A Love Melody

by Grace Roberts

  Delia turned to look at her and nodded. “I’ll come and get you if anything changes. Otherwise, I’ll wake you up before your shift starts.”

  Valerie thanked her, stared one last time at Ryan and reluctantly left the room.

  Chapter 26

  The day after the accident, once she’d recovered from the shock of everything that had happened, Valerie called Ryan’s family back in Ireland and informed his mother about his condition. Patricia Wyler’s shock came through the line as her voice cracked and she started sobbing. Both she and her husband were going through a bout of severe flu, with a stomach bug and high temperature, so flying to Boston to see Ryan would be impossible at the moment. Stephen, the eldest of Ryan’s two brothers, was currently on a plane headed to Dubai for a family vacation with his wife and their two sons, while Mark, the middle son, was in the hospital coping with his wife’s miscarriage that had happened just the night before. Valerie knew the couple already had a daughter but she hadn’t been aware that Mark’s wife was pregnant again.

  It was rather unfortunate that the whole Wyler family for one reason or another couldn’t fly out of Dublin to be at Ryan’s side. Patricia let out a sob and Valerie felt the need to reassure the woman, even though at the moment she couldn’t provide any good news.

  “Don’t worry, Patricia. I’ll call you every day and keep you posted. The worst is behind us, anyway.”

  She’d been taught never to lie to a patient or to the relatives, but telling Patricia that she didn’t know whether Ryan would wake up when she was stuck on the other side of the ocean would break the woman’s heart. Her youngest son was unconscious in a hospital bed in Boston and she couldn’t reach him—Valerie could imagine how the poor woman felt right now: just as helpless as she did.

  “Please, look after him, Valerie, and I’ll get on a plane as soon as I get better.”

  “I’ll never leave his side until he wakes up.” Not that she would’ve needed Patricia to ask her to—it was what she’d planned on doing as soon as Ryan was out of the operating room. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Try to get some rest and focus on your and Frank’s health. The flu bug this year is pretty nasty. You’ll never get rid of the symptoms and it’ll drag on for months if you don’t rest enough. Oh, and make sure you keep hydrated.”

  Patricia thanked her and, after some more reassuring from Valerie, she hung up. Valerie closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath before returning to Ryan’s side in the ICU, where he was still sleeping peacefully as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She sat by his bed and sandwiched his hand between hers. Now she only wished she could shut down that annoying voice that kept nagging at her, reminding her that he still wasn’t out of danger.

  After three days in the ICU, Ryan was moved to a standard room in the sixth-floor ward. They’d reduced the medications little by little and now all they had to do was wait for him to wake up.

  Valerie spent the days going up from the ER to his room and then back. When her shift was over, she would grab a snack from the vending machine and go up again to be with him. Although she couldn’t do much more than sit by his bed and hold his hand, talking to him in hopes he could hear her, she didn’t let this discourage her.

  She spent more time in his room than was necessary, but she just couldn’t help it. Even if she was off duty, she wanted to make sure that she was with him in case he needed her. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her colleagues or thought she knew best—the doctors taking care of Ryan were great, and definitely much more experienced than she was. She just couldn’t let anything happen to him—he was too important, not only because he was her patient and she was acting professionally, but because he was her life.

  She had known it ever since she first met him. Her life hadn’t been worth living until he’d walked into it—she’d never really felt whole without him. She had always thought she was feeling that way because he was her best friend and had always been the only person who truly understood her.

  She’d never realized, not until the moment she was about to lose him, with her hands wrapped around his heart, that what she felt for Ryan went way beyond friendship.

  What she felt was love.

  It was love, the feeling that had been burning inside her ever since he’d come into her life. It was love that so many times had made her want to take the first flight available and travel across the world just to be where he was and see his smile. It was love that had frozen the air in her lungs when his heart had stopped for a few seconds in the operating room.

  She’d been so stupid to think that she only cared about him as a friend, that feeling at home every time he was near was just because they had grown up together, just because they had shared the same passion for music. He had been traveling around the world unaware of the way she felt—mostly because she was unaware of her feelings herself.

  Maybe he didn’t feel the same; maybe she was still just a good friend to him, but could she live without letting him know, now that she’d realized what he really meant to her? No, she couldn’t. She had to let Ryan know her feelings; even if he had a girlfriend—a model nonetheless.

  She looked out the window. The rain poured down like tears from Heaven, and she wondered if it was because their grandpas were crying for Ryan. She prayed they looked down and helped Ryan feel better. She was a doctor but right now she could only hope for a miracle—and she was sure their grandfathers wouldn’t deny it.

  Downstairs a few reporters and fans waited in the rain in front of the entrance, hoping to get updates on Ryan’s condition. The news had spread fast and reporters from local and international newspapers and TV networks had gathered outside the hospital. They had tried to come inside as soon as the news had leaked, the morning after the accident, and she had needed the security guys to shove them outside.

  They knew by now she was the one taking care of him, and the first time she’d walked out, needing to go home to get changed, she had been assaulted, with cameras flashing and microphones coming up toward her from all directions. She hadn’t been able to leave the hospital in the past forty-eight hours, so Karen had brought her clean clothes and the toiletries she’d needed.

