Arwen felt as though she was in a deep, comfortable sleep. Her body no longer felt any pain, and she sensed a continuous presence by her side, as if somebody stayed with her day and night.
The person wouldn't speak but he would be there, holding her hand and caressing it to make her feel comfortable and relaxed. His identity was a mystery to her, but for some reason, his presence no longer felt foreign.
Arwen didn't know how many more days she had to sleep, but she was growing tired of this deep and dark slumber. She felt simply trapped in a room with the lights off.
Suddenly, amidst that darkness around, she felt something move. She walked in the direction to check and saw the darkness change suddenly. She was still trapped in the sleep, but no longer in the same black room. Now, she could see the street back from her childhood — the same lane she used to take to her high school.
She was contemplating what was happening when she saw her younger self appear in the same old uniform from high school. This day seemed more familiar than any other time, and then Arwen realized why.
It was familiar because it was the day she first met Ryan.
On normal days, her family's car would drop her off at school. But due to her stubbornness that day, she deliberately chose to walk.
Arwen's brows furrowed a little as she tried to remember the events of that day. And just as she did, she heard a yell and then a screech. She looked back to check what happened but then the scene shifted to another. This time, it was the decor of the hospital.
Her father's joyous face came into view as she saw herself waking up after the concussion, all weak and pale.
Yes, on that day, she had gotten into an accident, where she had lost consciousness on the spot and was brought to the hospital. It was only after she woke that she realized how lucky she was to be alive after the incident.
"Arwen, how many times have we told you to be mindful on the road? See, what would have happened if Ryan hadn't found you there in time? Your father and I wouldn't have known that you got yourself in trouble." She heard her mother speak and her eyes darted to look at the young boy standing on the side.
He looked the same even back then —tall and handsome. The only difference was that now a little more maturity had been added to his features.
"Oh, you might not know him yet. Let me introduce you to him." Her mother spoke once again. "He is Ryan Foster, son of my best friend. You might not remember him, but you know him. Both of you had spent a considerable time together in childhood until he moved abroad with his family. Now they have returned and, Ryan will be joining your school."
And from then on, she came to know who Ryan Foster was — a childhood sweetheart who later grew up and became her fiancé.
But wait, Arwen couldn't understand why she was being reminded of that day now. It was an old story that was there in her memory, but she never thought of reminiscing or reliving it. It was just there, in the journal of her heart, like any other of the day of her life.
She was trying to figure out why she was revisiting this page of her life when, from the corner of her eye, she caught young Arwen's gaze looking out of the room. Her gaze seemed to hold some confusion that Arwen couldn't register.
She followed her younger self's gaze and saw another young boy's silhouette. He had already turned his back, ready to leave. Since she was watching all this happen from her younger self's memory, she didn't have the power to move and check who the boy was.
Young Arwen might have seen him, but she hadn't kept him in her memory. And with the way he turned his back, she guessed that he never returned after that day.
Suddenly, it was all back to darkness. Arwen thought that she returned to the same dark place, only to see a small ray of light brightening up the ambience. She heard a voice and recognized it as belonging to some nurse.
"She is waking up. I should call a doctor."
When Arwen opened her eyes, she caught the back of the nurse rushing out — probably to call the doctor. Her eyes looked around, and as she had guessed, she didn't die; someone had saved her.
She had a blurry recollection of all everything. Although she doubted it was Ryan, there was still a chance he had come back to rescue her. She needed to confirm it before sending him her gratitude.
The doctor came in soon after to check on her. Taking note of all the vitals, he smiled and said, "You have recovered well. But we still have to wait for Dr. Clark to see you once."
"Dr. Clark?" Arwen wasn't very familiar with the name.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, Dr. Clark. He is your attending physician as well, and it was his surgery that helped you recover so well and so quickly. When he comes later, you will be able to meet him."
"I underwent surgery.?" she asked. Although she knew she had been badly injured in the accident, she hadn't felt anything like scalpels touching her skin. In fact, she barely felt any pain.
"The surgery was important to save you. You had a deep head injury and some broken bones. But you were fortunate that Dr. Clark performed your surgery. With him, you might not have felt a thing."
The doctor explained, and Arwen nodded looking at herself. "So, was it Dr. Clark who brought me here? Did he save me?" she asked, and the doctor exchanged a gaze with the nurse who was standing by his side.