Hey Guys! Here is Chapter 20 (HOLY COW!) , I hope that this makes up for the lack of chapters last week! Haha, Anyways, as you might have guessed, this chapter has a lot of Alex and Emma so this one is for all you Alex and Emma shippers :) Here is Chapter 20!
Charla bustles around the room filling IV bags, marking charts on her clipboard, adjusting the bandages around my arm and thighs, and yelling at me for not drinking enough water.
"But Charla," I explain, "I'm just not thirsty right now."
"And I am not excited about seeing your thigh-wound, Princess, but some things are for greater causes so we must set aside our beliefs and follow directions." She glances up at me and the corners of her mouth tug into a smile.
Charla is about twenty-seven and she has a boyfriend names Sam. I like to tease her about him all the time because she gets so flustered and she blushes like crazy. She has been my nurse since I was admitted four days ago. Whenever I bring up Sam she always likes to turn the tables and bring up the selection. She knows that I don't like to talk about it so it gets me to shut up about her boyfriend really quick. Charla is sassy and sweet at the same time and I'm really happy that she is my nurse because she makes this bland hospital room burst with color. Literally, her scrubs are always neon colors and with some intricate pattern on them. For example, today she is wearing a hot pink, long-sleeved, scrub shirt with bright blue hearts all over it. She looks like cotton candy, but I have to admit that the bright colors look amazing on her darker complexion.
"I bet that you don't make Sam drink this nasty orange juice." I chide
She chuckles to herself and smiles, "Well Sam didn't get shot in three places while having an arm that was sliced open with a champagne glass, so…"
"Same difference, Charla." I smile back at her.
"What about Alex?" She asks.
I look at her confused, "What about him?"
"If he was sitting in the hospital bed and you had to take care of him and the doctor told you to make sure he drank plenty of fluids, would you nag him to do so?" she says matter-of-factly.
"Touché, Charla, Touché." I surrender and drink the dang orange juice. "Speaking of Alex. Do you think that you could go get the maid waiting outside the door?"
"How did you know that Naomi was there?"
"Charla, I've been a princess for many many years and I've lived with my parents for many many years, because I know them so well, I know that there is a maid outside that door along with a guard. It's probably one of the more trusted ones so I am guessing that it is either Officer Avery or Officer Danielson." I look at her and she shakes her head.
"Good guesses, but it's Officer Braxton." She laughs
"No!" I exclaim, "That was my third guess, I swear! Don't look at me like that Charla!"
She is shaking her head when she opens the door and calls for Naomi.
"Yes Princess?" Naomi asks.
I smile at her, "Nice to see you again Naomi, and I was wondering if you would sent someone to fetch Alexander Payne?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"Oh and Naomi?"
"Yes, Princess?"
I look at her and soften my expression, "I may have just been dead only yesterday, but I still remember telling you to call me Emma, right?"
She laughs, "Of course, Emma."
"Much Better." And she closes the door.
Charla clears her throat and says, "OK now let's get your bandages changed so you don't have these raggedy old ones with blood stains on them."
The footsteps come before the person does as it did four nights ago. The hospital door slowly opens and Alex walks in. When I see him I get a happy almost giddy feeling. I feel like someone has lifted me off my feet and spun me around in a pile of rose petals. His bright blue eyes mirror mine with their constant intensity and the smile that tugs on the corner of his lips makes me melt into a puddle of feelings and emotion. Is this was love feels like? Oh my heart wonders…
He sees my eyes and steps into the room. Slowly he walks toward me as if I am a figment of his imagination.
I muster up a smile and say, "I'm really here you know."
His pace quickens and soon enough he wraps his arms as best he can around me. He is shaking and trembling and I can feel the pitter patter of the tears on the back of the hospital gown. He pulls away and looks me in the eyes and before I know what's going on, he pulls me into a kiss.
This makes up for all the times that I was falling through nothingness, this makes up for all the times that I was with someone else, this makes up for all the moments that I missed having with him when he was right next to me, this makes up for all my ignorance as to what I really feel for him.
When I saw Alex, I wondered what love is. When I kiss him, I know.
We pull away and I smile at him and say, "Hey guess what?"
He looks at me and says, "Wait, I have something first…"
"But I don't think that I can wait…"
"You're going to have to because what I'm about to tell you is more important than anything you are going to tell me."
"Oh no, I seriously doubt it."
"Yeah? You really do?"
"Most definitely. One-Hundred percent."
"Now I am doubtful." He gives me that devious smile and I can't help but surrender.
"Fine," I exhale, "Go first."
He looks at me and says, "I think I love you." His cheeks instantly turn red and my heart flutters.
