Page 69 of Viper
“Doctor,” Randy suddenly says, “how long until he wakes up?”
A voice I don’t recognize replies, “With the way his tests are coming back, soon. He’s only been weaned off the drugs for twenty-four hours, so give him time.”
“Well, the fucker needs to hurry up, Lake is breaking,” Randy mutters before the voices fade as tiredness consumes me, Lake my last thought before darkness takes me.
She needs me.
Chapter 27
Lake
I scrunch my eyes tight as fingers thread through my hair, waking me from the pitiful sleep that was consuming me, but I try to ignore it, not wanting to wake up and see Jaylen still asleep.
I feel a light kiss to my head, and I burrow into Jaylen further.
Four days out of surgery, two days since they weaned him off the medication, and he’s still not awake. Ted is optimistic, but me, not so much.
I’m a med student, I’m studying this kind of stuff, so I know the risks of his surgery.
He may not wake at all, and if he does, he may not be able to move his body because of where the bleed was, he may not be able to talk, heck, he may not even remember me at all…
I don’t care who is trying to wake me or why, I want to stay here, lying next to him with all the regrets that fill me.
So many stupid arguments and fights flit through my head, as always, when I come back to reality.
Breaking up was a mistake, a mistake I may never get to take back and now the urge to cut intensifies every single day. It’s to the point that the prospect that is watching Jaylen is now also watching me to ensure I don’t pick at my scars again. Being close to Jaylen, feeling his heart beat against my ear is the only thing to soothe me, to stop me from doing what I want so I’m not moving and whoever is trying to wake me can go away.
I’ve completed my coursework, and I’m on early maternity leave from work due to the circumstances with Jaylen, my boss agreeing after he spoke to my dad. So no one has a reason to try and wake me, and I know it won’t be Callum, he’d probably flick my forehead and not be nice.
According to Dad, May has somehow wormed her way into being his partner. Poor guy should have kept it in his pants…
He’s demanding I return to work as soon as soon as the baby is born, which is just hilarious.
I squeeze my eyes tight, the fingers still running through my hair. I’m twenty-five weeks, more than halfway, but even as our daughter moves between us, I still don’t feel comforted.
I need him to wake up.
I feel another kiss on my head before the fingers that were running through my hair grip it, and the body I’m leaning on moves slightly. I quickly open my eyes and look up.
Beautiful hazel ones lock with my dark green, and my eyes tear instantly, Jaylen becoming blurry before my tears fall.
He’s here, he’s awake!
“Jaylen?” I choke, willing for him to say anything as he looks at me.
His eyes race between mine before he asks, “What did you write to Dr. Gren? What did you see for your future?”
His voice is raw and rough most likely caused by the tube he had in for two days and the lack of water and a sob releases from me.
“You, always you,” I admit before I lean up and press my lips against his for the first time in six months as my tears fall.
Relief fills me as he kisses me back harder, tightening his grip in my hair before he pushes his tongue into my mouth.
Home, I’m finally home.
A sob releases from me, and he breaks the kiss, placing his forehead against mine as he breathes hard and chokes, “I’m okay, baby, I’m okay.” My sobs come out harder, causing him to hold me tighter and repeat over and over, “I’ve got you, shorty, I’m not going anywhere.”
I squeeze my eyes tight, allowing the fear, the pain, all to release through my sobs along with relief.
