Okay, first, I suck for not responding to everyone's reviews, but I've had a truly insane week because my office is moving and I've been working ten to twelve hour days (even half days over this past weekend) to get read for it. That said, THANK YOU all so much for your reviews and adds. I hope you all like this chapter and as always, PLEASE let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Twelve
Two Weeks Later
Seth did not leave Avery's side for more than an hour every day for the last two weeks, and that was because Camilla basically forced him to go home and get some rest. However, his rest consisted of just a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes, which was why he was currently back at his house and standing under the hot spray of the shower. He barely registered walking in the front door before he had made his way to the bathroom for a shower.
Sighing heavily, he tilted his head back, letting the water splash against his tired face for a few seconds before he bowed his head and ran his hands through his now clean hair. He reached forward and turned off the water, pushed back the curtain, and climbed from the tub before he grabbed his towel from the counter. He ran the towel over his face, through his hair and then down his body before he wrapped the towel around his waist. He wiped the fog from the mirror and looked at his reflection for a minute. He looked just as tired and worn out as he felt, and a very small part of him just wanted to crawl into his bed and not leave it but that was not going to be happening anytime soon.
He could barely step into his bedroom because all that flashed through his mind was the last weekend he had spent with Avery. Her scent still filled the room, clinging to the sheets he had yet to wash, and it made his heart ache all the more. Taking a deep breath, Seth looked away from the mirror as he grabbed his comb from the counter before he hastily ran it through his hair that hung in his eyes. He needed a haircut, however, he was decided that he'd get it cut when Avery was up and about. Until then, it was just going to continue to grow.
With his hair combed back and finally out of his eyes he gathered his dirty clothes from the floor before he slowly made his way into the hallway and slowly into his bedroom. However, he stopped just inside the bedroom door when he saw that his bed was neatly made and his hamper, which had been overflowing with his dirty laundry yesterday when he had come home to shower. He frowned as he looked around, hand gripping the towel around his waist before a throat clearing behind him made him jump slightly before he turned his head and was shocked at who he saw standing at the end of the hall by the foyer.
"You seriously look like shit, Seth," Leah said as she uncrossed her arms from in front of her chest before she walked down the hall and took Seth's dirty clothes from his hands and went into his room. She tossed them into the empty hamper and turned back around to look at him.
"Leah," Seth said, his surprise at actually seeing his sister for the first time in five years clear in his voice, "what are you doing here?" he asked and Leah sighed quietly before she ran her fingers through her chin length black locks.
"Emily, and Mom, called me," Leah said simply and Seth blinked at her. Leah had left with Jacob and the Cullens a long time ago for Alaska, and she had actually found her imprint there, a man named Keegan. They'd been married for seven years now, and Leah and Keegan didn't get to visit often since Keegan was a fisherman and his demanding job didn't allow much time for traveling far from home. So, to see his sister standing in his house was a bit of a surprise. "Everyone's worried about you, and from the way I found your house and the way you look I can see why. Your place was a wreck when I got here, and when was the last time you actually slept for more than an hour at a time and actually in your bed?"
"I'm fine, Leah," he said as he shook his head and made his way over to his dresser with his hand holding on to the towel around his waist so it wouldn't fall. "You came all the way down here for nothing." He heard his sister sigh as he pulled out a pair of clean boxers and jeans from his dresser along with a white v-neck t-shirt.
"Seth, look, I understand that you're beyond worried, but you need to take care of yourself," Leah said as Seth kept his back to his sister. "I worry about Keegan every time he goes out on the boat. I never know if he's going to come home for sure, and he refuses to let me get a job on the boat so I can make sure he does."
"That's not the same, Leah," Seth said before he slammed the dresser drawer closed and turned around to look at her. "You know it's not, so don't try to compare the two." Leah glared at her brother as her hands went into fists at her sides. "Look, Leah, I don't want to fight with you," he said with a heavy sigh as he shifted all of his clothes into his left arm before he ran his hand down his face and stared at the floor for a bit. After taking a deep breath, Seth shook his head and looked at his sister once more.
"Thank you for coming down here, thank you for cleaning up my place and doing my laundry, and thank you for caring; but until Avery wakes up, I can't rest. I just can't." Seth said, his expression serious as he looked at her. Leah felt her anger melt away when she took in the expression on her brother's face and her heart actually ached for him.
