Coma Girl: part 2 Read online

  When Gina left, Joanna was silent. I knew she was studying me.

  “Oh, Marigold,” she said on a sob.

  She’d last seen me the summer I’d met Duncan. I’d been happy and bouncy and flush with possibilities. I’m sure my slack, scarred appearance is a shock to her. She, on the other hand, is probably still beautiful, slim and tanned from all that tennis.

  Joanna dropped into the chair next to my bed, sniffling.

  “I decided on an impromptu visit to Atlanta to see my folks,” she said, “and thought I’d stop by. Brian and the twins are good… his practice is good… everything is… good.”

  She broke off on a sob, and I wanted to reach out to her. Compared to her life, I probably seemed—how had the ADA described me? Oh, yeah—tragic.

  Joanna cried for a little while, then sniffed. “Marigold, I lied. My life isn’t good—it’s awful. I came home to stay with my parents because Brian is having an affair and the twins have behavior problems, and I’m drinking too much.”

  Whoa—what ever happened to breaking bad news gently?

  She blew her nose noisily. “Nothing has turned out the way I thought it would.”

  A bed in the vegetable patch wasn’t on my list, either.

  The door opened. “I’m sorry,” Gina said, “but it’s time to say goodnight.”

  “I’ll be right out,” Joanna said.

  She took a few deep breaths to compose herself, then pushed up out the chair.

  “Why can’t we hit the rewind button and go back to the last time we saw each other? We were both so happy. Now look at us. You’re in this bed, and I’m just going through the motions.”

  Both comatose.

  “When did life get so hard?” she whispered.

  As she walked to the door, I noticed her steps were wobbly. The sound of the door closing behind her seemed like a gong heralding the end of our youth.

  And while I’d always been envious of Joanna’s life, now I wouldn’t trade places with her for a king’s ransom. Because my chances of waking up from my stupor were probably better than hers.

  August 30, Tuesday

  I’VE DECIDED WHEN I wake up, I’m going to learn to play the cello.

  I can read music now, from hours of listening to the classical tunes playing on Dr. Jarvis’s iPod, and translating it from sound to notes. And I visualize my fingers on the strings of the cello, turning the notes back into sound. In my mind I picture a symphony, with my hospital bed sitting to the rear of the cellos, between bassoons and trumpets.

  I’m bored today, but I take it as a good sign, that my brain is looking for something new to do.

  In other words, I take it as a sign the drug Dr. Jarvis administered is working.

  Something is definitely different. Whereas before my mind was chugging along evenly, now it seems to ebb and flow, but the extremes are more… more. I’m napping more, but when I’m not sleeping, I seem to be firing on more cylinders.

  And the range of my emotions seems to be ever-widening… and sometimes ever-changing. Sometimes I think Keith Young should be punished for his wanton carelessness… other times I wonder if I did swerve into his lane. With Sidney chatting on her phone and Roberta laughing in my ear…

  Wait, was that a flash of memory, or simply a manufactured scenario?

  I tried to zero in on the image, but it slipped away.

  Hopefully, though, it will come back tomorrow.

  I didn’t have any visitors today, and it makes me long for even the melancholy of Audrey’s company. And while Joanna’s visit still plagues me, I recognize the encounter as yet a different stimulation that I need to process.

  And the realization itself is progress.

  I’m getting better, I can feel it.

  August 31, Wednesday

  “THANK YOU FOR ARRANGING to be here today. I know you all have busy schedules.”

  Dr. Tyson has asked my parents and Sidney to come in. I’m so excited because I’m sure Dr. Jarvis came clean about administering the experimental drug, and Dr. Tyson is going to tell my parents I’m improving.

  “I wanted to talk to you about some changes in Marigold’s condition, and I felt it was important to tell you all together, since what happens to Marigold affects all of you.”

  The door opened and closed.

  “Nice of you to join us, Dr. Jarvis,” Dr. Tyson said. “You will be interested in this development, too.”

  “Sorry for the tardiness,” he said, sounding contrite.

  “As I was saying, Marigold’s situation has gotten more exposure than the typical patient, so what happens to her affects all of you on many levels.”

  “That’s exactly why I wanted David Spooner here,” Sidney said, sounding defensive.

  “You’re free to share updates with non-family members as you see fit. But I hope you’ll keep Marigold’s best interests in mind.”

  “That’s a given,” Sid said, still annoyed. “Can we get on with this?”

  Dr. Tyson seems to be taking her time, choosing her words carefully.

  “As you know, Marigold has shown very little change since she was placed in the long-term care ward two months ago. And even though she’s shown no motor response, I’ve always been encouraged that her organs are functioning well and her brainwave activity is strong. And my hope remains that as the brain injury continues to heal, her condition will improve.”

  “So she hasn’t improved?” Sidney asked.

  “Not exactly.”

