A Broken Forever(13)

"It's been a long day," I told my waiting fiancé. He nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to the center of my forehead.

"Just rest, baby. I'll be here until three in the morning when my shift ends. If you don't mind, I am going to run home to shower and change, but then I'll come right back."

Panic instantly set in as I finally looked down at my hospital gown attire. I sat all the way up and tried to function past the sudden woozy feeling in my head.

"No, I'm not staying." Richard had no idea about my past history with hospitals, but I couldn't stay. Especially not here, overnight in the place that has always signified the end of my family.

His lips pursed to quietly shush me as his strong arm forced me back into the bed. "Grey, my love, you have to stay. You hit your head very hard, and I worry you might have a concussion. I can't be home to watch you and I want to make sure you aren't alone."

"It's fine. I'll just not go to sleep, okay? Please?" I pleaded with him. Richard chuckled but shook his head.

"I get it, Grey, most people don't like hospitals. You have always skillfully managed to avoid coming here to meet me. They aren't exactly happy places, but I need you to do this for me, okay?" The slight amusement in his eyes had completely disappeared and in place was a very serious look that suddenly made a knot form in my throat.



       
         
       
        

"Please baby, I am used to seeing gruesome sights and people's lives hanging in the balance. This is what I have been trained to deal with. What I haven't been trained to deal with is seeing my fiancée wheeled in completely unresponsive. Once I realized you were okay I felt a little better, but not much. Every spare second I've been in here with you because I had to be here when you woke up." He took a hand and rubbed it over his face as his eyes cast towards the floor. "Maybe I've been overreacting, but I never, ever want to see you come in here that way again."

That was all it took. In a few minutes time my reserve to leave had faded. This place hurt me, Richard didn't know why, but right now none of that mattered. All I knew was the man I loved needed me. Every single day I woke up and knew how incredibly strong Richard was. But never have I heard a confession like this come from his mouth.

I lifted his left hand and brought it to my lips. My lips placed a kiss to his bare ring finger; I flicked my eyes up to him and saw the soft look of content come back to him.

"I love you, Richard Michaels. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere." He laced his left hand with mine and smiled at the exquisite diamond engagement ring in its rightful place on my finger.

With a sigh he said, "I can't wait until the day you are mine forever."

The words, 'I already am,' were on the very tip of my tongue, but for some reason they wouldn't come out.

It hurt to hold in the words, but I knew deep down something else was hurting even more. Instead, I fanned my hand across his cheek and pulled his lips down to mine in a passionate kiss that I hoped said every word I couldn't. The smile on his face as we parted put some ease in my mind.

"Now, Kari said she would talk to Kacie for you and let her know what happened. You can call her and let her know you're okay and I'll have some dinner sent up for you. But after you eat I want you to rest please. Okay?"

I nodded my head and gave him a smile. "I promise."

"Good girl," he said with a wink before checking his pager and excusing himself to go help the rest of his patients.

My purse and clothing were sitting on the chair closest to my bed. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through what felt like a million texts. I called Kacie and talked to her, no, listened to her for a good twenty minutes. She was in a complete frenzy that something had happened to me and she wasn't immediately there to save me. By the end of the call I was even more in love with her, which I truly didn't believe was possible. There were a dozen other messages from my staff asking if I was okay and sending best wishes. I decided I would respond to them when I wasn't quite as tired as I was now. 

Although there was one message I responded to. My heart plunged to my stomach as I read Kari's text.

Kari Brooks: Was that …

That was all the text said, but quite honestly, that was all it had to say. I knew exactly what she was talking about and as much as I craved to keep that moment to myself-it was almost a relief to have someone to share it with.

Me: Yeah. It was.

My entire body became emotionless as I ate the food Richard had sent up, while I mindlessly watched TV. The nurse stopped in and asked if I was in pain, and without thinking I replied, yes. She brought along some pain meds with an extremely drowsy effect, which, quite honestly, was probably the best thing for me. Because the kind of pain I was feeling wasn't the kind a medication could cure. Sleep was undoubtedly the best thing.