It took meeting Keegan for Leah's hard and cold heart to finally melt, and as she looked at Seth she realized that he was right. She didn't know what he was going through and her worry for Keegan was different than his worry for Avery. Keegan had wandered into Leah's life eight and a half years ago, and right now he was at her mother's house safe and sound and waiting for her. Avery had been in Seth's life for over eighteen years. He had watched her grow up and loved her on every level possible. He couldn't remember what life was like without her in it, and Leah didn't even want to imagine the turmoil her brother was going through.
"Oh Seth," she said softly before she quickly walked over to her brother and hugged him tight, not caring that he was still slightly wet from his shower. Seth dropped his clothes to the floor at his feet before he hugged her back just as tight, clinging to her as if she was his last remaining link to sanity.
"Are you as happy as I am that you're finally getting out of here tomorrow morning?" Michael asked as he sat beside Alyssa's bed, his homework in his lap. Alyssa had her catch up work spread out on the tray hovering above her hospital bed, and Michael had promised her he'd turn it in for her on Monday. She gave him a small smile as she looked at him before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Yes and no," she said and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. His expression made her giggle and the sound made him smile because over the last two weeks, she hadn't had much to laugh about.
"What do you mean?" he asked and she sighed quietly.
"Well, yes because I miss home and I'll probably be a lot more comfortable in my own bed," Alyssa said, "and no because now I won't get to ask Dr. Garrison questions anymore." Michael laughed and shook his head as he smiled at her.
"How's my girl?" came Paul's voice from the door and both Michael and Alyssa looked at the door to see Paul walk into the room. He looked rough, not as rough as Seth had when he checked in on Alyssa before he left to go home for a shower and change of clothes, but rough enough for Michael to be concerned.
"I'm okay, Dad," Alyssa said as she put down her pencil and turned her full attention to her father. "How's Avery?"
"Same as she was yesterday," Paul said as he ran his hand through his hair and came to a stop beside Alyssa's bed and tried to offer a smile at his daughter. He moved his hand from his side and tucked Alyssa's hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, Lys," he said trying to sooth the worried look on his youngest daughter's face. "You know as well as I do that Avery's tough. She'll be okay."
"Yeah, she's too stubborn to go down without any sort of fight," Michael added, drawing her eyes to him. Alyssa nodded her head even though deep down she wasn't as sure as her father and Michael seemed to be.
Two days later, Seth was once again at Avery's side. She'd been taken off the ventilator and removed from ICU after a week in the hospital, and all of them had looked at that as a positive; but Avery had yet to show any true sign of waking. However, for the first time since she had been in a coma, that morning Avery reacted slightly when Dr. Garrison pressed his pen into the palm of her right hand. The doctor assured them all that that was a good sign, so, Seth's hope in Avery waking up was rekindled. It was almost midnight as Seth sat beside Avery's bedside, her right hand in both of his as he gently caressed her hand between his much larger and much warmer hands.
His tired eyes were focused solely on her face as he held her hand in his. She looked better, if still a bit pale, and the brace was gone from her shoulder; however the cast remained around her left arm. He spent the daylight hours talking to her about everything and anything; keeping her up to date on what was going on in their small slice of the world outside of her hospital room. At night, he would just hold her hand like he was at that moment and ask her to wake up.
It was at night when he was totally alone with her, and it was then that he wasn't under the pitiful gazes of his friends and family. He didn't want them to hear him practically beg her to open her eyes, to wake up, and he didn't want them to hear the total desperation in his voice as he spoke the words. It had been bad enough that he had broken down in front of Leah the other day, but to his surprise his sister had yet to use it against him. However, that night his lack of proper sleep over the last two weeks was finally starting to catch up with him and he was struggling a bit to stay alert and he had yet to go through the usual speech he gave her every night.
Seth sighed quietly before he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the palm of her hand before he scooted his chair a little closer to the bed. He leaned forward and rested his head on her stomach/hip area, but was sure to keep his face turned towards her head. He lifted his right arm and rested it across the tops of her thighs before his hand rested on her right hip. His left hand remained holding hers on the bed underneath his chest and with another sigh he closed his eyes. He was going to rest his eyes for a few minutes. That's all he had planned, but his exhausted body had other ideas and soon Seth was sound asleep.
Avery's head pounded slightly as she slowly started to wake up. However, she was warm and the gentle weight that was wrapped around her was comforting and familiar. She took a deep breath through her nose and with a little bit of a struggle she slowly opened her eyes. For a second she was confused as she stared at the ceiling because she was not in her bedroom and after that fleeting moment of confusion, she realized that she was in the hospital.
