Chapter 63 63 (THE END)

Chapter 63 63 (THE END)
“Oh my Jaelen, you are awake…”
Azxel’s mother’s voice broke through the fog softly trembling with relief. She was standing over the bed, her hands clutching his wrist gently. Her eyes were wet, but she was smiling through the tears.

Jaelen blinked slowly, his throat was dry, everything hurt in a dull, distant way.
He tried to speak but it came out as a rasp. “Azxel…”

His mother’s smile faltered. She squeezed his hand tighter.

“Where’s Azxel?” Jaelen’s voice cracked with panic rising fast. “Why isn’t he… why isn’t he here? He was right here, on the bed with me.”

Her breath hitched as teara spilled over. She covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to hold it together. “Jaelen…” she whispered. “Baby…”

He tried to sit up but pain lanced through his head. He fell back, breathing hard. “Where is he? He was just… he was hugging me. He apologized and I accepted, He—”

His mother’s face crumpled. She sat on the edge of the bed, took both his hands now.
“Jaelen, listen to me,” she said, her voice shaking. “Azxel… he didn’t survive the accident. He… he died that night, two years ago.”

Jaelen stared at her. The words didn’t land at first. They just hung in the air. “Two… years?” His voice was small, childlike.

She nodded, tears streaming. “The car hit you both. Azxel… he didn’t make it. You were in a coma for two years.”

Jaelen’s breathing turned shallow. “It was… a dream? All of it? The rehab school… Sky… him coming back… us… everything?” He sobbed, he couldn’t breathe well, tears weren’t falling from his eyes, he tried but got choked.

Azxel’s mother nodded slowly. “You were dreaming, baby. The doctors said comas can do that, your mind creates whole worlds to cope, but he’s been gone for two years.”

Jaelen’s eyes filled as the tears he had been trying to bring out slipped out silently. He stared at the ceiling, his chest heaving and his breathing coming in sharp, broken gasps.

“So I… I spent two years dreaming about what happened before? About us being okay? About him forgiving me?” His voice cracked into a sob. “But he never forgave me. He never got to. Where’s he? Bring him back… bring him back!”

The words turned into a scream. Jaelen thrashed against the bed, his arms flailing, ripping the IV line from his hand, blood bloomed on the white sheet, the pulse oximeter clattered to the floor, the heart monitor’s beeps sped up into frantic alarms.

Azxel’s mother jumped to her feet. “Jaelen— no!”

She lunged for the call bell on the wall, slamming her palm against it over and over, the shrill ringing filled the room.

“Help! Please… he’s pulling everything out!”
The door burst open, two nurses ran in, followed by the doctor. Jaelen was still thrashing, his head whipping side to side, tears streaming, as he screamed in a raw and broken voice.

“He’s gone, he’s gone… he never forgave me—”

The nurses grabbed his arms, pinning them gently but firmly to the bed. Jaelen fought, stronger than his wasted muscles should have allowed, grief giving him desperate strength.

“Hold him steady,” the doctor ordered, already preparing a syringe.

One nurse pressed down on Jaelen’s shoulders, the other secured his wrists. Jaelen bucked once, twice, then weakened, sobs choking out of him.

Azxel’s mother stood frozen at the foot of the bed, hands over her mouth, tears falling freely. The doctor swabbed Jaelen’s arm quickly, found a vein and injected the sedative.

Jaelen’s struggles slowed as his body went limp against the mattress. The thrashing stopped and his head lolled to the side, his eyes fluttering shut, tears still wet on his cheeks.

The  monitor’s alarms quieted as his heart rate dropped back to a heavy, exhausted rhythm.

The nurses stepped back carefully, one reinserted the IV line, taped it down, cleaned the blood. The doctor checked his vitals and nodded.

“He’s out,” the doctor said quietly. “He’ll sleep for a few hours, we’ll keep him sedated lightly until he’s calmer.”

Azxel’s mother didn’t move. She just stared at Jaelen’s sleeping face which looked more peaceful now, but tear streaked and hollow.
The nurses left quietly, the doctor placed a hand on her shoulder for a second, then followed them out.

She was alone with Jaelen again, she pulled the chair closer, sat down, took his hand, the one without the clip. His fingers were still now warm but limp.

She leaned forward, pressed her lips to his forehead, lingering there.
“I know you can do it,” she whispered, her voice sounding teary. “We will together, we will try to live without him. Just remember… Azxel loves you. He always did, even if he didn’t say it often.”

She kissed his forehead again soft and motherly, like she was sealing a promise.
Then she sat back, still holding his hand.

The monitor beeped on slowly and steady. The room stayed quiet, only the little beepings from the machines and Azxel’s mother breathing out before muttering,
“We’ll live.”

The end.