Chapter two
The next day Gary had to go back to the studio, while Jay was at the hospital with Isabella, alone. He took her hand and sighed. Jay’s feelings for Isabella had once been so strong, but now it seemed like it all was leaking away.
“Belle, I need you to know that I do love you, but I also want what is best for the both of us. I don’t want to hurt you anymore; I really don’t. Please forgive me,” Jay said, getting up to leave.
He had no idea that Isabella had heard every word he had said. She had woken up during the middle of it, and now she couldn’t stop the tears falling down her face like Niagara Falls. Even though she woke up confused and in pain, she kept her eyes shut to let whoever was talking finish. Once she was positive he was gone, she wiped at her eyes giving herself a headache.
Back in the hallway, Jay had bumped into Gary, who was coming to visit Isabella.
“Hey, Gary, do you think Belle can hear you when you’re talking to her in there?” Jay asked suddenly nervous.
“Yes, why?” Gary, inquired wondering what Jay had done.
“Oh, no reason,” Jay replied as the elevator doors closed off their conversation.
Gary went into Isabella’s room, only to find her sleeping. He sat down where Jay had been and just stared at her. She looked like an angel to him. How dare Jay even think of breaking her fragile heart? Even though he knew he couldn’t make Jay stay with some one he didn’t love. Gary had all these mixed emotions running through him. He felt like Isabella was the most important person in his life, and here Jay was breaking her heart. Jay had probably told her what he was feeling, and now he was afraid Isabella heard him, he held Isabella’s hand.
“Belle, I know Jay probably came in here and said some things he doesn’t mean, but it’s not his fault; he’s just a little wired and disconnected right now. He shouldn’t have said what he did because he knows the both of you aren’t ready to hear such things,” Gary started to say when he felt her squeeze his hand.
Gary jumped up in amazement and said, “ Oh my gosh, Belle, you’re awake!”
Isabella just nodded as tears brimmed her eyes once again.
“Belle, what’s wrong?” Gary asked as he sat back down, fearing the worst.
“Gary, Jay did mean what he said. It’s best if we stayed apart, but it still hurts to hear him say the things he did,” Isabella said as Gary pulled her into a hug being very careful of her ribs.
She felt safe and warm in his big strong arms. All she wanted to do was melt into him. Their hug, to Isabella, lasted only a few seconds before the doctor came in to check up on her. Since she was awake the doctor asked Gary to leave the room while he checked her over.
When the doctor came back into the hallway, he told Gary, “Well Ms. Hope gave us quite a scare, but everything seems to be getting along fine. Her ribs should be healed by next week. On some medication and complete bed rest, she should be able to go home tomorrow evening.”
“Ok, thank you.” Gary rushed back into Isabella’s room.
“Well, it seems like I’m not broken,” Isabella said smiling.
“Would you like to know what happened?” Gary asked her.
“Yes, I think I should know,” Isabella said, trying to smart off. Gary just rolled his eyes.
“Well, a drunk drive blind sided you, and you were knocked from the car. You had a mild concussion and were out of it for two days. Now you have three broken ribs and it’s probably why your side hurts. They had to cut your hair to make it even, but everything else seems to be fine,” Gary said, and the expression on her face turned to horrified.
“ Gary, can you get me a mirror?” she asked as she reached to grab her hair.
“Yes, darling.” Gary said going to the bathroom to grab the hand mirror for her.
Belle snatched the mirror from Gary’s hands and looked sadly at her shoulder length hair.
“It’s just hair, it’ll grow back,” Gary told her, trying to make her feel better but it wasn’t working.
Isabella just kept grabbing at her hair like if with each swift motion her hair would magically come back. She tried to hide the fact that she was crying, but she couldn’t. Gary just held her until Isabella felt like she couldn’t cry any more.
“I must seem stupid to cry over my hair, but I don’t like my hair short. It took me so long to grow it out that much,” Isabella said, pulling away from Gary and wiping away her tears.
“No, it’s not stupid, if I woke up one morning and I was bald I would die on the inside just the tiniest bit,” Gary said smiling, as this made her laugh, “Now, Belle the doctor said you could come home tomorrow if you accepted to be on full bed rest and heavy medication. I know you and Jay aren’t on such great terms so why don’t you stay with me?” Gary asked.
“ Sometimes, Gary, you are too nice, but I couldn’t do that to you. I think Jay and I can put our differences aside until I get a place of my own,” Isabella replied, looking deep into Gary’s sincere blue eyes.
“No, I insist,” Gary demanded.
“Gary, you don’t need me sitting at your house taking up your time, really I’ll be fine,” Isabella said sternly.
“ You’re great company and a wonderful friend. You won’t be taking up my time. We’ll just be enjoying it together,” Gary said, smiling at how stubborn Isabella was getting.
“Fine, but no more than I need to.” Isabella shook her head at the same stubbornness she saw in Gary.
“Lets call Joe Don and Destiny to tell them you’re awake. Destiny was really worried about you.” Gary took out his cell phone.
“Oh, yes,” Isabella said, as Gary dialed their number.
Once Joe Don and Destiny reached Isabella’s room, she had fallen back to sleep from all the medication she was on.
“How is she?” Destiny asked, anxious to see how her friend was.
“Well, everything looks fine. The doctor said her ribs should heal in about one
week. In the meantime, she goes home tomorrow. She’ll be staying with me because she has to be on bed rest, and Jay and Belle are having some problems,” Gary explained to Destiny in the hallway.
“What do you mean they are having problems? She just woke up from a coma of two days,” Destiny pondered.
“Well, Jay apparently was talking to Isabella when he thought she was asleep and told her that things weren’t working out for the both of them, mostly himself. So they have broken up, I guess. I don’t know what he said exactly, but I do know that it hit her hard,” Gary said, and Destiny shook her head in disbelief.
“Well, I’m going to go on inside; why don’t you go home and get some rest. I bet you’ve been here all day. You’re so sweet,” Destiny said, kissing Gary’s cheek as she went into Isabella’s hospital room.
Leaving the hospital, Gary took off in his car towards his house, but he decided he had someone to visit. He clenched his fist on the steering wheel and pounded on the gas petal. His mind was racing with angry thoughts and words, but he knew if he said what he was really feeling Isabella would know, and that would hurt her so much.

