I held her hand. She was sleeping, or so it seemed. She had been sleeping a long time.

I thought about the last day she was awake. It had rained, oddly enough. It was a cold rain, dreary, soaking everything and everyone to the bone. She talked to me on her cell while she was commuting to work. Boring stuff, daily plans; she liked to be organized and sharing those plans aloud made it permanent in her mind.

She never made it to her hair appointment. We were going up to the lake that weekend too, for a mini vacation… I need it more now than before. If she wakes up, I’ll promise her we’ll go!

I will her to wake up. My thumb lightly strokes her soft skin. She enjoyed her manicures with parafin!

I hear a quickened beep on the heart monitor. I look at her. Is she waking? One eye flutters. I hold my breath!

Her eyes open slightly. I catch a glimpse of her turquoise irises.

“Katie?”
She looks at me and her mouth opens. No sound comes out.
“Don’t try to talk, your face was burned, hon; in the explosion.”