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Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Hey, Em,” Nick softly said as he casually poked his head through the doorway. “Can I come in?”

“Of course you can come in, Nick,” she looked at him, unsure of how he was making her feel.

“What?” He asked, noticing a strange look that was apparent on her face.

“I guess it just still surprises me to see you walk into my room every morning even though you really have no reason to.”

Nick looked at her disappointedly, “Emily, you know that’s not true.”

“Do I, Nick? Do I really? You’re so different now, and to me, it’s like night and day.”

So far, the day wasn’t starting off quite as Nick had planned. Before leaving for the hospital, he questioned if spending so much time in her room was now necessary or called for, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to unnecessarily sacrifice one moment of time with Emily. He wanted to support her in all ways for the rest of his life. The last thing he ever wanted to do was fail her, and even if she didn’t see his actions as failing, he knew he would be.

After thinking about Emily’s words for a few moments, Nick finally mustered the courage to confront the issue.

Softly, he spoke, “I know. The way I was the last time we even talked is totally different than right now. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.”

Emily was quiet too. “Nick, I never said it was a bad thing. It’s just that it’s really hard for me to trust you right now. I want to, Nick, so badly. But all this change; in you, in me, in everything… It’s just too much to deal with right now.”

“Em…”

“Nick, you know how I felt about you. Do you really think this is easy for me?” She wanted to cry as she admitted her weaknesses, but letting Nick get the best of her was something she hated to do.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Emily. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to become a different person. It just happened. I wanted to be better for you.”

“But why, Nick? What made you suddenly want that? I don’t get it. It never mattered to you before.”

“I fell in love with you, Emily. I can’t help that, just like you couldn’t.”

“Nick… That was different.”

“In what way? I’ve made sacrifices for you now just like you made sacrifices for me then. It doesn’t mean any less.”

“What sacrifices did I make? I was your friend. That’s not a sacrifice, that’s a choice.”

He looked at her knowing he’d be turning the page on a whole different chapter with his retort. Still, it had to be said, and it had to be addressed.

“You moved to Florida for me.”

Emily looked at Nick in complete shock. He wasn’t supposed to know.

“No, I didn’t, Nick. What gave you that idea?” She lied.

“Your dad.”

Her face became stoic at the mention of her parents. She had quickly noticed they weren’t around, but ignored it, hoping there would be a logical reason within time. Now, she knew she would be facing the truth, and she knew it wouldn’t be pretty.

“They aren’t even here, Nick.”

“I know,” he said sounding hurt and disappointed. “I called them.”

She looked down, fearing the truth. “So they didn’t come on purpose?”

“Yea,” he barely choked out, his head hanging down. “Your dad left me a message and told me that you moved out here for me and that it was your mistake. They felt that since you chose me over them, they had no reason to choose you over whatever they have going on now.”

Nick looked up just in time to see the tears streaming down his friend’s face. His mended heart instantly shattered into pieces as the pain upon Emily’s face set in. All he wanted to do was take her pain away, but for some reason, she felt completely unreachable.

“I’m sorry, Emily.” It was all he could say. It wasn’t enough, though.

She wiped the tears away, “It’s not your fault, Nick. It was my choice.”

“But it was because of me. I caused this.”

“No you didn’t, Nick. They did,” the tears were now flooding from Emily’s eyes faster than she could clear them away. The sudden feeling of loneliness was more than she could handle. Crawling up in a ball and hiding away was becoming more and more appealing.

Not knowing any better, Nick instinctively walked over to Emily’s bed, sat down next to her, engulfing her in a close hug. He held her as tightly as he could, refusing to let go until she told him to. She didn’t tell him to. Nick’s actions instantaneously eradicated the forlorn feelings that consumed Emily’s mind just moments earlier. He was her best friend for a reason, and for the first time in all the years they’d know each other, he showed it more sincerely than ever before.


The week went by somewhat slowly, capturing every moment and every emotion. There were days that were perfet, and there were days when reality was so intenes that it was almost too painful to bear. Nick stayed in Emily’s room every day, helping her through her nightmares and supporting her as she recovered. What Nick had done for Emily over the last two months was more than she could ever thank him for, but she was thankful. He went out of his way for her, and he always did what he could to make her feel comfortable and happy.

It had been nine days since Emily had woken up and she still hadn’t heard from her parents. She wanted to hate them for what they were doing to her, but for some reason, it just didn’t seem worth it. She had her best friends with her, showing her how much they cared, and that was all she really needed. Still, Nick didn’t think it was something that should go ignored, and he continuously tried to convince Emily to reestablish communication with her parents.

“I guess I just don’t think it’s okay for your parents to get away with how they’re treating you.”

“But, Nick, they aren’t going to change. You know that. If they don’t want it then I don’t want it either.”

“Emily, it’s not that simple. If it was, then no one would care when someone left their life. It would be meaningless. What’s the point then?”

“You aren’t meaningless.”

He sighed, “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you feel that way, and you know you aren’t meaningless to me either, but you also know that this isn’t about you and me right now. I just don’t want you to have all these issues with your family when it’s so unnecessary.”

“I know, but that isn’t any easier, you know? I wish it was.”

“But you haven’t tried. You need to at least try before you give up.”

“Fine, I’ll call them later on. Right now, I don’t want to. I’m just happy I get to leave today, and I don’t want them ruining it. Is that fair enough?”

“It’s plenty fair. And I’m really glad you get to leave, too. I’m starting to hate this room,” he said with a laugh. “Do I still get to take you out to dinner tonight?”

“Only if you get me pizza…”

“Deal.”


Around three o’clock that day, Emily checked out of the hospital. She spent an hour thanking her doctors and nurses for all that they had done for her, but at last, she was free. Generously, Nick carried her belongings out to his car while he waited, then quickly made his way back up to the fourth floor where he continued to wait for Emily.

She was finally out of hospital clothes, and she looked more alive than ever before. As Nick stared at Emily from afar, watching her laugh and smile, he began to regret his past with her even more than he already did. He was well aware of how special she was to him, and the more in love with her he fell, the more he hated himself for hurting her in the past.

After waiting several more minutes, Emily was finally ready to make her departure from the hospital. One of the nurses handed her a final bag filled with small odds and ends from her room. Nick walked over to her, glad that he would be exiting the building for good, and reached his right hand out to Emily. She looked up at him, a smile gracing her face, and accepted his offer. Their fingers interlocked, and they both held on tightly, afraid of losing the other. As they made their way through the hallways, hand in hand, happier than ever, they knew things had changed, but for once, neither cared.