“Hey, Doc.”
“Let me take a quick look at her, and I’ll be out of your way.” I nod at him.
“Why doesn’t she wake up yet, doc? She’ll come out of this, right?” I’m desperate for him to reassure me again and again. I can’t cope with losing someone else I love. I say a silent prayer to every god above and my very own guardian angel; Please April bring her back to me. I need her!”
“Ashton, she’ll come around in good time, like I said the other day - while she’s sleeping, she’s healing. We’re monitoring her, and everything is going fine. She is strong.”
I nod again and watch him leave before going back to willing her to wake up. I stroke my fingers down her cheek, touch her lips. They’re dry, not soft like they usually are. I pull myself closer to the bed and rest my head on her tummy, keeping her hand in mine before closing my eyes.
~*~
Fingers comb through my hair lightly, teasing caresses. “I love you, Ash.” She whispers softly.
“Hmmm.” I look at Acacia lying there soundly in my bed, her hair fanned around her on the crisp white pillow. She looks so beautiful.
I lean over, my lips grazing hers, teasing her before I finally kiss her. Increasing the pressure slightly I lick her bottom lip and push my tongue into her mouth to tangle it with hers. It soon turns more passionate, I want to consume her. I kiss her to show her how much I love her, how much I need her, how there’s no one else but her for me now.
Her fingers are still moving slowly through my hair…
“Ash?”
A croaky voice brings me to the present and out of my dream, but I’m not sure if it is real or if I’m making up things I want to hear? I keep my eyes closed a little longer, I don’t want to wake up and see her still asleep. She’s here in my dream, with me. If I wake up, I’ll lose her again, and I’ll go back to watching her sleep.
Just a little longer…
“Ash-ton?”
I open my eyes and look up to see those gorgeous blue eyes looking back at me.
“Acacia?” I lift my head slowly to look at her properly, clearly. “Baby?”
Her eyes are half closed, but she’s still looking at me through her eyelashes. My heart thumps excitedly when I see one side of her mouth pulls up into a small, lopsided smile.
“Oh, my god, you’re awake! I’ve missed you.” I tenderly caress her face, trying to reassure myself that she is real. I press the call button for the nurse before turning my whole attention to Acacia, “Are you alright, do you need anything?”
“Water... please?” She croaks. Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper.
“I’m not sure if it’s allowed, Acacia. The doctor will come now… just wait a few seconds, babe,” I tell her.
She nods her head, giving me another small smile and I can’t keep m
yself away from her any longer. I do what I’ve been dying to do for the last five days, I softly press my lips to hers and wait for her to reciprocate. I sigh when she moves her lips on mine. That’s all I need as an assurance.
“Good afternoon, Miss Winters. How are you feeling?” The nurse comes in, smiling at us before focusing her eyes on Acacia.
Acacia tips her head and tries to smile. “Drink?”
“Ah, let’s just wait on the doctor he wanted to see you when you woke up, sweetheart. He’ll be here in a second I’ve already paged him.”
The nurse takes Acacia’s blood pressure, and her temperature as the doctor joins us. I have her very frail but warm hand in mine; I don’t want to let go. I hear the nurse’s voice asking the doctor for permission about water, but I don’t take my eyes away from the woman who looks at me intensely.
A hand on my shoulder gets my attention. “Will you let me examine the patient, Mr Kennedy,” Dr Ryan, the doctor, asks me with amusement in his eyes.
Reluctantly I let Acacia’s hand go and busy myself with my phone to text Toby the news. No doubt he’ll be here within half an hour, and I will have to share Acacia with him. Not that I’m jealous of Toby, I’m not that delusional; I’m just afraid of losing even a second with her. She scared me this last few days.
I lean back on the chair, enjoying the peace that surrounds me once she is awake. The silence is peaceful for the first time in five days, it won’t last long though since Toby is on the way to the hospital. He talks way too much, enough for everyone in the room, and could give any women a run for their money… I smile at myself with the thought. But he’s grown on me now, especially after I saw his concern and love for Acacia while she was unconscious. He is a good friend to her, and he’s become a good friend to me, too.
I watch as the doctor put his flashlight into her eyes and check her reflexes to make sure they are reacting the way they should be. When he’s finished, he smiles warmly at her.