9

Tw: mentions of crash,

I heard him. He was talking to me.

He was there. My boy, he was there. I tried to wake up and to tell him how much I love him, but the darkness wouldn't let me go.

But then, he sounded sad. He said he was sorry he couldn't remember me. How couldn't he?

He left, and I was alone with the weight of darkness and the confusion of why Tyler couldn't remember me.

~*~

A few days passed full of testing and head scans to see if Tyler was alright.

His memory hadn't come back, it was all hazy. If he tried remembering anything before the crash, his head would ache and his vision would blur.

Sometimes they would let him out of his room to see Josh. He wouldn't do much but stare at the pale, lifeless boy that somehow was still holding on to life.

Other times he sat by the window and watched all the patients below, leaving after recovering, or wrote in his notebook.

The notebook was to sort out his thoughts, ones that were confusing. It was also to help remember things or to keep record of the dreams he had.

He was just about to finish writing for the millionth time what happened after the crash when his nurse came in the room.

"Mr. Joseph, we would like to take you to Mr. Dun's room." She said, holding the door open.

"Why? I can't do much anyway, he still hasn't woken up." Tyler set his pen down.

"That's why we want you there. When you were talking to him, he had positive responses. His vitals are slowly coming back, but he needs that little push and we believe that it's you who can help wake him up."

"Me? That can't be possible, how is that possible?" He slid the notebook off his lap and sat up more.

"I'm told you guys were in a relationship, right? He probably recognizes your voice and is trying to respond."

Tyler was a little shocked by this. Yeah, everyone kept telling him that they were in a relationship, a good one too, but he just couldn't remember. Not to mention that Josh recognizes his voice and is trying to wake up.

He nods and carefully gets up, following the nurse to Josh's room.

When he arrives, he sees that there is at least two other nurses and a doctor standing there waiting.

"Have a seat." Tyler's nurse says as she motions to the chair beside Josh's bed.

He didn't need to be told what to do. He had been in there plenty of times before and always sat in the same spot, right beside his bed.

He carefully made his way and made himself comfortable in the chair. "What do I do now?" He looked up at all the nurses and the doctor.

"Talk to him," said the doctor. "Do what you normally do."

Tyler looked back to Josh. This was already incredibly awkward, the nurses and doctor checking all the screens and monitors to take notes of what happens while Tyler talks to him.

"Hey..." He finally said. "I know I haven't talked for a while, but I've been here. I've always been here."

Nothing happened, the only noise being the rhythmic beeps of the monitor for his heart.

He gently grabbed his hand, talking softly again. "I'm here. Can you hear me? It's been almost a week, you need to come back..."

The heart monitor sped up a bit, the doctor and nurses scribbling things down and checking on Josh every few minutes.

"Wake up, Josh. I'm not done yet, wake up." He gently squeezed his hand. "Come on..."

Josh squeezed his hand in response.

Tyler's eyes flew open. He may not remember Josh but it was good to see he was responding and waking up. "That's it! That's it, you're almost there!"

The nurses gathered around the bed to make sure they were there when he woke up.

"Come on, Josh! Wake up!" Tyler broke into a smile, seeing the boy gently tilt his head to the side as his eyelids struggled to open.

His eyes fluttered open, the brightness making him squint them shut. He tightened his grip on Tyler's hand and looked at him.

"Tyler." He breathed out, his face changing to pain, but was also happy to see him, while his heartbeat leapt.

Tyler quit smiling. Josh remembered him. Josh remembered, and he didn't.