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"Saaaaam!” Nick yelled out as she entered the room.

“You’re awfully hap- Oh my God! Emily!” As Sam looked at her friend, seeing her eyes open and her face smiling, she nearly passed out. “You’re awake? You’re seriously awake? Oh my God!” She looked at Nick angrily, “Why didn’t you call me?!”

Nick laughed as he dodged her swat, “I wanted you to be surprised.”

“I can’t believe it! Oh my God! How are you? Are you okay? Has Nick been bothering you?”

“Hey!” He interjected.

Emily laughed, “I’m fine Sam, and Nick’s been pretty close to perfect,” Nick flashed a cheesy grin and batted his eyes shamelessly. Sam and Emily both rolled their eyes at him, enjoying his upbeat personality.

Suddenly, Emily looked at Sam in the most serious way ever. The mood in the room seemed to drop, and the feeling of happiness faded. After much anticipation of Emily’s thoughts, she finally spoke, “Sam, was Nick really in my room every day?”

Nick beamed a smile proudly.

Sam replied, “Every single day, Em. I swear, I don’t think he ever really left.”

“I didn’t last night!”

“What? I thought visiting hours ended at nine?”

Nick raised his eyebrows up and down in a flirtatious manner, “Yea well, I kind of swooned nurse Janet into letting me spend the night.”

“I guess some things never change!” Emily exclaimed while laughing at her friend.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Nick asked curiously.

“Not a thing, Nick. Not a thing.”

“I see you two are getting along quite well,” Sam informed them with a hint of surprise in her voice. While Nick had been the most supportive friend towards Emily while she was in her coma, the fact that they weren’t on the best of terms beforehand was difficult to ignore. Sam was well aware of the pain that Nick had caused Emily in the past, and her ability to mask her true feelings worried Sam. It was unclear if Emily still had bitter feelings towards Nick, but in the meantime, she was acting as if nothing bad had ever happened between them.

“Well, I guess when I woke up and the first thing I saw was his face it became kind of hard to be or stay mad at him.”

“Told you!” Sam exclaimed, leaving both Nick and Emily clueless.

“Told me what?”

“I told you that if you didn’t give up, she wouldn’t either.”

“You guys were talking about me?” Emily asked in a comedic manner, attempting to break the awkward tension that had just developed out of no where.

Nick smiled warmly, “Of course we did, Emily.”

She smiled back, wondering when he became so perfect. Emily was just now realizing how different Nick was. It was no exaggeration that she had gone to sleep to one man and woken up to another. While she liked the Nick that stood before her, something felt altered within his personality. She believed his sincerity, and she even considered believing his confession, but she also felt that Nick was hiding something deep within, and as long as he hid it, she wouldn’t completely trust him with her heart, friends or more.

“You know what, I’m gonna go call the other guys and tell them you’re awake. They’ve all been really worried about you and I’m sure they want to come and visit.”

“Okay, Nick,” he reached down to hug her tightly, “thanks for everything.”

He looked her in the eyes, “You’re welcome, Em.”

He smiled at her once more and left the room.

“I’m kind of glad he left,” Sam sad pointedly.

“Why? I thought you two were becoming friends.”

“Oh no, it’s not that. Nick and I are on good terms
now. It’s just that I wanted to talk to you and he really can’t be here for it.”

“Uh oh…” Emily said, knowing a serious conversation was in the stages of evolvement.

“Em, Nick is different. Like, really different. I’m not even sure I could explain it, but the way you affected him, it changed him.”

“I know,” Emily said softly, feeling slightly worried about her friend. “I can tell.”

“He opened up a lot to me over the last few weeks, but he still didn’t tell me much. I don’t know what he has on mind or what he’s going to do, but I just think you should be careful.”

“What do you mean, Sam? You don’t trust him?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust him at all. I believe every word he says or even won’t say about how he feels for you. It’s just that I think he has a lot of issues right now, and I don’t think he wants to admit it. So, until he can fix those issues, I’m afraid he’s just gonna end up hurting you.”

“He told me he loved me last night.”

Sam’s eyes grew twice in size, “Already?”

Emily laughed, but was still confused, “What do you mean, ‘Already’?”

“I didn’t think he’d tell you that fast…”

“Wait, so you mean you actually believe him?” Emily
asked in shock.

“Em, I told you he changed. I watched him fall in love with you. He denied it until he couldn’t help believing it himself, and then he refused to admit it because he only wanted you to know. But you know what? There was nothing more he wanted in the world, next to you waking up, than to yell out as loud as he could how much he loves you. I think holding that in for so long almost drove him insane, but he endured it for you because he wanted it to be special. He wanted you to know he was serious and he wanted you to believe him,” she stopped and looked at her friend, “but you don’t. I can tell.”

