After the Fire

A scene from Forever Sixteen.

     Tiny as she was, the girl was dead weight in Ryland's arms and he was beginning to tire. He glanced down at her, her usually pale face was turning a deathly pale blue. When he was sure they were far enough away from the burning hospital, he collapsed onto a grassy lawn in front of a store whose darkened windows showed it was closed. He cradled her in his arms with her body half lying in the grass, half leaning limply against his chest as he checked her vitals. He could feel no breath at all coming from her cold lips and her pulse was so faint he couldn't be sure if he wasn't entirely imagining it. He gave a low moan as he watched her.  

     He was silly to think she'd wake up. She hadn't woken up in 10 years and even if she had been close to waking up the past few weeks, she was weak. He couldn't expect her to have survived all the smoke. No. There was no use trying to save her. She was gone.... Ryland's cheeks were suddenly wet. How had that happened. Don't be stupid. Ryland scolded himself, people die all the time, this is no different.  

    He forced himself to look away from the girl, watching people running frantically across the streets, sirens blaring and the black smoke billowing up into the gray sky. Ryland shifted position, then something tugged his sleeve. 

   The girl... 

    Sure enough, her slender fingers were unmistakably curled into the fabric of his jacket and they had not been a second ago. 

    Desperately grabbing for even the slightest hope, Ryland laid the girl flat on her back in the grass, one of hands supporting her head. Gently he set his mouth against hers and breathed in and then out. In and then out. Just as he's done numerous times as a paramedic. 

    Sitting back for a moment, he inhaled sharply. Her eyes were open. Two terrified brown eyes were staring back at him. The girl tried frantically to breath, gasping for air, but within a few seconds her eyes rolled back her head once again. After giving her CPR twice more, Ryland was finally able to make the girl breath on her own. Supported by Ryland's arms she struggled to sit upright, coughing and choking from all the smoke she'd inhaled.

     And Ryland, although almost giddy with relief that she was alive, and even more impossibly, awake, was flustered as to what he would say to her now that she was awake. Though he had spent almost the past year trying to wake up the mysterious girl, now that she was really awake, he was suddenly flooded with doubt, I don't even know who she is.. What she's like.. Who's she going to remember.. She doesn't know me.. 

     Ryland's thoughts were interrupted as the girl tried to speak, her voice coming out horse and intelligible and ending in a fit of coughing. When she had regained her breath, she tried again, speaking more forcefully this time, her melodic voice suddenly bursting out after years of imprisonment. "What the hell happened?!" 

     Ryland was too shocked to say anything for a moment. She had a distinct accent he'd never heard before, so very different from himself and all the people he'd ever met. Then, recovering himself, he responded slowly, trying to be calm.

"Well there was a fire in the hospital.. I had to get you out... They're still trying to get the fire under control."

The girl just nodded grimly.

"Um.." Ryland wasn't sure how to ask, but he had to know, "what's your name?"

The girl stared at him for a moment, then spoke again with effort, it was clear speech was still difficult for her, "I'm Tessa."

Ryland smiled, "Unique name! I'm.."

The girl named Tessa cut him off, "Ryland... Right?"

"Yeah...I'm Ryland... How.." Ryland looked at her in surprise, "you could hear me, couldn't you?"

Tessa smiled for the first time, it made her look different..beautiful really...

"Yeah... I heard.. Well.. Everything."

Ryland's face flushed.

"You mean..everything... Like.. Everything?" Ryland shifted his eyes uncomfortably, "like this whole last year? Or just recently?"

Tessa frowned, "A whole year? I hadn't realized it had been so long since you first came..." She stopped to gasp for air, "but yes... I've heard everything since I first was put in this coma."