Chapter 189

"It's been five days. Five!" Erik shouted at the doctor. "You said she would recover and that things looked good. Why is it taking so bloody long?"

Jim put his arm around him. "She's ok. She's going to be ok." He said.

It had been five days since the accident and Pearl hadn't regained consciousness yet. The doctors continue to see good responses to stimuli and they still expected a full recovery. The physical therapist came in to perform range of motion on Pearl and John forced Erik to go to the adjacent waiting room with him where they had food brought in for everyone.

"You have to rest. When she does wake up, she's going to need your strength." John said.

"I can't. I am so afraid I will miss it when she opens her eyes. I have to be there when she opens her eyes." Erik said. He still had the same clothes on. He hadn't left the hospital once since it all happened.

"I understand." John said.

"You've known Pearl the longest?" Erik asked.

"Yeah. Since college. We were theater nerds together and one day they were holding tryouts for a musical production and I heard her sing. This little, five foot nothing girl stood up and belted "At Last" by Etta James, sounded just like her. Fucking blew me away." John said. Erik smiled.

"Anyway, she got the part. The lead. And I introduced myself, to congratulate her, and told her she had an incredible voice. Told her I was thinking about starting a band. And that's how we met."

John put together a sandwich for Erik and practically forced him to eat it.

"Anyway. I was with Janie and Pearl had just started dating this guy, Paul. First boyfriend she ever had. He was so into her at first. Showering her with gifts and flowers and dates. We were all friends. Then, it's like a switch went off after they got married. He started traveling for work and taking his secretaries along. There was always another woman. He didn't even try to hide it after a few years in. And anytime Pearl tried to defend or stand up for herself, he would turn it all around on her. Call her crazy or frigid. Telling her she was ugly and unattractive so he had to go elsewhere, and not letting her have a car or anything in her name to control her. I hated the guy so much. Took her ten years to finally get the courage up to leave him, two years saving enough money to get a place of her own and fleeing when he was out of town."

Erik listened intently. "I didn't know those details. How horrible." Erik said, his heart hurting for Pearl.

"Then after leaving, she had a movie star and a billionaire rich kid hounding her. You can imagine how confusing that would be to woman just getting out of something like that. Anyway. I'm glad she found you. It's been a rough go for her, man." John said.

Erik nodded and looked down. He was so exhausted but he was still fighting there, for Pearl. He knew he couldn't leave. The woman had been through more than she ever deserved and he was going to go the distance for her this time, because no one else ever had. Erik's phone rang.

"Hello son. How is she?" It was his mother.

"Still out." He said.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." She said. "On a positive note, her friends are lovely. After dinner last night and three bottles of Tillington, Ian taught your father to play a song called "Smoke on the Water" on the guitar." Erik let out a laugh.

Several hours later, after everyone had went home, Erik was in his usual spot by Pearl's bed. He was holding her hand and telling her about their time in Italy and how the first night he walked up to her house in LA was completely planned and that he had been stalking her for months. That she should be cross with him and wake up so she could scold him. He told her he loved her and that he was going to suffer there, with her.

He felt her squeeze his hand. Startled, he looked at her face and saw that her eyes were open, looking around the room.

"Pearl. Pearl. Oh my god. My love. I'm here." He said. "She's awake!" He called out. He hit the call light and looked into her eyes. "I haven't left your side and I never will." He said as he kissed her forehead.