“La Llamada de Amor ”
Bringgggg. Bringggg
“Hello?”
“MARISOL! Where are you!?”
“I just woke up I’m at home, why?”
“Call your boss and say you can't work today.”
“What? Elizabeth, what's going on?”
“I need you to hurry as fast as you can and come to the hospital!”
“Are you hurt? What happened?”
“No I’m fine. It's our brother..”
“Can you please tell me what's going on!?”
“He was working with the telephone lines and was electrocuted. The doctors are coming I’ll tell you what they says when you get here.”
“Okay, I’m on my way!”
“Okay bye.”
Marisol replayed the conversation in her head over and over again. Every possible question swirled around in her head. How did this happen? Is Elizabeth okay? Is our brother still alive?
She had never felt a drive drag on for so long.  All of her unanswered questions were making her palms sweaty and her mind was racing. She jumped out of the car. Each foot tripping over the other with recklessness. She was still only in her old purple striped pajamas and torn up black adidas slides.
As soon as she found his room she took a deep breath before walking through the door.  She turned the door knob and walked in, three sets of eyes were peering at her. Elizabeth gave her a look of confusion while wiping away the tears from her big, puffy eyes. Beside her was a tall man in worn out blue jeans and a red polo shirt. He had black slicked back hair with hazel eyes and caramel toned skin.
“Hi, my name is Alex, I’m Eric’s best friend.”
“Hey, I’m Marisol, his sister.”
Marisol felt her knees begin to buckle and give up on her. She had never once met this man, but yet he made her heart beat two times faster and face turn a bright red. But then the doctor entered the room. He had on a crisp and clean white jacket with a stethoscope that wrapped around the entire width of his neck
The doctor began to speak and in that moment, Marisol averted her attention to what was most important at the moment, her brother who was laying across the bed with burns down his face and his right arm. All she could hear was the five small words that she wish she had never heard.
“Your brother’s in a coma,” the doctor said.
The silence in the room made the air so thin that Marisol could feel shock take away all of the viable breath in her body.
Elizabeth looked at the doctor and said with angst, “Is he going to be ok?”
“He might not wake up. We’re doing everything we can for him.”
Eric lay there, lifeless, yet breathing, with his heart beating strong at the exact same time. Eyes wandered in distress and confusion and Alex bent down and whispered something in Eric’s ear. The whole time she stood there, Marisol wondered, I wonder what he said to him?
But she would never truly find out. She left the hospital that day with two people on her mind: her brother, and Alex.
Marisol’s anxiety grew each and every morning that she had to go visit her brother after work. Each day hopefulness loomed in the atmosphere when she went to see if he had showed any signs of waking up. Her mind was set on the well being and recovery of her brother sitting at his bedside for hours each day. Alex gave her company and support during those long hours each day.
Everything about Alex seemed intriguing and enticing. Every time Marisol closed her eyes, she remembered the way his lips quirked upwards with his mesmerizing smile. The more she learned about him during their long conversations, the more she wanted spend time with him and show him who she is.
Marisol couldn’t help but feel guilty for giving Alex more attention than she should be. They both should’ve been watching over Eric and asking the doctors for updates. But instead, their focus was on each other. Minutes turned to hours of talking. Marisol and Alex talked like they were the only two people in that hospital. Alex’s suave was part of his charm that turned on when he talked to Marisol. His deep baritone voice serenaded her and sent her to a happy place in her head every time she heard him utter a single word.
Several days passed and it was now Saturday. It was like any other day. Alex and Marisol sat in the chairs across from Eric’s hospital bed and they talked. Their words crossed each other with beautiful rhythm to the other person’s ears and sending them into a intense gaze. Alex was speaking when he heard a faint sound.
“Mmmmmm.”
“Did you hear that?” Alex said to Marisol as his eyes combed every corner and crevice of the room.
“Mmm-m- Marisol,” muttered Eric in such a faint voice, that he made a mouse sound like a lion.
Marisol jutted over to the bedside and yelled, “Oh my God! Es un milagro! Eric’s awake!”
Her heart filled with warmth and uncontrollable energy. Eric’s body warm again, this time by Alex’s whole embrace as he hugged him circulating love throughout the room. Marisol’s thumb smashed the nurses’ button and the doctors came charging through the door.
“Is something wrong?” asked one doctor.
Another doctor soon followed with a worried question. “What’s happened?” Marisol jumped at the doctors and said, “It’s a miracle! Un Milagro! My brother is awake!”
Her next instinct was to tell the family. The speed at which she texted and called family members made the idea of seconds themselves seem slow. The doctor then approached Eric. The took his vitals and ran routine tests to see if what everyone was seeing could really be real.
Meanwhile, Eric attempted to sit up, he looked around the room. He first made eye contact with Marisol and then turned his head over with fatigue to look at Alex.
“Ustedes se gustan,” he said in a calm tone.
“Eric, what are you talking about?” replied Alex with confusion and denial.
“Se gustan.”
Elizabeth was thrown by what Eric had to say. “Who are you talking about?”
Eric nodded his head towards Marisol and Alex unable to use his hands because of the pain from the burns that traveled from his wrist all the way up to his shoulders.
“Marisol and Alex like each other!?” he yelled in frustration.
Marisol couldn’t believe that those were Eric’s first words after being in a coma for days.
Marisol looked over to Alex who now had a tint of pink in his cheeks and his unavoidable hazel eyes staring right at her as if he had to say something, but couldn’t open his mouth to say it.
What made him say that? Could he hear us the whole time? How was that possible?
Did her heart now belong to the man who stood across from her the day of her brother’s deadly accident?
They left the hospital room to give Eric the chance to rest. Alex leaned against the nurses’ desk and extended his hand out to pull Marisol to him. She approached him with hesitation, nerves climbing up and down every muscle of her body. She had butterflies in her stomach and love in her eyes.
And there was no denying that.
He liked her.
And there was no denying that.
Alex looked at Marisol with the same mesmerizing smile that captivated her from the day of Eric’s accident.
“So...about what Eric said,” Alex said in a shy voice. “I think we both know how we feel about each other and I was thinking ma-”
“Yes,” Marisol replied before he could even finished. It was like she read his heart instead of his mind.
They were so connected that they let out a deep sigh at the same time. For the first time in a few days, not a sigh caused by stress, but a sigh of relief. Relief that that Eric was ok, but also relief that they had finally let eachother know how they felt.
It was settled. The next day would be the first day that they were together, and not in a cramped hospital room.

Bringgggggg. Bringgggggg.
“Hey, Marisol. It's me, Alex.”
“Hey!” she said as she gushed over the phone. “Where are you?” she asked with a bashful smile.
Alex looked out his car window, his head moving around in tiny circle trying to see into her home.
“I'm outside. Waiting for you.”
She slipped on her flats as fast as she could and ran out the door to his car. As she got into the car Alex turned on the engine. Marisol wondered where they were going. She turned her head to face him opening her mouth to ask that very question, but just as she was about to Alex leaned in and locked his lips with hers. Dazed and speechless she couldn’t help but blush. She no longer cared where she was going as long as she was with him because he was the man she planned to spend the rest of her days with. He loved her and she loved him and nothing would ever change that.