Chapter 131 With Him

Chapter 131 With Him


Time lost all meaning inside a hospital.

The clock hanging above the nurses' station seemed determined to move as slowly as possible, each minute dragging into the next until I wasn't even sure whether it had been three hours or eight.

I had tried sitting, standing, walking up and down the corridor, looking out the window and calling my mother to reassure her that Dylan had survived the surgery, but nothing I did settled the restless feeling inside of me.

Every time the ICU doors opened, my heart jumped, and every time they closed again without anyone calling my name, it sank all over again.

I hugged my knees to my chest as I sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, staring absentmindedly at the tiled floor.

Please wake up…

Please…

It was like a mantra in my head and mind.

Then a pair of white sneakers stopped in front of me.

I slowly looked up.

It was the same nurse who had been checking on Dylan since he arrived.

She smiled gently. "Miss Cole?"

I stood so quickly my chair scraped loudly against the floor. "Yes?"

She nodded toward the hallway. "He's awake."

What?

The words reached my ears, but my brain refused to process them. "What did you just say?"

"Mr. Carter regained consciousness a few minutes ago."

My breathing caught. "He's awake?"

"Yes."

A shaky laugh escaped me before I even realized I was laughing.

"Oh..." I covered my mouth. "Oh, thank God."

The nurse's smile widened. "He's asking for you."

My heart squeezed painfully. "For... me?"

She nodded. "The doctor has finished examining him."

She stepped aside. "You can go in now."

My legs suddenly felt like jelly, but somehow, I managed to follow her down the hallway.

The closer we got, the louder my heartbeat became.

She stopped outside a private room. "Take your time."

I nodded weakly. "Thank you."

The nurse quietly walked away.

I stood alone outside Dylan's door as my hand hovered over the handle.

I suddenly became terrified.

What if he blamed me?

What if he regretted everything?

What if…

I closed my eyes and took one slow breath before I gently pushed the door open.

Sunlight filtered softly through half-open blinds, painting pale golden lines across the white sheets, and the machines beeped steadily beside the bed.

Then my gaze drifted to Dylan.

He looked pale, and there were faint bruises around his face from the fall.

His hair was a complete mess.

A bandage disappeared beneath the hospital gown wrapped around his side.

He also looked exhausted.

His eyes slowly shifted toward the door before they landed on me.

We stared at each other for several seconds without speaking.

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed looking into those ridiculous blue eyes until that exact moment.

Then his lips curved into the smallest smile. "Hey." His voice was hoarse.

"Hi." I tried smiling back, but instead, my lips trembled.

He noticed. "You've been crying."

I let out a tiny laugh through my tears. "You think?"

He looked guilty immediately. "I'm sorry."

I frowned. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For..." He swallowed painfully. "Everything."

He glanced toward the blanket covering him. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

I quickly shook my head. "Don't say that."

"I scared you, didn't I?"

I shook my head again, but I couldn't even deny how scared I was.

"You got shot," I mumbled.

"I know."

"No..." My voice cracked. "You don't."

He looked back at me.

"You don't know what that felt like," I said and slowly walked closer until I stood beside his bed.

"I thought..." I couldn't continue.

I looked down at my hands. "I thought you died."

Silence fell between us.

When I looked back up, Dylan's eyes had become glassy.

"I'm sorry."

"I thought..." My breathing became uneven again. "I kept thinking..." I trailed off again.

"I kept thinking if I'd answered your question..."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What question?"

"When you asked..." I wiped another tear away. "...if I'd be your girlfriend again."

His expression softened immediately. "Oh..."

"I never answered you," I whispered.

He stared at me quietly. "I thought I'd lost the chance."

Then he carefully reached his hand toward me, and without hesitation, I slipped my hand into his.

His fingers closed gently around mine as he smiled faintly. "There you are."

I blinked. "What?"

"My hand." He blurted and looked at our intertwined fingers.

"It feels..." He laughed quietly. "Right."

A tear rolled down my cheek. "I missed you."

His thumb slowly brushed against the back of my hand. "I missed you more."

I laughed softly. "That's impossible."

"You underestimate my talent." He joked.

I smiled despite myself.

He smiled too.

The machines quietly filled the silence with steady beeps.

Eventually, he sighed. "I've had a lot of time to think."

"You've only been awake for a few minutes."

"I know that." A tiny grin appeared. "But I also had plenty of time while unconscious."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I'm kidding."

I rolled my eyes. "You almost died, and you're still making stupid jokes."

"They're my specialty."

I scoffed lightly. "You should retire."

"Never." He chuckled.

That tiny exchange eased the tension in my chest a little.

His smile gradually faded again. "I'm serious, though, about my little speech back there."

His gaze lowered. "I've been horrible towards you at the beginning."

“No.” I immediately shook my head in an attempt to make him stop.

"I have." He interrupted gently. "I bullied you."

He looked genuinely ashamed. "I pushed you away, and I was mean, but aside from that..."

He closed his eyes briefly. "It feels like I've failed everyone."

"No, you haven't." My answer came immediately.

I squeezed his hand a little tighter. "You've been carrying things that were never yours to carry."

He stared at me. “You sound like you're not guilty too.”

I almost laughed. “I guess I am, but it's quite obvious we're both bad at making decisions.”

“True.”

He studied my face. "You look exhausted."

"I am."

"You should sleep."

I laughed. "You sound like the doctor."

He chuckled softly before wincing. "Ouch."

My smile disappeared instantly. "Does it hurt?"

He nodded honestly. "A little."

"You shouldn't laugh then."

"But you make me laugh."

"That's your own fault."

"I'll accept the consequences."

Another comfortable silence settled between us.

Then I realized that neither of us had mentioned the breakup or the ‘getting back together’.

I looked down at our intertwined hands again.

Then he squeezed my hand gently.

"Thank you." He said softly.

I frowned. "For what?"

"For being here with me." He smiled gently. "I was scared I'd wake up alone."

Something warm pierced my chest.