“Sam,” she sighed, frustrated that her best friend couldn’t understand where she was coming from. “I was in a coma for six weeks. The last time I even talked to Nick was three months before that. So in a span for four and a half months, we went from not even talking to him being in love with me, and I’m just supposed to accept that and just hope nothing bad happens? Sam, you know I gave so much for him, and he never gave me anything back. I know he’s changed, and he’s trying to be different, but that doesn’t mean he should get whatever he wants just because he’s finally doing something right. It shouldn’t be that easy.”

“I agree, Emily, but you shouldn’t push him away just to prove a point. If you really still love him and want to be with him, don’t blow it out of spite.”

“It’s not spite, Sam. It’s fear. I don’t trust him.”
The confession from Emily was more to herself than to Sam. She had been trying to avoid her inner fears since Nick had confessed his love to her, but the truth remained, she didn’t trust him. There was no way to tell how he would act once she was out of the hospital, and she greatly feared Nick resorting to his old ways. While Emily wanted nothing more than to take her chance with him, she was too afraid of being hurt to find it worthy.

Emily looked down and saw the Teddy bear Nick had given her on his first visit. She grabbed it swiftly, holding it tightly and close to her heart. She could smell the subtle hint of his cologne on the fibers of the bear.

Suddenly, a rush over emotion passed over her. She remembered times with Nick that made her smile, but she couldn’t keep the thought of the tears he had caused out of her head. Nick was changing, and Emily knew it. She just didn’t know if his intentions were pure. She wanted to trust him, but for some reason, the fear surrounding her heart wouldn’t let her.

Moments later, the phone in Emily’s room rang, causing her jump slightly as it startled her. She reached over and picked up the receiver, curious about her caller.

“Hello?”

“Emily?” The voice asked in a questioning tone.

“Yes, who is this?”

“It’s A.J.”

“Oh my God! A.J.! I can’t believe you called me!”

He laughed, “I would have rather gone to see you but I’m out of state right now, and I don’t think I’ll be back in time. But I wanted to make sure you were okay. You had us all worried.”

“I know, Nick told me. I’m sorry I scared you guys. I really didn’t mean to.”

“We know, Em, but you’re our friend, too. We have to care.”

She laughed, “Thanks, Alex!”

“Anytime, girl. So how are you and Nick?”

“The inevitable question…” She said sarcastically, “I don’t know, A.J. I mean, he’s been so nice and so caring, and just… perfect. I’m so afraid it’s all gonna come crashing down. I want to believe him, and I want to trust him, but I can’t. I’m too afraid of getting hurt.”

“I understand how you feel. I don’t blame you at all for feeling that way. But, in Nick’s defense, I’ve seen the look in his eyes when he sees you. Things are different with him now. He finally had that blast of reality he avoided for so long. I know it’ll take some time, but you have to start trusting that he’s not just trying to screw with you.”

“I think it’s gonna take longer than 'some' time. This almost doesn’t seem real.”

“Well, you have been hit with a boatload of change in the last few hours. It’ll take time to adjust. In the meantime, there are five people that are really grateful of Nick’s decision to make some changes in his life, and at the end of the day, it was because of you.”

She sighed again, “I know A.J. I know he cares. I really, really do. I just don’t know how long he’ll care the way he does right now, and I’m not so sure I want to be around when it fades.”

“You’re sure it will fade?”

“It always does.”

“It always did.”

“Why are you defending him?”

“Because I know how he feels about you.”

“He told you?”

“Nope, he didn’t have to.”

“Ugh, A.J., you aren’t helping any.”

“Or, I’m helping too much. Either way, try not to push him too far away. He needs you.”

“So he says…”

“Em, he does. Trust me. I watched him fall apart hating himself for what he’d done to you in the past. Now, he calls me today and he sounds like the happiest person on the planet. If that’s not real, then I don’t know what is.”

“So then I shouldn’t trust your judgment?”

“Ha ha, Em! I’m glad to see your sense of humor is still in tact. Listen to me, he’s never gonna give up on you. I’m not saying you should rush into this, but you definitely shouldn’t revolt against it either. Give yourself the chance to give him a chance. It’s what you always wanted.”

“But not because I almost died. I don’t want him to suddenly love me because I almost died, A.J.”

“What if he suddenly loves you because he just now realizes he’s loved you a lot longer?”

“And you have an indisputable way to prove this?”

A.J. couldn’t help but laugh, “Emily, you know you love him. Once you realize he really loves you too, you’re gonna have to tell me I was right, okay?”

“Whatever, A.J,” they both laughed.

“Get better, okay?”

“I will, and thanks for calling. Bye, A.J.”

“Bye.”