Chapter 36- Coming Back
He was there, he realized. It was his blue eyes that were looking at her, and his eyebrows arched with determination.
It was so odd yet so beautiful to see him. She realized that certain features of him blurred over; she realized that she forgot how good he smelled.
''Dom!''
She started to sob, and she took him into her arms. She started to kiss him, and he kissed her back; their kiss was amorous and fiery and desperate, fed by the hunger of not seeing each other for so long.
''Oh gods, I've missed you,'' she murmured.
''I missed you, too,'' he said.
She looked up. His voice sounded sad, without the relief she had.
''You can't stay here,'' he said.
''Dom... I just got here.''
His eyes filled with tears. ''Our baby needs you as a mother, and my cousin needs you as a lover.''
''Neal... lover?''
''He loves you, I've seen it here. And you love him too, don't you?''
The words filled her with shock. She never thought of it, loving him when he was helping her deal with the death of another man she loved. Her love for Neal did not become blatantly obvious in the way her love for Dom had, but it came in a softer and more subtle of a way. But she realized it was true, and nodded. ''I do.''
He nodded, hanging his head.
''I'm sorry,'' she said.
''It's not your fault. He helped you and you got close to him. I wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life alone.''
''I'm sorry,'' she said, her eyes overflowing with tears. ''I'm the reason you're not living yours. If I never got out there...''
''No,'' he said, his voice firm as he put his hand on her shoulder. ''Don't you dare say that. You only wanted to help. And in the end, I chose to save you. I don't regret it. But I do wish... I wish I had the chance to marry you.''
She gave him a sad smile. ''Me too.''
''You really have to go,'' Dom said.
''But...''
''You're lucky the Black God didn't catch you. But you were dying so slowly, and there are so many other people dying now...''
There were so many things she wanted to say, wanted to do with him. But he was right; she couldn't stay.
''Go,'' he said.
She nodded. ''Just... kiss me one more time.''
He nodded, smiling. ''Of course.''
She felt his lips on hers once more. She savored everything about it- the way it tasted, the way his mouth twisted on hers, the way she felt against him as he kissed her.
''There's no time to make love again, is there?'' she asked.
He shook his head sadly. ''No. But we will one day. There will be a time when we can be together again. We will meet again one day, Kel.''
''I know.'' Her eyes were filled with tears.
''I will lead you back,'' he said, taking her hand.
''All right.''
''Goodbye, Kel.''
''Goodbye.''
Both of their eyes were filled with tears; they both felt as if they were being ripped from each other once more.
She felt herself fade away, the vision of him dimming. His eyes were the last thing she saw, and what she would remember years to come.
The first sensation she got back was sound. She could hear sobbing all around her, and her mother screaming.
The next sensation she gained was touch. She felt someone's hand on her- Neal's? Her father's? No, the calluses told her it was Neal. Someone was leaning next to her, crying, and she could feel their tears.
She tried to move, tried to open her eyes. For a moment, she couldn't. Her body felt like lead, so difficult to move. Her hands inched on the hand that was on her, and she tried to say something.
She opened her eyes, and did her best to keep them open. ''Don't cry,'' she said, her voice coming out as a croak. ''I'm here now.''
Their reaction was instantaneous. Ilane immediately went up to put her arms around her, laughing as she did. Piers was right behind her.
''We thought you were dead,'' Ilane sobbed.
It would be too complicated to explain that she was, and that Dom brought her back. She would explain all of this later to them.
Eventually they let her go. Once they were rational and assured that Kel was alive, they left to give Neal a moment.
He kissed her. He kissed her as hard and passionately as he could, trying to convey all the fear he carried for the past three months and the hunger for her he harbored and the pain of seeing her so sick.
And she kissed him back, with all of the gratitude in her heart that she has felt in the past few months. She kissed him with the mixed feelings in her heart- the pain from leaving Dom and the relief she had for the chance to return to him.
He beamed at her, and she felt a smile stretch across her face.
And then he reached and held her. He clutched her with all of his strength, as if letting her go would mean losing her once more.
''We thought you were dead,'' he said, starting to sob. ''I thought I had lost you.''
''I was. You did.''
He gave her a confused look. ''Later,'' she responded.
''Oh gods, I thought I had lost you,'' he said, and then leaned in to kiss her once more.
For the first week she was lucid, Ilane and Piers didn't let their daughter out of their sight. Neal spent as much time with her as he could, trying to explore the new benefits of his romantic relationship with Kel.
Baird had no explanation for her recovery; she was now only a little weak, the internal damage she had suffered gone.
One day, Neal brought Dom was brought to her bedside.
Kel beamed as she saw him. She tried to speak, but she was speechless. She looked into his blue eyes and her heart was immediately captured by him. His head fit into her arms as seamlessly as a lock and a key. Kel felt as if she was encapsulated in a new kind of bliss.
And then she started laughing, and Neal followed her. Because it was all so beautiful, all so precious. But she realized how delicate it was, how quick she had come to losing it.
''He's so beautiful,'' Kel managed. ''My baby... he's so beautiful.''
Neal beamed, his smile hitting Kel like the rays of the sun. ''I know.''
She suddenly felt a rush of gratitude wash through her, for Dom and for Neal. Neal for raising little Dom while she was gone, and Dom for bringing her back to the both of them. And suddenly, she knew she had to tell him.
''He saved me,'' Kel said. ''He brought me back.''
''Who?'' Neal asked.
''Dom.''
Neal didn't say anything so Kel continued.
''I felt as if I were sleeping, all that time,'' Kel said. ''And then I woke up and I didn't know where I was. It was like this empty plain. But Dom was there.
''I was happy, ecstatic, to see him at first and I just wanted to stay with him. I couldn't think of anything else; I was just consumed by the knowledge that he was there. But he told me I couldn't stay, and I knew I couldn't. He got me out, before the Black God saw me.
''And now... I'm just so thankful to be back here. With you, with little Dom... With everyone.''
Neal looked at her and then he went to kiss her again. He started to cry silently with joy, his tears mixing in their kiss.
''I'm so glad you're here now,'' he murmured against her. ''I'm so glad he brought you back.''
''Me too,'' she said.
As she kissed him, she knew she could not be happier. For she was home, and she had so much to live for now.
''Thank the gods you're here,'' he said, his mouth curling in the beginning of a smile.
''Yes, thank the gods,'' she replied.
Okay, so that is the end of In Her Darkest Hour. I will be posting the epilogue sometime this week. I hope the ending wasn't too sloppy or sappy or lame or anything. Just tell me if it is. So, I shocked you once again. Please read and review.