  In a way, she was glad she was forced to stay even when she wasn’t on duty, because that way she wouldn’t have to leave Ryan for a minute and would be there when he woke up.

  If he wakes up, her mind taunted her.

  He will wake up.

  Maybe if she kept saying it, it would be enough to convince the part of her mind that was connected to the doctor and not to Ryan’s friend, that he would be okay.

  She had stopped thinking like a doctor and had decided to pretend she didn’t know how critical his condition was. Miracles did happen, right? She had heard stories of people who’d nearly died and then woke up and went on living as if nothing had happened. She only had to hope, to pray, to wish really hard, and she knew God would listen to her.

  She moved away from the window and got close to Ryan’s bed. Her gaze went instinctively up to the screen displaying his vitals. Everything seemed okay, nothing had changed, which in a way was good because it meant that he hadn’t gotten worse, but it also meant that he hadn’t gotten any better either.

  She looked at him and touched his brow. He’d had a temperature the previous night, but she’d given him some ibuprofen to bring it down, and his brow was cool now. He seemed to sleep peacefully, and she smiled and brushed away a lock of hair that was sticking to his right temple.

  “You’ll be okay, Ryan. I promise.” She bent and kissed his brow, then stroked his cheek. “Man, you so need a shave!” She chuckled, as if she expected him to open his eyes and say something in response, just to tease her like he used to do. But when he didn’t, she sighed and plopped on the chair next to the bed. “You’ll be okay,” she repeated, wiping a tear from her cheek.

  “Valerie.”

  She gave a start when a man called her name. She turned her head around and met Kevin’s green eyes staring at her with
concern and an incredible amount of pain.

  “Kevin. It’s good to see you.” She stood up and walked toward him, straight into his open arms, letting him hold her and pretending it was Ryan hugging her.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I was in New York for a seminar. I’ve just come back this morning,” he said in a tone Valerie had never heard him use in all of the eleven years she’d known him. He’d always been the cheerful and slightly crazy artist, the one who chuckled and teased Ryan and Valerie endlessly. “How is he?”

  “I don’t know.” She cleared her throat, fighting back the tears. She was a doctor and was supposed to be professional and detached. She had to look strong and in control, even though she felt anything but. “We’ve reduced the medications, so now it’s all up to him. He’ll have to wake up on his own. There’s nothing else we can do.”

  Kevin squeezed her a little and released his hug, taking a step back.

  “He’d kill me if he saw me hugging you,” he teased, looking at Ryan as if he half expected him to wake up and scold him. This was more like the Kevin she knew.

  Valerie chuckled. “Don’t worry; I won’t tell him.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Kevin asked then, looking at her with soft eyes and a worried frown. “Karen told me you haven’t been home ever since he was brought in. If you need me to stay here with him, or to bring you food or clothes, you only have to say it, you know?”

  Valerie nodded, and thanked him. Kevin and Karen were her closest friends besides Ryan, and she was grateful she had them to support her now. She wouldn’t have been able to make it on her own.

  Karen walked in at that moment, looking at Ryan first and then at Valerie with a frown.

  “Hey, honey.” Kevin kissed her lovingly and Valerie smiled. They looked so sweet together. “I came here straight from the airport. You off now?”

  Karen nodded. “Why don’t you take Valerie to the cafeteria and make sure she eats something, while I keep an eye on Ryan?” Valerie opened her mouth to object, but Karen raised a hand in front of her face. “You won’t be much help if you collapse. Go eat something. Just humor me this once. I’ll page you if anything changes.”

  Valerie looked at Ryan and bit on her bottom lip, hesitating. She didn’t want to leave him. She didn’t want him to wake up and not find her there. But when Karen spun her around and pushed her out of the room, she couldn’t help but follow Kevin to the elevator that would take them to the cafeteria. While he was chatting about his stay in New York, trying to lighten the mood, she thought back to the first time she’d met him and the memory brought a smile to her face. He’d always been a good friend to Ryan—and he was now too, more than ever.

  Chapter 27

  *** Twelve years earlier ***

  Valerie had been in Boston for three days, but she hadn’t been able to meet up with Ryan since the day she had arrived. She’d been busy exploring the campus and attending seminars for new students, but today she’d be free—it was time she spent some quality time with her best friend, before classes started and they were both too busy to hang out.

  She was curious to see his room and meet his roommate; they’d talked about him, and from what Ryan had told her, he seemed like a funny guy.

  She pressed speed dial, and Ryan picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, Val!” he greeted her with his familiar chuckle, and she imagined him sitting on his bed with his legs crossed and a big grin on his face. “I was actually thinking of you a minute ago. I was afraid you were too busy with your new American life to remember your old friend from Dublin.”

  “Eejit.”

  If he’d been in front of her, she would have stuck her tongue out at him like she used to when they were in Dublin and he drove her mad just because he enjoyed her reaction.

  “Thanks.” He chuckled. “But may I remind you we’re in America now, so you should say idiot if you want people to understand you.”