  “She’s getting worse?” my dad asked, sounding distraught.

  “No,” Dr. Tyson said. “She’s not getting worse, but there is a new wrinkle.”

  “What is it?” my mother demanded.

  “Marigold is… pregnant.”

  Okay, I did not see that coming.

  *****

  Don’t miss a single day of COMA GIRL!

  You can follow along for free on www.stephaniebond.com,

  or if you prefer to read the segments early or all at once,

  click here to pre-order COMA GIRL, part 3!

  A note from the author

  Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my story COMA GIRL (part 2). Are you enjoying the format of the serial? I hope so! This project has been a labor of love for me. I’ve been toying with the idea of a daily serial for some time, and once I decided how to present it, I needed the right story, something that would sustain a daily narrative for an extended period of time.

  When I was ten years old, one of my teachers revealed an accident had left her in a coma when she was young. She said she remembered all the conversations around her during that time and when she awoke, astounded doctors and family members by asking them about things they had said while she was “asleep.” At ten, my imagination was just starting to take flight, so I was fascinated by her tale and it stayed with me. Fast forward to when I began a fiction-writing career in the late 1990s. I pitched a romantic comedy about a woman in a coma to a publisher who liked the idea and, subsequently, bought it. But before I could finish writing it, the line closed and the contract was cancelled. (Please do not get me started about the unending wonkiness of the publishing industry.) I was so disappointed. I had written several chapters of the story and while I loved the concept, it didn’t fit any line I wrote for as my career progressed. So it sat on a shelf for 20 years.

  When I was trying to come up with a story that could be told as a daily serial, I remembered the coma story, and thought the concept was perfect. I had to make a lot of adjustments to the original story, but I’m really happy with the way it turned out—I hope you are, too! And I hope you’ll follow along with all 6 parts of COMA GIRL covering six months in the life of Marigold Kemp as she lies a victim of everyone who visits her hospital room and unloads on her!

  Reviews are so important to authors and our books—especially series. Reviews help me to attract new readers so I can keep producing more stories for you. Plus I really want to know if I’m keeping you entertained! If you
enjoyed COMA GIRL and feel inclined to leave an Amazon review, I would appreciate it very much.

  And are you signed up to receive notices of my future book releases? If not, please click here to enter your email address. I promise not to flood you with emails and I will never share or sell your address. And you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Also, although I can’t count the times this book has been edited and proofed, I am human, so if you do spot a typo, please email me at [email protected] to let me know! Thanks again for your time and interest, and for telling your friends about my books. If you’d like to know more about some of my other books, please scroll ahead to the next section.

  Happy reading!

  Stephanie Bond

  Other works by Stephanie Bond

  If you’re looking for other romances by Stephanie Bond, you might like THREE WISHES, a magical romantic comedy. In THREE WISHES, an antiques dealer who’s in love with the governor’s girlfriend unwittingly releases a genie from a lamp and wishes himself into a hole the size of the Grand Canyon!

  “Wondrous…Love mixes with laughter to create joyous reading for romance connoisseurs.” —Romantic Times Book Reviews

  “A delicious fairy tale filled with warm, sweet, and desirable characters.” — Rendezvous

  Click here to download a sample or to order THREE WISHES from Amazon!

  *****

  And if you like humorous romantic mysteries, check out I THINK I LOVE YOU. In I THINK I LOVE YOU, sisters share everything in their closets—including the skeletons!

  “With its energetic prose and cozy Southern setting, this read is a sterling source of laughs and lighthearted fun.” —Publishers Weekly

  “The only reader I wouldn’t recommend I THINK I LOVE YOU to is one who doesn’t like to have a good time.” —All About Romance

  Click here to download a sample or to order I THINK I LOVE YOU from Amazon!

  *****

  Have you ever thought about writing a novel? If so, this book is for you! In YOUR PERSONAL FICTION-WRITING COACH: 365 Days of Motivation & Tips to Write a Great Book!, Stephanie has assembled 20 years’ worth of writing advice in digestible bites that will ease you through the process of brainstorming, writing, and publishing a novel!

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  “5 STARS! Great insight and advice from an author who knows firsthand what it takes, and the ins and outs of writing a good book!” –Amazon customer

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  About the Author

  Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a corporate career in computer programming and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked she had a flair for writing and suggested she submit material to academic journals. But Stephanie was more interested in writing fiction—more specifically, romance and mystery novels. After writing in her spare time for two years, she sold her first manuscript; after selling ten additional projects to two publishers, she left her corporate job to write fiction full-time. To-date, Stephanie has more than seventy published novels to her name, including the popular BODY MOVERS humorous mystery series. Her romantic comedy STOP THE WEDDING! is now a Hallmark Channel movie. For more information on all of Stephanie’s books, visit www.stephaniebond.com.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Copyright 2016 by Stephanie Bond, Inc.

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