot and cleaned off some of Thomas' blood to be sure that none of it was hers before taking her and Elizabeth with them; this time without the siren or the speeding.

They had given Julia a sedative, but she was still ranting about Thomas and pleading them to drive faster.

At the hospital, Julia saw William sit alone in a chair close to the entrance, still in his bloodstained black suit and formerly white shirt.

"How is he?" Julia almost screamed at him as the paramedics pushed her, joined by a doctor who listened to them explain the injuries she had.

William looked up, his face looking like he had seen a ghost, "I don't know, they won't let me see him."

The rest of the two families came in the door right as Julia disappeared through a set of double doors.

The next hour Julia kept asking the doctors and nurses that examined her if Thomas was okay, but none of them would say anything other than "We're doing everything we can."

Being a nurse herself, Julia knew it was a bad sign.

Finally, after several hours, a doctor entered her room, where she and the rest of the family waited for news about Thomas. He had blood on his scrubs and looked tired. Julia had seen that look on many ER doctors after critical patients.

"Mr. Greene received a severe blow to the head as well as some internal bleeding and multiple bone fractures. He is stable, but he is still unconscious. We will know more tomorrow, but for now Mr. and Mrs. Greene can go see him, the rest of you must stay here I'm afraid."

William and Joan entered the ICU, led by the Doctor. They found Thomas' bed and both broke down in tears at the sight. Thomas had tubes in his arms, sensors everywhere, a breathing tube in his mouth, bandages around his head and a brace around his neck. They could barely recognize him.

Julia's grandmothers went back to the house to pack a bag for Julia. Benjamin drove them and also packed a bag for Thomas, as well as a change of clothes for William.

When they returned, Julia's doctor insisted that she get rest. Elizabeth, Joan and William found seats in the waiting room, while the rest went home, all feared that Thomas might never wake up again.

Julia was the only one of them to sleep properly that night, and that was only because of the sedatives. Elizabeth, Joan and William tried to comfort each other, but every time a doctor entered the waiting room, they feared it was to tell them Thomas had died.

The morning arrived without much change to Thomas' condition. He was still unconscious, comatose was the word the doctor had used. He was breathing on his own, but that was the only major improvement from the day before.

Julia was fairly unscathed, having gotten barely more than a sprained ankle and she would be able to go home that day. When the doctor told her how lucky she had been, Julia smiled back, but in her mind she thought that lucky was not the word she would use.

Sophia came by the hospital a little after ten; when she entered Julia's room Elizabeth and Joan were talking with Julia. Julia asked for some time to talk with Sophia, so Joan and Elizabeth went to join William and check on Thomas yet again.

"How are you feeling?" asked Sophia, but not getting an answer from Julia, who looked like she had something on her mind.

"I brought you something to cheer you up." She continued retrieving Mr. Snuggles from a bag and handing it to Julia.

Julia took the stuffed bear from her cousin and placed it in her lap looking at it.

"I was so scared he was dead." Julia said quietly.

Sophia grabbed Julia's hand and answered, "Me too."

Julia paused shortly, ashamed of what she was about to tell her cousin.

"I feel so guilty," She whispered, Sophia only just being able to hear her.

"About the things you said to him? Sweetie, he knows you didn't mean it; you were just sad." Sophia said, trying to make Julia feel better.

"I tell him I hate him and that he's a liar... I even threw this thing at him." she lifted the teddy bear as a gesture.

"The sweetest present I've ever gotten, and I threw it at him... I could see how hurt he was... and after all that I nearly get him killed," Julia started hulking, "and now he's in a coma, and it's my fault."

Sophia put her arms around Julia and held her, "It was an accident, it's no-one's fault."

"It's my fault, I made the treehouse fall, and... and then I fell."

"It's okay, sweetie, none of that makes it your fault. You're just lucky you didn't stand where Tom did, or you might have been killed." Sophia said. Julia started sobbing louder.

"He wasn't standing under the treehouse... he jumped on top of me just before it fell.

"I told him I hate him and he saves my life... and now he may never wake up again, all because of me... if I hadn't yelled at him, or if I hadn't tried to climb in that stupid treehouse...

"Or if I he would have just stayed where he was... then he would have been fine..."

Sophia wanted to say something, but could not find the words, so Julia continued.

"What am I gonna say to William and Joan... I almost killed their son... they are gonna hate me...

Sophia spoke up, "They are not gonna hate you, they love you."

Julia was not convinced, "Of course they are, I hate me, I almost killed my best friend... If he ever wakes up he's gonna hate me too."