I look at him and say, "Well here is the thing…"
His eye brows raise in confusion, "What thing…"
"I know I love you."
The smile that once tugged on the corners of his lips breaks out into one brighter than the sun.
"No way." He challenges.
"Way."
"You can't be serious."
"Dead Serious."
His smile instantly drops, "I never want to hear you say that word again."
"Alex, I'm – I"
He takes my hand, "Emma, there are nights when I can't the picture of you laying in a pool of blood and shattered glass out of my head; I see those men shoot you over and over again; I hear you unconsciously whispering for your mom, dad, brother, and on occasion me; you don't know how large the effect that the word 'dead' has on me. The one person that I could never emotionally let go of was about to be ripped from my grasp and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't carry you out of your vegetative state like I did from the pool of blood. I saw the heart monitor stop, I hear the consistent beep. That haunts me, it makes me feel like I failed. I failed to keep you safe, I failed to love you the way that you deserve to be loved."
Only now am I aware of the tears streaming down my face. I take my hand out of his grasp and caress his cheek, I guide his head closer to mine and I capture his lips with my own. This situation isn't perfect, I am not perfect one bit and neither is he, but together we are perfect. This kiss reveals all of imperfections that we are. We slow down and finally I decide that I need to breathe.
"I love you," I whisper, not sure if he can hear me.
"I love you more." He replies in the same tone.
The door opens and Charla walks in, "Mr. Alex, I do believe that lunch is being served and if you tell me that you are not hungry I will smack you with this clipboard. You have missed too many lunches already, hun." She adds after Alex tried to interject.
"Yes, Charla, mother knows best," He teases as he walks out the door
"And you best believe it honey!" Charla replies.
"Bye Emma," He says as the door closes.
"Bye," I call after him even though he probably can't hear me.
Charla turns to me and says, "Sugar, you have that boy wrapped around your finger. Now let's get you cleaned up and we can try some Jell-O, how does that sound?"
I blush and agree. Charla changes my bandages and I try to stomach some cherry Jell-O, I finish about half of the cup when I feel immensely full. Charla advises me to try and sleep so I settle down In the bed and close my eye.
I wake to the sounds of voices and my eyes flutter open. I see my parents talking in chairs next to the bed. My dad is the first one to notice me and he smiles.
"Good morning, Sunshine." He says calmly, "How are you feeling?"
"Like a million bucks, dad." And he laughs.
My mother turns to me and asks, "Did you ever get to talk to Alex, sweetheart?"
I smile at them, "Yeah, I did." I rememeber the events of yesterday and I continue, "Oh mom, dad, I wanted to tell you something."
"Hmm?" My mom questions as she takes a sip of her coffee.
"Well… Um… I – uh, well… um"
"Emma you can tell us anything," My dad interjects.
"I love Alex." I blurt out.
They both look at me with wide eyes and then then look at each other. They always do this thing where they look at each other and have "conversations", it seems weird t everyone but they seem to know what each other's point of view is at the end of them.
My mom is the first one to speak, "Emma, honey, there are still twelve other men here, you can't possibly rely on the feelings of one person."
I almost don't believe the words that I am hearing. My parents are the most famous Love-At-First-Sight couple there is. Now they are telling me that I the feelings that I have aren't genuine.
I turn to my father, who still looks shocked, and say, "Dad you know how I am feeling. You knew when you first met mom that she was the person you were going to marry. You knew you loved her." His expression changes a bit.
"What does love feel like, Em?" he questions.
I look at the ceiling and think about what I feel when I see Alex, "It feels like I am on this rollercoaster and the sky is his eye color. I am floating on a cloud and his voice echoes around me like a melody. It feels like your falling but you know that you will never hit ground. It is this feeling that you are spinning around in rose petals, but at the same time you are afraid of the thorns. You are afraid that this is a figment of your imagination. You are always afraid that the other person is going to walk up to you and tell you that he never ever liked you or felt the same way." I take a deep breath, "All in all, Love is a beautiful fear."
"America," he says as I finish my last statement, "She knows."
"I know Maxon, I know." My mom replies, not looking away from me.
Sooooo, how was it? I love Charla's character, she seems so real and down to earth. I am so glad that you guys like Alex! I hope you guys didn't get too run over with the feels today, a lot of information and emotions was dumped on you! Here are some reviews from this morning!
EmmaKate: Aww thank you so much! Your review was so sweet!
PinkPotterPanda: Haha, in time, in time, more information will come! :D
ImagineInspire: I'm glad that you are a shipper of Emma and Alex! We will discover information in time... XD
Read, Review, Favorite, Follow, Fangirl, and I will see you next week!
Happy Reading,
xoxo, Rosie
Question: Who do you think shot Emma?
Answer: ...