Hamilton blinked back his tears as he watched Jake, his most prized and beautiful possession, through the back window of the limousine. He already missed holding her. Now, alone, he had to be honest with himself. Their future was so uncertain. He really had no idea what to do. Talking to his Dad again was still an option but he seemed to be more interested in his Dean role, as usual. Hamilton would be glad to be home, though, but nothing compared to the perfect feeling he had being with Jake. Hamilton looked out the tinted window. They had crossed a bridge over the polluted Hudson River and were now on the Jersey Turnpike. All around him were trucks and factories. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by cars screeching and horns honking loudly. He saw a truck smash into another truck next to the limousine and it started to fall over. Then, it was dark. . . . Jake stared down at her coffee mug. It was the one Hamilton had made for her the other day at 'Our Name is Mud'. As her lips touched the brim, her eyes fell on the words painted perfectly on the sides, 'I LOVE YOU LOTS!' She let out a sigh. When would she get to feel the warmth and comfort of his arms again? Jake looked across the table at the envelope holding Hamilton's photographs. She leaned forward and opened it. Inside, there were new pictures she had never seen before, some of Rawley Lake, the school grounds, various artistic angles of the woods and more. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the next one, Hamilton's first glimpse of her on her motorcycle. 'Wow, that feels like ages ago.' she thought. The phone rang. Hoping it would be Hamilton calling form the car, she shouted "I GOT IT!" Jake quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?" she asked excitedly. On the other side of the phone, a calm woman's voice seriously responded, "Yes, hello. Can I please talk to a Miss J. Pratt?" Jake surprised at the call being for her said, "This is she, how can I help you?" "I am calling from St. John's Hospital in New Jersey. I am sorry to inform you that Hamilton Flemming has been in a very serious accident involving…” Jake phased out. She stopped breathing. Hamilton was hurt. It was all her fault. If only… "Hello? Are you still there?" The nice woman asked. Jake snapped out of her delirium. "Yes, I'm here. Is he-is he, okay?" Jake said choking up. "Actually, he's fallen into a coma. But just before he did, he requested to see you." "Oh my god. I'm coming right away." Jake said and hung up the phone. Jake slumped back into her chair and buried her face in her hands. If anything happened to Hamilton her life would not be worth living. She had endured too much pain in the past and couldn't bear to think of living through any more. She hoped he knew how much she loved him; she knew he did but she wanted to say it to him now a million times. Standing up, Jake put on her leather jacket. Unconscious to everything but her own thoughts, she got on her motorcycle and started to make her way across town to the George Washington Bridge. After about half an hour on the turnpike, she started seeing signs for the hospital. She got out at the exit and soon enough, the brick building came into view. As she parked in the lot and walked through the sliding doors, tears started to fill her eyes. She never thought she'd have to experience this moment. They were so young, an entire life of love ahead of them. She cringed when she thought of the pain he must be feeling and nearly broke down right there in the hallway at the thought of losing him, the only perfect thing in her life. Jake reached the front desk and asked in a daze to see Hamilton. An older nurse guided her to her room, filling her in on statistics and information that meant little to her. "Is he going to be okay?" Jake asked, cutting in on the nurse's ramble. They stopped walking and stood outside his door. "Well, things are looking alright. As far as we can tell by the tests we've conducted already, he's only broken his right leg. Unfortunately, he is still a coma. That is not unusual for patients who've been through a shock like that. You know, sweetie I can't tell you how lucky he was. A huge 16-wheeler fell onto his limousine. The driver was killed instantly." Jake nodded. "Can I please see him?" She managed to get out. "Of course, Dearie. We contacted his parents and they're catching the next flight, they should be here late tonight or early tomorrow morning." The Nurse said and walked off. Jake slowly opened the door, afraid of how she might find Hamilton on the other side. As his bed came into view, Jake nearly gasped at the site of her beau lying still on the bed. He had a scratch across his forehead and his leg was propped up, but other then that, he looked like a perfect angel in a worriless sleep. Jake sat down in the chair next to him and put her hand on his face. She was so absorbed in him that the constant beeping sound of his heartbeat didn't even affect her. He looked so peaceful, despite the scary events that he must have gone through earlier. Jake wanted to be there for him like he always had for her, to hold him and comfort him. She wanted to talk to him and kiss him and be as close to him as she could. But she couldn't. He was in a sleep too deep to be awakened and the bars on the side of the bed kept her from holding him and being close to him. She took his hand and touched it to her