Sophia changed tactics and tried to force Julia to realize that it was not her fault, "Listen here, no-one is gonna hate you, especially not Tom, he loves you Julia. And even though you feel guilty, the truth is that it was an accident, it was not your fault.

"Furthermore, don't talk about Thomas like he's dead, or he's gonna die... He's gonna be fine, and he's gonna forgive you for everything you said, if he hasn't already."

Julia was stumped and remained silent for several minutes.

Sophia had gotten through to her a little but there was still some guilt in Julia's mind, "Thank you, but I've still been a lousy friend... I have no idea what I would have done without him... he just let me move in with him after Jack cheated on me, without even hesitating, doing everything to make me feel better.

"And when dad got sick he talked me to sleep every night... he even quit his job.

"What have I done for him lately? Nothing, just taking advantage of him, over and over... and to top it off I tell him I hate him..."

Sophia could tell that Julia had gotten most of it off her chest and, instead of arguing with her, she tried to give her some hope, "You'll just have to make it up to him when he wakes up."

Julia thought of her father's words, there is nothing so bad that it can't be fixed.

Julia's mother came back to the room, and rushed to her daughter's bed when she saw the tears that had streamed down her daughters face.

Julia said that she was sad about what happened to Tom, but had talked it out with Sophia and felt much better.

They all talked, joined shortly after by William, until around noon, when a doctor came by.

The doctor made a final check-up and told Julia that she was ready to go home, but Julia did not want to go home, she wanted to see Thomas.

"Oh my God," Julia exclaimed at the sight before her.

Though she had seen such things many times, this was different, this was her best friend. She left Sophia and approached Thomas' bed.

Joan got up from her seat beside her son and left with the words, "I'll give you some time alone with him."

Out of reflex, Julia looked at the monitor, ensuring all the values were where they should, before sitting down on the hospital bed.

She leaned in, careful not to disturb any of the tubes or wires, and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. She thought he looked so peaceful; had it not been for the surroundings, the tubes and the bandages, he would look like he was just asleep.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to him, "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry about the treehouse too; I can't believe you did that for me... You shouldn't have done that.

"Please wake up, I'll make it up to you, I swear. Anything you want, anything at all... please just wake up, I can't live without you. I need you.

"I need my hero."

She kissed his face again, holding it even longer.

"My knight in shining armor... I know you are more than I deserve, but please don't leave me.

"Just wake up..."

But he didn't.

Later in the afternoon the doctor came and talked to them about Thomas' injuries. He told them that things were looking good, and there was a very high probability of Thomas waking up, but his injuries would present some problems.

While he wasn't paralyzed, he had a broken hip and leg, so he would not be able to walk for some time, and he would need physical therapy.

The rest of his body should recover fully over time, but his head might never be the same. There was a chance of brain damage and until he woke up, they couldn't tell.

Another kick to the stomach for the Greenes and Hawthorns.

While the others alternated who was there with Thomas, Julia barely left his side the following days. Her emotions slowly shifting from guilt to affection.

She read to him, told him stories, just like Thomas had done for her at night. She sang to him, praying for the day he would be awake to hear her and dance with her as she sang; just like they had when they lived together. She watched movies sitting beside him in his bed, remembering the times they had spent on his couch.

One of Thomas' nurses commented that she was a wonderful girlfriend for doing all that. Julia got all flustered and claimed that they were just friends, but in her heart she liked the idea. He was her hero, her best friend, a perfect man.

Mr. Snuggles had been placed permanently in Thomas' bed to help keep bad things at bay.

Every time Julia left his side, she kissed him on the cheek or forehead, which Sophia notices when she came by.

"Let's go for a walk and talk," Sophia said, "he'll be fine alone a few minutes."

Julia didn't like leaving Tom, but she relented.

"How are you holding up?" Sophia asked her cousin once they were outside.

"Surprisingly, well," Julia replied, "although I feel a little bad about how little I have been thinking about Dad."

"Don't, everyone knows you loved him very much... besides, he wouldn't want you to be unhappy.

"Though, your Mom said you had spent almost all of your time with Thomas, she wouldn't mind if you came home some." Sophia said.

"I can't, Tom was there for me when I needed it... he even saved my life; I won't leave him alone."

"It's sweet what you are doing for him, but don't you think it's a little much? I know you are best friends, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on everything you want." Sophia probed.

Julia was quick to defend her actions, "Being here is what I want."

