Just a Dream

I receive odd glances from all around the room, but my eyes stay focused on her. I can’t believe that without even trying, we just sort of stubble upon each other. In the oddest way, I might add.

I come back from my brief taken aback thoughts and realize she is studying me with a weary stare. “Excuse me?” she asks.

Shit. She’s already going to think I’m weird or something. I internally roll my eyes at myself, and quickly try to come up with something to say. “Uhh- I was just going to say what are the odds I would get injured at my own concert, and end up here like this?’”

She nods her head and checks the clipboard resting in her beautiful dainty hands. I tense my hands along the sides of my bed sheets desperately wanting to hold them with mine like I’ve done so many times in my dreams.

She finishes writing something down before placing the clipboard on the hook at the bottom of my hospital bed. A smile plays at her lips as her bright eyes meet with mine once again. “I would guess the odds of usual far stretched events in your life could be fairly high Mr. Styles. You know, considering the circumstances of your life.”

I huff out an agreeing laugh while thinking how my accident isn’t the newest one in a million that has happened to me. For she is real, she is perfection, and she standing before me.

“I suppose you’re right – Ms. Dash was it?” I say, wanting to hold on to the conversation with her.

“Yes, it is. Please though, you can call me Emmeline.”

Trying to make a cheeky impression I quickly swoop in and add, “That’s an absolutely lovely name, but if I’m on a first name basis with you then I insist you call me Harry.”

Another small grin forms around the corners of her mouth. A warm feeling surrounds my body as I watch her smile spread further about her face. She nods her head, “Alright. Harry it is.” She then turns and walks toward the small sink counter at the back of my hospital room with her beautiful dark hair tied back and dancing behind her.

I suddenly become aware of my other surroundings as she half disappears behind the thin curtain. I first eye Niall who is already giving me a strange sort of look. I scan the other looks of my bandmates standing around my bed and their faces all match closely with Niall.

Liam mouths the words, “What’s going on?”

I wave him off with my good arm before Emmeline returns from behind the curtain with gauze, fresh bandages, and some sort of tube in her hands.

“Alright boys,” she states. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave or stand behind the curtains while I change bandages here.”

“Weren’t you guys saying you were hungry before?” I ask.

Louis gives Zayn a confused look as Niall speaks up, “Yeah. Let’s go get some food or something.”

They all group together and slowly exit the room closing the door behind them. I realize I am going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get them alone again.

Emmeline slowly approaches my side in the now empty hospital room with scissors and new bandages in hand. I so badly want to sit her down and tell her everything she means to me. However, I know how ridiculous it would sound, especially to her. I don’t want to frighten her. I am not a completely insane man after all. Maybe half crazy, yes, but I still have some wit about me.

“Okay...Harry. Your wounds have healed quite a bit, but this may hurt just a little,” she states seriously while furrowing her eyebrows in concentration on my old bandages.

I nod my head as Emmeline gently grabs my arm and begins to unravel the bandages that cover much of my body. It tingles a little and I am horrified at the sight of myself as my skin is slowly unveiled to me. I grumble a little under my breath as the burns are seeping disgusting yellow puss and have turned a dark pink color, a sign that Emmeline says is a good for my healing process.

I lean forward as she works to my side and back. I am at a loss for words, trying to focus on anything but the stinging sensations that slightly intensify as she gets to the most severe parts of my burned body and peels away the coverings from my sticky skin.

I clench my teeth in a quick sharp pain as she pulls off a bandage around my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry. It’s almost done. I promise.” she says in a meaningful tone.

I realize that if it feels like this much hell, I don’t even want to know what my appearance is. I use my healthy arm and raise it to my face and run my fingers through my hair. My hair has definitely had its greasy days in the past, but this is probably the worst it’s been possibly ever. I suddenly become very aware of myself. I take a deep breath and I smell heavily of sweat and burned charcoal. I appall myself. I don’t want to know what she thinks of me. She probably thinks I am the biggest idiot on the planet for catching on fire and falling off stage at my own concert.

Without another thought I mindlessly blurt out, “I’m sorry you have to do this. I’m disgusting.”

She lets out a laugh before quickly clamping her lips shut once more and covering her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

I face her with a smile, “Why?”

“I had to sort of laugh at that. I’ve never had a patient apologize to me for something I had no control over. Accidents happen, Harry.” She grabs a sort of gel from my side table and twists of the top. “And besides, I’ve seen much worse.”

“Really?” I ask as she begins applying some sort of cream to my skin which instead of a burning sends a nice and cool refreshing feeling over the surface of my burns.

“Oh of course!” she states confidently as she continues rubbing over my arm. I try not to look because the look of myself is almost too overwhelming.

“Any good stories?” I ask half-jokingly.

“I could tell you, but…”

“Then you’d have to kill me?” I cut in cheekily trying to be funny while meeting my eyes with hers once again. I want her to just stand there forever so I can take and breathe her all in.

She laughs shortly and caps the container of whatever that magical skin cream was as a smile plays at the corner of her lips. “No… I’d lose my job.” She laughs once again as she grabs new and clean bandages to get me taken care of again.