  “Well, I’m Irish and so are you Mister Know It All. I don’t care if other people don’t understand me, I know you do and that’s all that matters.”

  “But you should start talking like an American citizen now if you want to fit in.”

  “Ha. I’ll always speak Irish, no matter where I live. You’d better get used to it, buddy.”

  Ryan laughed and let it go. “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing, really. What about you? Were you studying?”

  “Nope. Kevin was showing me his latest video game. You know I’m not a bookworm like you.”

  “Hi, Valerie!” A guy screamed in the background. “Ouch!” the same voice said, and then chuckles followed. She imagined Ryan must have hit him or thrown something at him.

  “That was Kevin, by the way.” He grunted, and Valerie imagined him roll his eyes. He always did whenever he used that tone. “I must remember to leave the room before I pick up next time. It’s the only way he’d ever leave me alone.”

  She heard more chuckles in the background, and she smiled too. She was happy that Ryan had a good relationship with his roommate but a part of her, however small, was a little scared at the thought of losing him to Kevin. It would be awful to be left alone, miles away from home, in an unfamiliar city where she didn’t know anyone.

  “You wanna meet?” Ryan asked, jarring her out of her silly thoughts.

  “If you’re not busy.” Her voice was tentative and she crossed her fingers, hoping he wouldn’t turn her down.

  “I’m not. How about Starbucks?”

  Ryan knew how much she loved their White Mocha and their muffins. They loved spending their afternoons at Starbucks in Dublin, chatting about their dreams and laughing about funny things that had happened at school. He must’ve guessed that doing the same thing now would help her feel a little less homesick.

  “Sounds great.”

  “Cool. I’ll pick you up at your campus and we can take the subway. See you in twenty.”

  After she hung up, strange thoughts and questions crowded her mind. She hadn’t seen Ryan since she’d arrived and wasn’t sure where they stood. Had things changed for him, while they’d been apart? Would he still be oblivious to people seeing them together or would it bother him, in case girls would think she was his girlfriend and stayed away from him? Would he treat her the same or would he be distant and cold?

  She shook the doubts away and concentrated on getting ready at the speed of light. She thought it best to wait for him downstairs, in case Karen saw him. She liked her roommate and she was fun to be around, but she didn’t want Ryan to take a liking to her. She wasn’t right for him.

  With a cup of White Mocha and muffins on the table, it felt like the lazy afternoons they spent at Starbucks in Dublin, and everything seemed to finally go back to normal, as if they’d never been apart.

  “So, how’s your roommate? Is she fun?” Ryan asked after they sat down at a free table in a quiet spot by the window.

  “She’s friendly and very chatty, like... you can’t shut her up.” He laughed. Valerie was glad her roommate hadn’t turned out to be grumpy or moody. “And I think she likes you. She keeps asking me things about you, and I can spot the Ryanholics by now.”

  His right eyebrow quirked. “Ryanholics?”

  She nodded. “Come on, as if you never noticed half the female students at school were in love with you!” He frowned, and she rolled her eyes. Just like him to not notice the way girls stared in adoration at him. “One of the many reasons why hardly anyone talked to me was because they were jealous.m You hung out with me all the time, while they drooled over you, hoping you’d ask them out. You broke quite a few hearts when you left Dublin, didn’t you know?”

  He laughed and took her hand in his. He rubbed his thumbs across its back and Valerie’s heart swelled with emotion. She’d missed his warm, familiar touch.

  “Well, I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble, Val. I didn’t realize I was so popular back home. You should’ve told me, before I left. Maybe I would’ve s
tayed, tested the waters, so to speak.”

  Valerie let out a laugh. “Ha. As if I’d believe you aren’t half as popular here.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t really have much time for girls, you know. I have to study hard to keep up with everyone, especially if I want to get another scholarship for next year.”

  “So there’s no crowd of girls following your every move?” she asked, her mouth falling open in an exaggerated surprised expression.

  “Not yet, but there will be one day, when I’m a famous pianist.”

  “Mr. Modest, aren’t you?”

  “That’s me.” He chuckled, pointing his thumb at himself. “What about you, then? How come you were the only one who never drooled over me?”

  Valerie nearly choked on her coffee, and spat it back into the cup, gasping for air. He laughed.

  “Me? Drooling over you?” she said once she could breathe properly again. “You’re like a brother to me—it would’ve been... incestuous! Besides, someone should take care of your fans, and I’m the best judge when it comes to it, so I should really remain neutral.”

  “Yeah, I think it makes sense,” he said thoughtfully, taking a bite of his muffin and munching slowly. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t drool over me, ’cause when things don’t work out in couples, people end up avoiding each other. I couldn’t bear it if that happened to us; two years apart have been long enough for me.”

  Something warm inside her chest made her feel all fuzzy. It felt good to know that, in spite of what her family had told her during the past two years, he still cared about her just as much as she did about him. What they shared really was special.

  “I know. It’s been hard for me too; I felt so lost without you.”

  “But we’re together again, and nothing will take me away from you ever again.” He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. “You’ll always be my best friend; no matter how many people come into my life, you’ll always have the VIP spot.”