In The Arms Of A Soulmate - Chapters One and Two

Chapter One - Not so "All in the Past"

I grabbed the blade. It was cold. A shiver erupted through my body. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. But he deserved this. He deserved to feel guilty for what he did. I held my wrist out in front of me and put the knife in place. As I drew the blade back, I could feel the warmth of the blood from my vain spill over my skin, down my arm. It felt like I was free. For a moment. A tear slid down my cheek, terrified that this would be my last thought. The thought of him. Him. The man who ruined me. My eyes rolled back in my head and everything went black.

"Don't do that!" I said with a giggle.
"Do what?" Jason asked with a smirk.
"You know exactly what!" He was tickling me right above my hips, my weak point. "I'm not going to tell you, Jason, so just give it up!" I was laughing hysterically.
"Oh, come on Mel, give it up already. You will eventually. You know you will. It's probably not even as bad as you think it is."

"Yes. Yes, it really is. I'm too embarrassed, let it go." I giggled again when he started tickling me. I grabbed both of his hands and kissed them. Leaning back into his chest again, he relaxed his hands on my stomach and kissed the top of my head.

We were sitting on his bed playing 'Truth' like we usually do this time of week. Basically, Truth was Truth or Dare minus the Dare. This was the time we got to ask each other anything. He just asked me what I first noticed when I met him. It was his cheekbones, so defined, and his mouth, his smile and his laugh. Also, it was his eyes and how they were green, but one of them had a tint of brown and the other had specks of blue. I was too embarrassed to tell him all of that. So he tried to tickle it out of me. It was nice to just relax and talk. To let my worries float away while I just sit by Jason.

"Okay. Fine you don't have to answer that one but I get to ask you another one."
"Deal," I said proud of my stubbornness. "Ask away."

I looked back at him and he had a really intense look on his face. It scared me a little. My smile faded. "You promised you won't get mad, right? I don't want to make you mad."
Uh-oh. That's not good. But I went along with it anyway. "Sure. I won't get mad, I swear."

I turned back around and Jason grabbed my left hand. He started rubbing the bottom of my wrist. It was pale and his hands felt like fire against it. "What's this scar from?"
At that moment, I was glad he couldn't see my face. I about broke out in tears. But I managed to hold it in. I looked down at my wrist but quickly looked back up. I looked straight at his pale blue bedroom walls.

"Melanie. Melanie! Are you awake? Oh, God, Melanie, what the hell did you do? Wake up. Someone call 911! PLEASE, somebody help!" Someone's cold hands were feeling me all over. My arms, my forehead, my neck, my cheeks. The voice was my sister's. "Damien," I heard myself mumble. But it was only in my head. My eyes were still closed and my body was numb to everything except anything cold. I could see my body. How was that possible? I saw her, my sister, weeping over me. Even though I saw my body, I couldn't move. My body felt like it was being held back by an elastic sheet of some sort. I was dead. Or in Limbo. Or just crazy. What the hell was going on? Then everything slowly went black again.

"Melanie?" Jason asked. "Are you alright? You're not mad right? You look pale. Melanie?"
"Ms. Chambers, are you awake? Ms. Chambers. Melanie, can you hear me? She's not responding; we need to try something else, now! I am not losing this patient," an urgent voice ordered. A familiar voice.

"What's wrong, Mel, answer me!" His voice was getting frightened but there was nothing I could do.
"What's wrong, Dr. Suarez?" someone asked. My mom. "Is she alright? Is Melanie going to be alright?" Like she cared. Like that bitch cared if I even lived.
"I'm calling the hospital, Mel, if you don't answer me soon."

"She's in stable conditions, Maria, but she slipped into a coma. She will be out within a few days, but keep a close watch. Talk to her, read to her, even sing to her. Bring in some things from home, scents she might recognize. Anything to get her out of the coma faster. She needs to be surrounded by familiar things, scents, people."
I was being shaken. "Mel, answer me now!" I couldn't help him. I couldn't nod, blink, twist; I couldn't even scream. I couldn't do a damn thing to get out of it! I felt him get off the bed and gently set me down.

"We're losing her! Dr. Chase, get Dr. Evans now! We can't let her slip away! Hang in there, Mel, you can do it. I know you have some health problems but that doesn't mean you can just give up." You think he cared? No. He was doing this for my mom. He was madly in love with her. No one cared. Only my sister and brother. My dad would care if he wasn't dead.

I finally got out. Away from that terrible nightmare. That memory. Or, more fitting, those memories. "Jason," I mumbled. But it was too late. I was already in an ambulance. Back there.

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Chapter Two

"Why am I here?" I mumbled, just loud enough for one of the EMT's to hear.
"She's responsive!" he shouted to what must have been his partner. All of a sudden my body went cold, my mind felt blurry somehow and I fell asleep. But not before, I felt Jason's hand grasp mine.

LATER ON

I woke up in a hospital room. My mom was sitting on one side, Jason on the other. They both reacted instantly when I woke up. My mom looked annoyed while Jason looked concerned. "What did you do this time, Melanie Marie? I had to leave work for this."

I know I just woke up, but I felt wide awake. "You didn't have to do anything, Mother." I scoffed. "And I'm fine, thanks for asking. I don't know what happened."
"You passed out while we were playing truth," Jason said, moving my bangs behind my ear.

"Truth?" my mom asked disgusted. "What kind of childish game is that?"
"It's something me and Jason do," I snapped. "Mom, this is my boyfriend Jason. Jason, my mom."

My mom ignored my comment. "So tell me what happened, Jason."
He intertwined his fingers in mine and looked at her. "Well, we were playing truth and I asked her a question about her scar and she just stopped responding and after a few seconds she closed her eyes and I called 9-1-1."

My mom flinched at the word scar. But then she regained composure and looked at me. "Are you telling me I left work because you passed out?"
"I'm sorry, Mom, it's not like I told them to call you. You didn't have to come if you didn't want to!"
"Well, they're about to release you anyway," she said, getting up, "so I might as well leave now. Goodbye, Melanie."

"Bye," I mumbled. After she left the room I turned towards Jason. "I'm sorry you had to meet her under these circumstances. She would have been much more sophisticated and appropriate at dinner. And I'm so sorry for scaring you today."
"There is no reason to be sorry for that. It's not your fault," he said, kissing me on the cheek. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened or is it too soon?"
I hesitated, "I-"

"Melanie, your mother signed your release forms on her way out so you can leave now," the nurse said walking in, cutting me off.
"Okay, thanks."
"Your clothes are in a bag on the chair right over there." She pointed at the chair in the corner.

"Thanks, Anita," I said, looking at her name tag.
"Get better, sweetheart." She walked out the door, back to work.
"My cue to leave," Jason said smiling. "I'll wait outside the door to drive you home."
"Thanks, babe," I whispered, getting up out of the hospital bed.