When they returned to Blake’s room it was to see his father hunched over his son’s body, singing a low song. Katherine instantly burst into tears, and all Poppy could do was hold his mother and cry right along with her.
****
Post-accident Day 10
Poppy leaned back in the chair, her focus on the muted television and the sound of Blake’s IV pump droning on in the background. It was going on two in the morning, and the infomercial that played on the screen became blurred by Poppy’s lack of sleep. Katherine and Henry had stayed with Blake while she took a quick shower and changed into clothes her mother had brought her. She was so thankful for the support of their families and didn’t know what she would do if they weren’t here. Yeah, you do. You’d be a broken mess on the floor.
Blake slept peacefully besides her. With his hand in hers, she brushed her thumb back and forth along the smooth skin. Her attention faded until all she saw was his fingernails. They were long, strong fingers, and were attached to masculine, hands. Closing her eyes and resting her head back against the chair, she imagined the future, one where Blake wasn’t lying in a hospital bed. The slightest pressure on her hand had her snapping her eyes open and sitting up. Had she imagined it? Holding her breath, Poppy didn’t move as she stared at their conjoined hands. Yes! He clenched his hand again around hers. For so long all she did was blink back the tears and watch his face, hopeful. The lights were off in the room, but the glow from the nurses’ station through the window in the room illuminated his face.
“Blake?” Voice hoarse from unspoken emotion, Poppy moved closer to him and cupped his cheek up her other hand. No way would she let go of him. The world stopped as she waited for him to open his eyes, and after what felt like forever he finally did. His eyes looked dark in the shadowed room, but she could still see the intense hazel. “Oh God, Blake.” She could hardly see him through her deliriously happy tears.
For several long moments he didn’t say anything, just stared at her. The comments made by the doctors, about how he might not remember things, slammed into her brain. What if he didn’t know her? It seemed surreal, but the way he looked at her had her heart plummeting. “Blake? Please, say something.” She caressed his cheek, waiting for his first words in over a week. He closed his eyes, and she heard him swallow.
“Poppy, sweetheart.” Just the feel of his hand tightening its hold on hers had Poppy covering his chest with her body and sobbing into his hospital gown. She should go get the doctors and tell their families he was awake, but for just this small moment in time she absorbed the fact he was alive and hoped everything would be okay.
“I love you, Blake. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” His voice sounded soft and hoarse, but the meaning behind his words was clear. “There is so much I want to tell you, wanted to tell you before all this happened. The whole Maggie thing—”
“Shhh, I don’t want to talk about any of that right now. I don’t care. All I’m worried about is you getting better so we can be together.”
She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips and forced herself to let everyone know that Blake would be okay. The nurses and doctors came in, asked him a series of questions and performed some tests. Then it was their families’ turn. A few had stayed in the waiting room, but the majority stayed at a local bed and breakfast.
After the tears of happiness, cries of joy, and hugs and kisses, Poppy and Blake were once again alone. “I didn’t know if you’d ever wake up, Blake.” Poppy pushed herself up and wiped the tears away. A small smile touched his lips, and when he trailed his finger over her arm she returned the sentiment.
“Sweetheart, there isn’t anything that would have kept me from you.” With that, he cupped the back of her head and brought her to him for a gentle, yet love-filled kiss. “Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. Here he was, lying in a hospital bed after a massive car accident, and promising her that everything should be okay. “I should be the one telling you that.” She kissed him again. “How about we just take care of each other?”
“Sounds good to me.” Her hair fell around them, concealing them like a curtain. Only time would tell if there was permanent damage to him, but Poppy would be there every step of the way.
“You’re my life, sweetheart.”
“And you’re mine, Blake.”