"Are you sure that's all you want?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The kissing?" Sophia said, giving Julia a look that let her know she had better come clean.

"What kissing? You mean that little peck on the cheek before we left?"

"Well, you do it every time you leave or enter, even when you go to the bathroom.

"And that little peck was longer than I remember being normal for a simple goodbye. Not to mention the look on your face when you kissed him... Sweetie, tell me the truth."

Julia hesitated before answering, "Maybe I have a little crush... but why not, he's a great guy; he's smart and funny, good looking... and with everything he's done for me, I couldn't help it... is that so bad?"

"He's in a coma and if he wakes up, he might have brain damage... I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't say that, he's gonna be fine, I know it... He has to."

"Just be careful, Julia." Sophia finished, "Let's go back inside."

Julia didn't kiss Thomas when they got back inside, being too self-conscious around Sophia, but she wanted to badly; she realized it might be more than a little crush from how much.

The days went by in much the same fashion, Julia would spend her entire day with Thomas, and every day someone would visit to check on Thomas and to give Julia someone to talk with.

It was not until Friday the week after the funeral and the accident that there were new developments.

Julia was in the hallway outside Thomas' room talking to one of the nurses she had become friendly with over the week. Another nurse was inside, in the process of removing the bandages around Thomas' head when his arm moved, though the nurse did not see it.

What she did see, and what scared her greatly, was Thomas' eyes suddenly staring back at her. The nurse screamed out in shock, which sparked fear in Julia who started making her way down the hallway towards the open door to Thomas' room.

Inside the room, the nurse was calm again, but Thomas was remembering what to him had just happened, and he feared what had happened with Julia.

"Where is Julia? Is she okay? Tell me she's okay!" he pleaded, trying to get up from the bed, but failing from the pain in his lower body.

The nurse did not get to answer before Julia reached the bed and answered his question, "I'm right here Tom, I'm right here. Don't get up, just sit back."

The nurse went to get a doctor, leaving Julia and Thomas alone.

Thomas could tell he was in the hospital but had no clue how seriously he had been hurt, so he couldn't understand the way Julia looked at him, "Why are you crying, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, I'm just so happy that you're awake." Julia said, almost singing from pure joy.

Thomas had deduced that he had hurt his leg in the accident; thinking that was the worst of it he asked, "Why wouldn't I be awake? It's kinda odd I could sleep with the pain in my leg actually."

Julia was unsure how to tell him, but she also knew a doctor would be there soon and wanted Thomas to hear it from her, "Tom, you... you hit your head... and there was so much blood... and you've been in a coma, for a week."

Thomas was stunned and didn't know how to respond; luckily he didn't have to, as the doctor came into his room. Julia went out of the room to call Tom's parents, leaving the doctor to do his examination.

Thomas had trouble breathing from how tightly his mother held him. After a few minutes, William dragged her off, so he himself could get a chance to hug his son.

"Aw Dad, you too? Everybody is crying," Thomas said.

"You can count on it, son," his father replied, "I hope you never have to suffer through such a scare when you have kids, but if you do, you'll understand."

"Sorry, Dad, I didn't mean..." Thomas felt embarrassed and had trouble finding words, "I eh... It's just weird for me; I feel like it was just yesterday, but it's been an entire week. It's kinda freaking me out a little."

"We know, Sweetie," Elizabeth said, "but you're awake now, so just focus on that."

After everyone expressing their joy for Thomas' recovery, numerous times, they filled him in on what had happened in the previous week, though there wasn't much to tell.

The doctor came back a little while later to discuss Thomas' condition; as they had all almost figured out, Thomas showed no sign of brain damage, which was a relief to all but Thomas, who unlike the others had not considered it a possibility.

The doctor talked about his other injuries, quickly covering the internal bleeding, but going into more detail about his lower body. They talked about rehab and what he could expect and how long it might take for him to walk again.

Thomas felt slightly overwhelmed by hearing about how badly he had been hurt, his mouth became dry, his hands sweaty and his eyes showed a hint of fear. He was thankful that he was not alone with the doctor, especially Julia gave him some strength by simply being by his side.

Finally, the doctor covered some things that were not from the accident, but from the coma; Thomas had not eaten real food in a week and, to his embarrassment, the food and liquids were leaving his body with a little more help than he could have hoped for.

Thomas would also have to get used to sponge baths for some weeks, until he was healed enough to take a shower.

Thomas' face was crimson with embarrassment; he would much have preferred pain over this degradation, at least that's what went through his head when he was told in front of his Julia, Elizabeth and his parents.