The steady beeping was the first thing that pulled her out of the absurd dream.
Only after a few seconds did she notice that the rhythm matched her heartbeat. That could not have been a coincidence.
She took a hesitant deep breath and felt a dull thud on her chest, she knew that it was only weakened by painkillers and by god, she was thankful for that.
Timidly she opened her eyes and immediately squeezed them together again, the light was burning in her eyes and she needed another few seconds to catch herself.
Tired, she let her gaze wander around the sterile room.
She had to be in a hospital, that much was clear. Her head was supported on two soft cushions and a kind of clothespin was hanging on her index finger. She didn't even want to list everything that was hanging in the crook of her arm.
A throat clearing ripped her out of her trance and confused she noticed that someone else was in the room with her.
Her breath got caught. The steady beeping turned into an excited rhythm.
Immediately he raised his arms soothingly and whispered in a soft voice that everything was okay. His words worked and her pulse seemed to calm down again.
Lily recognized him.
He had been in her dream.
As she looked at his blond curls and took in the fine features, she remembered these absurd scenes that had disturbed her sleep.
Before she could remember the plot, the angel interrupted her.
"Do you know where you are, Lily?"
Her name sounded like music from his lips and she stared blankly at him.
Even if the painkillers did the rest, she knew he wasn't an angel - even if he looked like it. With his fine clothes, he was most likely a normal doctor. Normal wasn't the first word that came to mind when she looked at him.
"In the hospital?"
Her voice sounded rough and only now did she notice the bad taste she had in her mouth. As if she had taken a sip of sand, she was so parched she couldn't even swallow.
Immediately the handsome doctor moved and handed her a mug with a straw. She didn't even question what was in it and greedily drank several sips. A benevolent grin spread across his red lips and the beeping raced up again.
Traitor, she thought, growling in the direction of the pesky device. He didn't seem to notice, however, or at least didn't comment on it.
His eyes were literally glued to her and only now did she see the unusual color. It was a mixture of okker and honey.
Strange.
She could have sworn they were a lot darker. There was an emotion in his gaze that she couldn't interpret. It was quickly covered by something else.
Pity.
He cleared his throat again, it seemed more like he had to collect himself.
"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Do you remember what happened?"
He said his name as if it had been perfectly rehearsed, as if he were saying his text in one piece, over and over, over and over again.
Lily concentrated on his voice and inwardly sighed. No wonder her confused brain thought he was an angel.
"I was in the car, there was a deer or a stag on the street ... Alex tried to swerve around it .."
Suddenly the memories pelted down on her.
The truck.
Alex.
The music.
His laugh.
The deer.
The bang.
Alex.
Immediately her gaze flew searchingly through the room.
Where was he? He was certainly admitted as well.
"Where is Alex?"
The gentle gaze disappeared from his eyes and he looked at her in pain. It seemed like the next few words would hurt him more than her.
"I'm sorry Lily. His head injuries were too severe. He didn't make it."
Her ears pounded, she didn't hear the excited beeping next to her.
The pain she was feeling couldn't even be numbed by the painkillers she was surely still pumped full of.
Alex.
She heard a loud sob and realized it was coming out of her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut and became restless, she couldn't breathe. Her throat tightened and she felt panic rise within her.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, which she pressed back into the pillows, apparently she had sat up without noticing it. The pressure was gentle but strong enough that she couldn't fight back.
The cold that emanated from his hand was comforting and so many thoughts were buzzing in her head that she couldn't grasp any of them. His voice spoke to her and although she didn't understand what he was saying, she calmed down. Her fingers twitched and she found herself clinging to something cool and hard. Although her grip must be clearly painful, his hand didn't even flinch away.
Dr. Cullen hissed something unintelligible and she felt someone tamper with the crook of her arm.
More pain relievers, no doubt. She wanted to defend herself against it but they worked too fast for her to stand a chance. Again her eyelids became heavier and the pressure on her shoulder disappeared. The lack of contact caused the panic to rise again for a second as she passed out into unconsciousness.
Her last thought, which she could clearly grasp, were the bright blue eyes that looked at her in amusement.
Alex.
He stared at her like he found it hilarious that she was getting so upset.
His face blurred and she called after him desperately.
More and more of his features disappeared and another face appeared.
He stared at her with coal-black eyes and suddenly had nothing of an angel anymore.
She yelled for Alex again, but he was gone.
The only thing she saw was a predator's gaze.