Epilogue

He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, more from emotional turmoil than physical pain. As a demon, he had been trained to cope with physical pain. But nothing could prepare him for a broken heart. She filled his every waking thought and prevented him from having a restful night.

He sighed. Sleep had eluded him from the moment she had left his room in a fit of anger four nights ago and he didn't know when it would return.

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She shifted position slightly and closed her eyes. She was so tired. She'd been badly hurt emotionally from all sides and needed time to recover but knew she'd be unable to sleep. While work distracted her during the day, thoughts of him and of their life together, kept her awake at night.

She sighed. Sleep had eluded her from the moment she had left his room in a fit of anger four nights ago and she didn't know when it would return.

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He opened his eyes and glanced around the dark room. He still believed their love was the key to the road back. She had been right about needing to acknowledge the dark sides they each possessed. They would never be able to reach any new understanding if they could not truly accept one another, flaws and all. If they could manage that

Sleep hadn't come but a sense of peace had begun to settle within him. He closed his eyes and smiled.

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She opened her eyes and softly sighed. As on each previous night, she'd been thinking of him. Of their love. He had been so insistent that their love was enough. She told him it wasn't. She didn't know when their opinions had reversed themselves but she knew that in order to move forward, in any direction, they would each have to accept the light and the dark within each other. If they could manage that

Sleep hadn't come but a sense of peace had begun to settle within her. She closed her eyes and smiled.

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***** ***** ***** *****

***** ***** ***** *****

The night nurse slowly opened her patient's door to check on him. For four nights he had been a terrible patient, always arguing, definitely stubborn, and clearly miserable. She dismissed the mindless gossip about him that floated around the nurses' station. He was her patient and her only concern for him was for his physical well-being. And if that meant sedating him so he could receive some much needed sleep before he was discharged, well, that's what she was prepared to do.

But, for the first time since she took charge of him, she smiled when she stepped into his room. She stood there a moment and watched him. She'd never before seen such a look of serenity on his face. So, instead of following hospital protocol, she turned around, closed the door behind her, and left the sleeping couple alone in each other's arms.

the end