Love Notes - By Heather Gunter Page 0,42

hospital and get her checked out.”

I don’t remember anything after that. I wake up in a hospital bed in a hospital gown with my mother and Tori sitting in a chair in the sterile smelling room.

“Maverick, oh my gosh Maverick, how is he? I need to know now.”

I start to climb out of the bed, when my mother rushes to my side, “No you don’t Charlie, get back in bed and I will find out for you.”

I know this is awful but I can’t help but think, what in the hell is my mom doing here? It’s the most caring I have seen in her in a very long time, if ever.

Tori walks over to my bed and places her hand in mine. “When I was trying to get in touch with you, your mom answered your phone. Your mom said that you were in the hospital, I was so scared. I didn’t know until I finally arrived that you were safe. I mean, she said you were, but I needed to know for sure. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had ever happened to you. We may not have known each other long but it feels like I’ve known you all my life.”

She doesn’t wait for me to respond. “Charlie, you know he will be fine, right?” I look at Tori straight in the eye, “I hope so.”

Waiting for my mother to come back in, so I can find out about Maverick, is the worst kind of pain. Everything runs through your mind.

Before I got in the Jeep, did I tell him that I loved him? Did he truly know how I felt about him?

It seems like an eternity before my mother finally shows back up.

“Well, what did they say?”

She looks at me with a sad look in her eyes. “Charlie, he’s not good, he will eventually be physically fine. He has a lot of injuries. He has a concussion bruises and whiplash. To top it all off, his knee is hyper-extended in the accident and will require surgery.”

This was all Greek to me. “Okay, what does a hyper-extended knee mean?”

“Well, from what I understand, the impact from the accident caused his knee to be pushed inward causing it to be bent unnaturally. Charlie, this means that his chances for playing football are pretty slim. To be honest, he will probably never play football again. His career and hope for a college scholarship are over.”

I close my eyes and keep them closed and just keep repeating to myself, “He’s alive, he’s alive. He will be fine, he’s alive.”

I glance at my mother, “I need to see him mom. I need to see for myself, I have to.”

“First, we need to talk to your doctor before we let you out of this bed and I honestly don’t know if they are allowing visitors. We need to check with his parents.”

I love Maverick’s mother and know where Mav got his gorgeous blue eyes from. His father was just as wonderful. First time he met me I was on the receiving end of a huge bear hug. I loved them immediately and they were so welcoming of me. They would not allow me to call them Mr. and Mrs. Hardy. They were Robert and Carol to me. I knew they were the reason their son was the way he was. They raised him to be the perfect man.

“Mom, please get that damn doctor in here and let's talk. I need to see Maverick as soon as possible.”

I don’t normally say anything even slightly near a curse word to my mom but she doesn’t say anything and leaves the room to find the doctor.

Chapter 27-Charlie

He needs me and I should be there by his side. My heart feels as if it’s going to thump right out of my chest. I never doubted my love for him, never. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he has my heart and I have his. I’m just not sure how he’s going to take the news, and I feel like I need to be there with him. I’m scared, terrified and feel a mix of emotions. All of the thoughts are running rampant when my mom walks in, with an older looking Doctor with a kind face.

“Charlie, My name is Dr. Bennett. You were brought in because you were in shock. I believe you witnessing the trauma of the accident and seeing someone who I’m told you are close to,