It was then that she remembered the accident, Seth's truck flipping and Ryan and Alyssa screaming. Panicking at the thought of her siblings being hurt, or worse, Avery tried to sit up but found the task impossible thanks to the fact that she was so weak that she could barely even move her pounding head. Plus, the heavy weight on her lower half wasn't helping her any. Looking down, Avery saw Seth lying against her and for a moment her panic ebbed away. She moved her hand, which was encased in his, slightly and the movement made Seth's eyes snap open before he was sitting up. His left hand remained on her left thigh while his eyes were on her face.
"Avery?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief as his brown eyes met her hazel. Avery tried to speak, but her throat seemed to close on her and her voice was nothing more than a croak.
Seth's hand tightened around her hand and the smile that lit up his face was almost blinding. Her worry for her siblings must have shown in her eyes because he was quick to stand, his left hand letting go of hers only to be replaced by his right as his left hand moved to the side of her face.
"Ryan and Alyssa are both okay," Seth said softly as he ran his thumb along her cheek in a soothing manner, and Avery let out a deep sigh as she looked up at him. "I need to get your nurse," he said quietly. "I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded her head once since her throat still wasn't cooperating enough for her to speak. He smiled at her, his thumb running along her cheek one more time before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers for a fraction of a second.
Avery closed her eyes at the feel of his lips on hers and when he pulled away she opened them just in time to see him stand fully and quickly turn on the balls of his feet before he jogged out of the room. Avery glanced around the hospital room and saw the blinds of the room open. It was pitch black outside and it was obvious to her that she had been out for hours because school had gotten out at 2:45. Her mouth was beyond dry, but aside from the slight pounding in her head and the fact that she was very weak, the rest of her felt perfectly fine.
It was then that she saw the date on the white board at the foot of her bed, which had her name and the name of her nurse written on it. The date on the board read that it was February twelfth, and that made absolutely no sense to Avery. If it was, that meant that she had lost almost two and a half weeks. Tears filled her eyes as her confusion overwhelmed her and when she heard Seth walk into the room, she looked towards the door.
"The nurse is calling the doctor on duty to come and check on you," Seth said. "She said you could have some water, so, I got you . . . what's wrong?" he asked when he spotted the tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but once again her voice refused to work properly. "Here," he said quickly as he sat down on the right side of the bed and helped her slowly sit up before he brought the cup in his hands to her lips. Avery was still too weak to do much moving, but she raised her right hand to rest on Seth's forearm as she took a few small sips from the cup in his hand. "Better?" he asked when he pulled the cup away, but Avery kept her hand on his arm as he lowered it between them to rest on his leg.
"Seth," she said, speaking in a gentle whisper since that was all she could really manage as Seth continued to hold her up with his left arm wrapped around her. "H-how long have I been in the hospital?" she asked quietly and Seth sighed heavily.
"A little over two weeks," he said, his heavily lidded eyes locked with hers. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at him, blinking rapidly to try and hold back her tears.
"Two weeks?" she asked, her voice still quiet and raspy, and he nodded his head.
"You took a pretty bad hit to the head in the accident. You've been in a coma ever since." It was then that Avery noticed the deep, dark circles under Seth's eyes. He had slight beard growth, like he hadn't shaved for a couple of days, and he looked absolutely terrible. She knew then that he probably rarely left her side, and she doubted that he'd gotten any sort of rest since the accident.
"I'm sorry," she said softly and he furrowed his brow.
"For what?" he asked, gently shaking his head as he looked at her.
"For wrecking your truck and making you worry," she said, her voice breaking and disappearing a bit, but he understood her all the same.
"I can get another truck, Avery Jade," he said as he shook his head, "and I worry about you all the time. That's nothing new."
"But not like this," she whispered.
"No, not like this, but I knew sooner or later you'd come back to me." Her tears returned but she managed to hold them back. She doubted he had believed that for the whole two weeks she had been unconscious, but he was putting on a brave face for her at the moment and truthfully she appreciated it. She didn't think her muddled brain could take much more.
"I love you," she said and he sighed once more before he pressed his forehead against her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as his forehead touched hers and the familiar sensation of being consumed by Seth wrapped comfortably around her.
"I love you too, Avery," he said before he lifted his forehead and brushed her lips against her skin. "I love you so much," he said into her hair and Avery wish she had a little more strength so she could wrap her arms around him to hug him, but Seth was holding her close and that was enough for her at the moment.