She lifts my arm out and begins wrapping the bandages as the room falls silent again. I feel myself desperate to catch her attention. She needs to remember me. I need to give myself confidence that she will want to see me again.

She is focused on my arm while I am focused on studying her lovely face. Without really thinking I state, “You look so familiar.”

She continues bandaging, but looks at me with furrowed eyebrows. “How would I look familiar to someone like you?” Before I can answer she shrugs her shoulders and finishes, “Well you do see a lot of people. I suppose it’d make sense if I had a doppelganger out there somewhere.”

“No, I’ve definitely seen you before. I-uh… could never forget that face.”

She rolls her eyes playfully. “You know you shouldn’t flirt with your nurses, Mr. Styles.”

My face turns red, but I try not to let it show. She is definitely unlike any other girl I have ever known. She’s playful and cheeky herself.

“I told you it was Harry.” I laugh.

“Oh right. Harry.” She states as she cuts off the end of the bandage and has me lean forward so she can cover the burns along my back.

The room is silent for a moment until she surprisingly speaks up again. “You know. I did attend one of your concerts quite a few years ago… like when you guys first started.”

I do not believe my ears. A smile grows across my face once again. “Really? When?”

“Oh I don’t know. It was while I was first in college. I took my younger cousin. You guys were just the opener.”

“Oooh! Ouch!” I half shout and bring my hand over my heart. “I thought you would have gone just to see me.”

She shakes her head trying not to giggle. “Sorry. I was more of a chaperone. I felt so much older than all you boys at the time. But if it makes you feel any better I thought your music was much better than the actual band we went to see.”

“Older? I am twenty years old now! You are just stabbing my heart repeatedly here, but that last bit you said made up for it I think” I say sarcastically. “They were very fun to work with that band though.”

“Yeah,” She admits.

“Well how old were you?”

“I was nineteen at the time.”

“So that makes you?” I ask trying to dig for more information. I want to know everything I possibly can. I want to know what’s real about her. If anything I made up in my head is true about her actual person.

“Twenty-three.”

“Oh! Not bad then! I was beginning to think you were ancient the way you were talking.”

She rolls her eyes. I know she is trying to be professional, but I can’t help but feel my cheekiness is getting to her at least a little.

“So tell me Emmeline… I know it was a long time ago, according to you anyways, but what’d you think? Tell me, who is your favorite?” I watch as she tries to hold back yet another smile. “It’s okay if it is me. I won’t tell others.” I reach over and try to pat her hand still wrapping me properly up in bandages.

She pauses for a few seconds before she answers, finishing up my bandages. “It’s good to see you in such high spirits, Harry. You’re well on your way to recovery from all this. You’ll be back on your feet and traveling the world in no time!”

“Answers the question!” I shout playfully. “Oh, I know why you won’t answer… It was me wasn’t it?”

My heart beats faster as I give myself false confidence. I realize maybe I am being a little too up front as this is truly the first time speaking and meeting her. She is my nurse after all.

I am about to apologize for my behavior when she begins to speak with a grin spreading across her face. “I actually thought the blonde one was the cutest.”

She begins putting away the supplies she used to change my bandages as I blurt out in a playful manner, “Don’t pretend you don’t know his name!”

She shakes her head with a joyful face. “Alright. You caught me. I liked Niall.”

I lift my good arm and use a stabbing motion once again, “Ugh!” I act out. “I was lying before. Now you are really stabbing me.”

“Surely you’ll survive. However, you are the one that actually reacted with me. I caught a few moments of eye contact with you if I recall.”

I take a moment to take in what she just said. I decide to see if this special connection I’ve been hoping for is there. To see if there is some piece of her that has been stuck on me as well.“See I noticed you, and I-uh remembered you. Maybe this is a sign that we should see each other after I get out of here. Surely this wasn’t some coincidence.”

She grabs the clipboard from the end of my bed once more and scribbles a few notes down. “You’re pretty funny there Harry.”

“That was no joke, Ms. Emmeline!”

“I’m very sorry then,” she laughs.

My shoulders slump, but I try not to let her know there is a problem at all. She walks over by my bed and fluffs out my pillow and helps me lean back because it’s still a bit painful to move too much. She then walks towards the door and rests her hand on the handle.

“I’ll call your friends back in and go get your doctor to come in and run you through everything.”

“Don’t leave me, love.” I say without hesitation.

She rolls her eyes and cracks the door open. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’ll be back later to change your bandages once again.”

With that she leaves through the door a softly closing it behind her. I gently rest my head back down on the pillow. I can’t believe what has just happened. It feels like this is one of my dreams, but I know it’s not. This is definitely real, and one thing is for sure. I am going to do everything I possibly can to keep the beautiful Emmeline Dash in my life. The hole in my heart had been empty for so long. I can’t really explain it, but for the few minutes I talked to her, it felt full. I felt happy and fulfilled. I am not about to let that feeling fleet away. I feel it deep within my bones. Emmeline Dash isn’t just any girl. She is my dream girl.

Notes