Move On

*Her*

I had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past few days. My body hurt so much. I was surprised I could even sit up at times.

When Rick had finally gone home to shower and changed, I pulled a nurse aside. Frantically, I explained to her that I needed to know if I was pregnant.

I wasn’t.

When she had first confirmed, I was beyond relieved. I finally had hope again, that life could go back to som resemblance of normalcy.

But I watched the door. Every hour. Hoping that a pair of familiar green eyes would round the door and find me here. That he would hold me in his arms and tell me how much he needed me and loved me. But he never came.

I dreamed about him constantly. More than I did before the accident. But he only remained in my dreams, and absent in reality.

“Inny.”

The touch on my arm jerked me awake and I looked over at Rick. He was smiling at me, genuinely, for once. He had showered and the wrinkles in his eyes had lessened.

He looked happy.

I frowned, “What’s going on?”

“I’ve got good news,” He smiled.

Two nurses came in and bombarded me with questions, checking my vitals and speaking between the two of them.

“They found a donor for you.”

My heart spiked and I looked at Rick, “They did?”

He nodded.

I sighed. Finally. I needed to get out of here.

“How are you feeling?” Rick reached for me, helping me to sit up.

“Good, actually,” I smiled.

“The doctors are saying everything looks good and stable. We should be able to go home after.”

“Really?”

“Yes, all they were waiting for was the blood.”

“That sounds great.”

They moved me to another room and I had to close my eyes and look away from the bag of blood beside me. It was making me nauseous.

Rick sat in front of me, reading a a magazine, but he was fidgeting like crazy. I didn’t think that blood made him just as nauseous.

He finally set the magazine down and huffed, leaning forward on his elbows,“Inny, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”

“What is it dad?”

He always smiled when I called him that. And to be honest, it made me feel so good, too. It was a warm feeling and it reminded me that I had a family. That I wasn’t so alone.

He leaned back in his chair, “With the trial coming up, I was thinking it would be good for us to get away.”

I nodded.

I hated seeing Jacob’s face in the news. It made my skin itch and my nightmares return. I knew Kian would be testifying to some degree, but I had asked Rick to not give me any details. I didn’t want to know.

“Like a vacation?” I whispered, hopeful.

He chuckled, “We can do that too, but if you want to, you can choose an out of state college.”

My eyes widened. Move away?

“I’ve already put in a request for a recommendation and have some interviews set up.”

I inhaled slowly, trying to keep my breath calm, “Dad, I don’t know-“

“You need to heal, Inny. I hated seeing you fall apart. I hardly recognized you. I was afraid-afraid you’d given up. You have to look at this for what it is.”

“What?”

“An opportunity.”

Move away? This town would have been the last thing to tie us together and Rick was asking me to sever it. It would force me to truly move on. It would literally bury everything.

I shook my head, my lip trembling, “I know you didn’t like him dad, but I-I love him.”

He leaned toward me, rubbing his fingers down my arms,“Shh, I know. I know.”

I exhaled a broken sob, “What if I never feel okay again?”

He stood from his seat standing next to me and pulling me toward him in a hug. I cried against him softly.

He ran his hands through my hair, “You will, you will sweetheart. I’ll make sure of it.”

I shook my head and looked to the door,“He isn’t going to come, is he?”

Rick stiffened, before exhaling slowly, “I’m sorry.”

He held me for a few minutes, until I calmed down enough to tell him I was fine. He watched me carefully, and I saw in his eyes all the love that I would’ve sworn he didn’t have for me.

I shouldn’t take our relationship for granted. I didn’t want to be a ghost with him anymore.

“You would really move for me?” I twiddled with the hem of my shirt, avoiding his gaze.

“Yes. Of course,” He nodded as if I had just asked him the most ridiculous question.

“Okay, then,” I exhaled.

“Really?”

“I’m tired of feeling like this.”

And I really was. I needed to move on.