face. She needed him to know how much she loved him. "I love you, Hammie, lots and lots. I need you so be strong, Okay?" she whispered to him. She was feeling so many feelings, love, desire, frustration, and anger. She just wanted him to hear her; she wanted everything to be okay, to be perfect. Jake cried silently, still holding on to him. . . . Kate had gotten the mortifying call a few hours ago. It was every mother's nightmare. Hamilton was in an accident and now in a coma. She was numb and in a daze. Steve was in the kitchen, pacing back and forth. Kate came in and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Steve, this is our fault. We drove him off; we didn't understand what his heart was telling us. He's such a great boy Steve, you should have taken the time to get to know him better, and you can learn so much from him, so can I. I have never seen anyone more in love with a girl and with life then he is. Oh Steve! We drove him away and now…” Kate was distraught. Her husband gave her a hug. They stood there in the middle of the kitchen hugging and just swaying. He hoped this wouldn't be all that was left to his family. Hamilton was the glue that kept them together; he was their reason for loving each other, in order to be the best parents they could be. But he hadn't been the best parent he could be. He knew it. God, if he could just talk to Hamilton one more time he would make everything okay. He wanted to get to know his son, to learn about his reason for living, this interesting girl, Jacqueline. He just hoped it wasn't too late. Steve broke apart their embrace. "We should get going to the airport now, Honey." Kate nodded in response and grabbed the small overnight bag she had packed for them. Then, they went up to the school to leave Finn responsible for the school in their absence and to talk to Will and Scout, Hamilton's friends. "Thank you, Steve, My blessing are to you and Hamilton. Call me if you need anything, anything at all, and do send him and Jake my regards." Finn said seriously after being handed the keys to the school and a long list of responsibilities. He was stunned to hear about Hamilton's accident. "Would you like me to talk to Scout and Will for you, Sir? You seem to be in a hurry." Finn offered. "Actually, that would be quite helpful." Steve said. "You can give them my mobile number if they want to know how he's doing." "I will, Steve." Finn said shaking his boss' and his friend's hand. With that, Steve put his arm around his wife comfortingly and walked off. Finn rushed down the corridor and the up the staircase to deliver this new to Hamilton's best friends. In his mind, he was practicing how he would tell them. He was troubled by the mere thought of the Dean losing his son and his students losing their friend. He just prayed that Hamilton would be okay. Then, the thought struck him, "Oh my God! What is Jake going to do?" It was such a mess. Finn was actually scared. He came to the boy's door and knocked quickly. "Come in!" Scout shouted. "Hi Scout, is Will here?" Finn asked looking around the room. Will emerged form the bottom of the closet. "Hey Finn." he said nonchalantly. "Hi, Mr. Krudski. Might I ask what you were doing down there?" Finn asked. "Oh yeah, I go down there when I need to concentrate on my writing. I know it's weird but there's not much space to think in a quiet spot around here…;not that I'm complaining." Will finished quickly. Finn chuckled. "It's alright Will, I completely understand." "So, what bring you to this neck of the woods?" Scout asked. "Actually, I have to be the bearer of some bad news. Sit down boys." Finn said. Will and Scout looked at each other worriedly, not knowing what to think; yet every possibility running threw their minds. The sat on their beds respectively and looked anxiously at their teacher. "Yes boys. Have you heard form Jake and Hamilton lately?" Finn asked. "Yeah, actually we spoke with them on the phone a few days ago. Well, at least me and Bella did." Scout said. "Bella and I." Finn corrected him. "And how are they?" "They're genuinely happy. They're a very interesting couple those too, but I've never met anyone so in love in my life." Scout said smiling. Will nodded, looking deep into Finn's eyes, trying to see where he was going. "That's so nice." Finn said. "So, what did you come to tell us Finn?" Will asked. "Well, Hamilton was on his way home late this morning and his car was hit by a truck on the highway." Scout and Will stared at Finn with their mouths wide open, dreading what his next line might be. "Oh my God. Finn, he's okay right? Was Jake with him?" Will asked terrified. "He's in the hospital. He broke his leg and now he's in a coma. He should be fine but I just thought you should know, being his friends and all. The dean and his wife have gone to see him and they told me to let you know you can call them later and see how he is. Here's their number. Once again, I'm sorry about having let you know this. As far as I know, Jake wasn't involved at all." Finn said looking at the floor. "Thanks Finn" Scout managed to get out. Finn turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Oh my god, Scout, Hamilton…” Will said, not blinking. "We should go tell Bella." Scout said. "Leave it to you to think about your girlfriend at a time like this." Will said, trying to lighten the tone. They both threw on their jackets and left. . . . Jake had dozed