He had been awake for nearly three days now. Three straight days. Seventy-two brutal, trauma-filled hours, each and every minute demanding his full and undivided attention, time seeming to pass in slow motion as he wore himself thinner and thinner to the point at which he could hardly function and was running solely on adrenaline.
The E.R. eventually became quieter, less crowded, less chaotic, so he began to make his way towards the nearest on-call room. He slowly shuffled down the deserted hallway, his every muscle aching in exhaustion, his vision blurred, his eyes watery and stinging as he fought to keep them open. He struggled to recall a time when he had ever felt so physically and mentally drained. His surroundings became distorted and the hallway started to spin as dizziness overtook him, and before he could process what was happening, he collapsed onto the floor.
As Amelia turned the corner, her heart thudded and her breathing became fast and panicked as she took in the sight that met her eyes. She rushed over to him, dropping to her knees and placing two fingers on the side of his neck, relaxing when she felt his pulse through his skin.
"Owen, wake up. Come on. Owen!" She shook his shoulder, sighing in relief when she saw his eyelids flutter.
"What happened?" he asked, sitting up and grumbling sleepily.
"You fainted. I don't think you've been out for very long, but it looks like you hit your head pretty hard," she told him, examining the small laceration on his forehead. She took notice of his bloodshot eyes and trembling hands. "Owen, when's the last time you got some sleep?"
"Um... three days ago, I think. I'm fine though, really, I was just about to take a nap."
"Owen, you need rest. Lots of it... but first, you need a work-up. Just to be safe."
She walked him to an exam room, sitting him down and carefully cleaning and bandaging his wound. After confirming that he had no other injuries, she led him into an on-call room, helping him remove his shoes as he settled onto the bed closest to the door. His heart was still pounding fast, his breathing still heavy and erratic as he relished in the feeling of finally being able to close his eyes.
She helped him lie down, sitting on the edge of the mattress and gently easing his head onto the pillow. She ran a hand through his hair, soothing, comforting, placing the other on his chest as his heartbeat began to slow.
"Hey, you're okay. It's okay," she cooed softly. "Just sleep."
She stood up to leave the room, but stopped when she felt his hand grabbed hers.
"Stay," he whispered. "Please."
She removed her own shoes, motioning for him to scoot over as she slipped into the bed. She pulled him into her arms, her head propped up against the pillow as his rested on her shoulder, his face tucked into the crook of her neck. He wrapped his arms around her torso, relaxing into her warm body. She lazily traced patterns on his arm, leaning her head against his as his breathing slowly evened out.
"Sleep," she repeated, and he did. His breathing slowed as he reveled in the comfort of her body's warmth, inhaling her scent as he nestled his face further into her neck.
"Thank you," he whispered, his breath lightly tickling her skin.
She smiled, placing a soft kiss on the side of his head as he slowly drifted to sleep.
"Anytime."