Southern Heat by Natasha Madison

Chapter 4

Willow

"The longer she sleeps, the better it is for her," I hear a woman say as I try to fight off the darkness. “It means her body is healing."

"She flinched her fingers yesterday," the man’s voice says. “When is the doctor coming back?" His voice goes higher.

"He should be passing by soon," the woman says, and I sense that he’s asked her this question before. “You can go home, and I can call you if it changes."

"I’m not going anywhere," he snaps, and then I hear footsteps walk away from the bed.

My arm is picked up. “I know you can hear me,” he says, his tone softer than how he was with the nurse. "I saw your finger move. I know I did." I feel the heat over me, and I want to move my hand, but the darkness just comes and takes me away. His voice gets farther and farther away from me. "Open your eyes. Please."

I struggle to run from the blackness. I fight it with everything I have, and it’s still too strong for me. My chest hurts from all the running.

"Her breathing is getting better." I hear the voice as I try to push the darkness away. “We are going to take out her breathing tube and see."

"Is that going to hurt her?" the soft voice asks as something rubs my hand.

"You are going to have to give me some space," the woman says, and the touch on my hand doesn’t move.

"Oh, don’t look at me like that," the man says. The woman laughs.

"You know, in the beginning, you sitting here the whole time was sweet. Now, you are just becoming a pain."

He’s been sitting here the whole time? Why? I wonder. Why is he still here?

"Before I start this," the woman says, “I need you to know that she might be in just a touch of pain.” I feel tugging on my chest.

"Why is her heart speeding up?" The man’s voice is frantic.

"It’s coming back down,” she says, huffing out. “If you guys ever have children"—she laughs—“I want to sit in the waiting room and watch."

The pain in my throat goes away and then I feel little touches on my hand.

I hear the beeping, and the sound comes closer and closer as I move toward the rock. My eyes fly open, but one is still sealed shut. I look around frantically, not sure where I am. My breaths come out almost in pants as I fight off the heaviness of my eyes. The pain hits me right away and knocks the air right out of me.

I try to get my heart rate down just a bit as I look around the room. Hospital room. The light from outside hits me right away, and I close my eye again. The pain in my head is making me keep it closed just a touch longer as it shoots to my stomach.

I open my eye slowly as I take in the room. My eyes go from the closed door to the corner of the room that faces the window. The blinds are also closed but the sunlight fights to come in.

I close my eyes, trying to pick up my hand, but it’s too heavy. I swallow, and the burning makes me close my eyes to catch my breath.

When my eyes open again, they’re not as heavy as the last time, but my head continues to pound. I look around the room and stop when I see him sitting in the chair. He has his head back, and his eyes are closed. His hands are folded over his chest while his long legs are stretched out in front of him. His hair is lighter than it was in the dark. His black clothes are gone and in their place are blue jeans with a gray T-shirt. My heart speeds up this time, scared that this man is still here. Why is he still here? My fingers start to move up and down with the nerves inside me. I look around, wondering how I could escape. I try to lift my leg just a touch, but nothing moves.

Was his voice the one I’ve been hearing?

I lick my dry lips as I fight to keep my eyes open. The heaviness is coming on strong. I close my eyes just to rest them for a second, slowly blinking, but they remain shut.

I don’t have the energy to open them again, but this time, the darkness comes with a vengeance.

The beeping from the machines lulls me back to sleep.

"Did you eat?" I hear a woman’s voice, and my eyes flicker open.

I want to open my eyes longer, but my body just sinks into the bed, and I drift off.

"It’s been four days,” he says angrily. “You said twenty-four to forty-eight hours." Four days, I repeat to myself. Have I really been asleep for four days? That is impossible. I must have heard wrong.

"I said that those hours were critical," another man says. “The swelling in her brain has gone down. That is amazing news. That she is still alive is a miracle. I’ll see you tomorrow."

I moan, hoping that they hear me. I try to lift my hands, but it feels like I have concrete in them. I’m here, I yell. My voice is screaming in my head.

The sound of his shoes are moving away from me. "I’m going to need you to open your eyes, please." His voice is close to me. My hand is getting hot from being in his. "Show me those green eyes."

I force my eyes to open to show him my eyes. I force my eyes to open so I can make sure he’s not waiting for me in a dark corner to pull me out of this bed and drag me back to the place he calls home. Which is my hell, where I spent the past eight years trying to escape. Every single time being sucked back in.

"I just need to know you’re okay,” he says, and I feel a prickle on my hands. "Anything?" he asks, and I force myself to squeeze his hand.

"You can’t run from me." I hear the evil voice as I run through the forest, branches hitting me in the face. My legs get heavier and heavier as I run. I look over my shoulder as he chases me. The branches sting as they scrape my legs.

His hands try to grab me, but I run out of his grasp. "When I get you," he hisses, “I’m going to make sure I finish the job."

I gasp, opening my eyes, looking around the room frantically to see where I am. My eyes land on the man who carried me out of the cabin. My chest heaves as I catch my breath. “Oh my God,” he says, his hand squeezing mine a little as I try to calm my heartbeat.

"You’re safe,” he says, his blue eyes darker than I saw them last time. The circles under his eyes look like he hasn’t slept in days. “You’re safe," he repeats. My heart still races, and I look around the room, checking to see who else is here with me.

I lick my lips, wanting to say something, but my throat is scratchy. “Don’t talk,” he says, getting up and rushing over to the door. I look around, wondering if I can go out by the window. I take in the whole room and make an escape plan. I try to move my legs, and this time, it moves up but immediately crashes back on the bed.

I close my eyes as my head starts to pound again, then force my eyes open again. “She’s up, I swear,” he says loudly. He comes back into the room with a smile on his face. “See?" He points at me. “I told you."

"Hi," the nurse says with a big smile, and I look at her. So many questions come to mind. But the main one has nothing to do with her or me.

“Head.” I start to croak out, licking my lips and then closing my eyes. I lift my hand that doesn’t have a cast on it to my head, touching the white bandage. The pounding makes me close my eyes to try to push it away. "Hurts." I try to wet my tongue.

"That’s good," the nurse says. She walks over to a table and brings me a Styrofoam white cup with a straw in it. “Take little sips,” she says, and I take a sip.

The burning down my throat makes me stop for one second. My eyes are on the man who stands at the foot of my bed, watching me like a hawk. I try to sit up, but the pain pushes me back like someone just kicked me in the stomach. "You are going to hurt yourself," the man says, and I hold up my hand as it shakes like a leaf on a tree in a windstorm.

I put my hand down and take another sip of water. The cool water makes my tongue feel less heavy. I look at the nurse, who just looks at me as I try to tell her with my eyes. "Do you know where you are?" she asks me, and I look at the man in front of me.

He is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He almost looks like one of those princes in fairy tales. “Who are you?"