off, still holding onto Hamilton's warm hand. She was quickly awakened when a different nurse entered to take Hamilton's pulse and blood pressure and make sure everything was okay. The nurse smiled at Jake. "Hi, sweetie. Sorry to bother you, just doing my rituals." The nurse said smiling at Jake sympathetically. "So, he's your boyfriend, is he?" "Oh, he's more than just my boyfriend, he's my best friend, and the love of my life." Jake said, feeling strangely comfortable with this young nurse. The nurse smiled. "Wow, that's wonderful, I hope to find my true love someday. Rather then my sleazy boyfriend who lays around my apartment watching TV all day." she laughed. "Oh, by the way, I'm Jennifer but most people call me Jenny." "Hi, nice to meet you Jenny. My name is Jacqueline but most people call me Jake." "Jake, I like that." Jenny said. "Hamilton here was very lucky. Lets just hope he wakes up soon." she continued, trying to put a sincere smile on Jake's face. "Yes, let's hope so." Jake agreed. "How long can comas last? I mean, if they don't lead to…you know…” "Yeah, unfortunately I do know. Most patients make it out of comas, especially trauma patients but they have lasted anywhere from a day to a month to longer. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, I'm no doctor." "That's okay, thanks for everything." Jake said, looking sadly at Hamilton's peaceful face. "Is there anything I can get you? A drink, a snack, anything at all?" "No thanks, I'm fine for now." Jake replied. Jenny gave her one more compassionate smile, fixed a wrinkle in Hamilton's blanket and walked out. Jake sighed and looked and her love, her everything. "Please wake up, Munchie" she whispered in his ear. For a second she thought she saw a response from him, only to realize it was her wishful thinking. . . . The Flemming's taxi pulled up at the hospital doors at eleven thirty that night. They hoped Hamilton hadn't been alone all day long. Kate nervously slipped her hand into her husband's. The plastic smell of the hospital was making her sick to her stomach. A friendly nurse showed them the way to their son's room. Steve looked over at Kate and opened the door. Kate sighed when she saw her son sleeping peacefully and Jake sleeping in the chair beside him holding her hand. "Steve, look." she whispered. "She must have been here all day, look at her face, she's so worried, they're so in love." Steve nodded, clearly noticing this as well. Jake suddenly stirred and woke up; surprised to see she wasn't alone. She jumped out of her seat offering it to Kate. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Flemming." she said, trying to act friendly. "Hi sweetie, thank you for coming and being here when we couldn't. How long have you been here?" Kate asked. "Um, I came this morning shortly after it happened, they called me right away. He still hasn't woken up yet." Jake said, trying as hard as possible not to cry in front of his parents, especially the dean. "Oh, Sweetie." Kate said, pulling her in for a hug that both of them needed. Steve just stood there, not knowing what to say. He saw the love, sincerity and sadness in this girl's eyes. His heart wept knowing that he had contributed to this situation. Suddenly, Hamilton stirred and all three of them noticed immediately. "Hamilton?" Jake asked excitedly. Hamilton was starting to shake uncontrollable. Jake was so scared, she had never seen anything like it before. She pulled the nurse's cord profusely and ran into the hall to call a nurse or doctor. The older nurse that had brought her to Hamilton's room earlier came running into the room. "What's going on?" she asked. "Well, he started to wake up and now he's just shaking!" Steve said in a terrified tone. Kate and Jake just stood on the side, not wanting to look but having to at the same time. A doctor entered the room. "Hi, I'm Dr Mathews, Could you please leave the room for a little while? I'm sorry to have to separate you from your son but we just need to check something out." The three of them filed out of the room; Kate and Steven holding hands, Jake alone and petrified. Outside of the room, Steven finally spoke to Jake who was sitting in a chair with her legs curled up under her. "Jake, uh, Jacqueline..." he said. "Jake is fine, Sir." she replied. "Yes. Jake, This is a very scary situation for all of us. I cannot tell you enough how sorry I am for being so arrogant and causing such hardships for you. I hope you understand that I had to battle my role as Dean and my role as father and I only did what I did because you went against and embarrassed the entire school and myself. Nonetheless, My son means much more to me than a million schools. I should have realized that last week and I'm so sorry that it took this kind of situation to wake me up. I'm so sorry, sweetie." he finished. "Sir, that means so much to me. Right now, the only thing I'm concerned with is Hamilton being okay. Oh God, I can't live without him." Jake said, starting to cry. Kate stood up and put her hand lovingly on Jake's shoulder. "Neither can we, Jacqueline, neither can we." she said, slumping down, next to Jake. Just then, Dr. Mathews came out of Hamilton's room smiling. All three of them stood up immediately. "What is it Doctor?" Steven asked. "He's awake now. A little drowsy and confused, but fully awake." |
| Perfect |
| Part 8 |
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